Leigh‑Anne Pinnock was bullied for her race from the age of nine.
The ‘Bounce Back’ hitmaker was made fun of for her race in primary school and she wants to make sure her future kids are "proud" of their heritage.
She said: "My primary school wasn’t exactly … multicultural. No one else looked like me. I think Mum was aware of it. She used to straighten my hair. One day, I remember seeing a bit of paper that one of the other kids had written on in class and it said, ‘Leigh-Anne. Age 9. Nationality, the jungle.’
"The mad thing is that we’re still having the same conversations today. I still get the trolls and idiots on social media. When I have kids, I’ll tell them everything about their culture. I want them to be proud of who they are. Caribbean food is definitely finding its way into the kitchen. We made an amazing fried chicken the other day. Just the right amount of kick. I know you’re supposed to keep lunch nice and light, but it tasted so good!"
The 27-year-old singer has claimed her and her Little Mix bandmates have also faced difficulties in the music industry because they are women.
She added to The Sunday Times magazine: "Little Mix have been together for eight years, but it took a long time before the industry took us seriously. On video shoots people would say that we didn’t need to be involved in any of the decisions. As if we were just ‘women’, so we didn’t matter.
"There was one time when we went to America and were told to flirt with the record company executives. We didn’t bat an eyelid because we thought that was how it worked. I’m so glad all of that’s behind us. Women matter in music. We are a force to be reckoned with."
Leigh‑Anne Pinnock suffered racist bullying aged 9
