Jesy Nelson has signed a solo deal with global management firm YMU.
The 29-year-old singer announced in December she was leaving Little Mix because of the impact being in the band was having on her mental health, and it has now been confirmed she’s set to launch a solo career under YMU, whose clients already include Take That, Steve Aoki, Ant and Dec, and Fearne Cotton.
In a statement, Jesy said: “I am so excited to join YMU and can’t wait to start my next chapter.”
Whilst Mary Bekhait, group CEO of YMU, added: “Jesy has enjoyed incredible success as a recording artist and performer and is well placed to further her remarkable career. She is a hugely talented, versatile and authentic artist with a strong creative vision, and we are looking forward to helping her realise that.”
Jesy previously hinted she was set to release solo music last month when she posted mirror selfies on Instagram with the caption: “Let’s go”, along with some musical notes emojis.
And when a fan asked: “Are we getting JN1?”, Jesy liked the comment and sent her followers into a frenzy.
She then further fuelled speculation that she’s working on music with a studio snap of herself alongside songwriters Patrick Patrikios and Hanni Ibrahim – who worked with Little Mix on their 2018 LP ‘LM5’ and 2016’s mega-hit ‘Touch’ – on her Instagram Story.
The singer announced three months ago she was leaving Little Mix as she admitted that being part of the band had “really taken a toll” on her mental health and she was quitting to do things that make her happy.
She wrote at the time: “The past nine years in Little Mix has been the most incredible time of my life. We have achieved things I never thought possible. From winning our first Brit Award to our sold out shows at the 02. Making friends and fans all over the world I can’t thank you all enough from the bottom of my heart for making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. You have always been there to support and encourage me and I will never ever forget it.
“The truth is recently being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard.
“There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking core of ourselves rather than focussing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin that process.
“So after much consideration and with a heavy heart, I’m announcing I’m leaving Little Mix. I need to spend some time with the people I love, doing things that make me happy. I’m ready to embark on a new chapter in my life – I’m not sure what its going to look like right now, but I hope you’ll still be there to support me.”