‘Angel of My Dreams’ is the first solo single from JADE, and it’s easily one of the best releases of 2024. Jade Thirlwall first came to be known by the public as of multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning pop phenomenon Little Mix.
When Little Mix announced their hiatus in 2022, JADE started to set her solo career in motion across multiple studio sessions with collaborators including MNEK, Cirkut, Lostboy, RAYE, Lauren Aquilina and Dave Hamelin alongside Mike, Steph and Pablo.
‘Angel of My Dreams’ was co-wrote by JADE in LA alongside Steph Jones, Pablo Bowman and producer Mike Sabath. It immediately jumped out as the lead single. Built around a cheeky, knowing sample of Sandie Shaw’s 1967 hit ‘Puppet on a String’, it explores her love/hate relationship with a pop industry she’s been at the heart of since 2011. lyrically JADE wanted to reflect on her time in an industry that has brought her both unimaginable highs and deep lows.
“It’s about how obsessed I am with the industry – so there are lyrics like “love when you call me a star” – but also there’s the dark side that comes with that. It’s not as glam as it seems.” The sample, which JADE had wanted to use in a song for years, was chosen very specifically. “In the beginning of our career you do think you are this puppet, but at the same time it isn’t true – we wrote a lot of our songs, and we were behind a lot of what we put out there. I resented that as a statement. So it felt natural to take that and show that it can be true and untrue at the same time.”
The poptastic solo debut which is currently #2 in the UK midweek charts is accompanied by an iconic video which really hammers home the message JADE is conveying with the lyrics, and has amassed over 2 million views already.
Directed by Aube Perrie, and filmed over four days (“the budget was budgeting” laughs JADE), it’s a visual feast, inspired by the Fifth Element, Showgirls and Black Swan, that stars various versions of Jade all scrapping for the spotlight.
“There’s 11 looks in the video! The concept is sort of rags to riches It was emotional actually because for one bit I’m busking and walking past a Sainsbury’s Local. When I was 16, I would stand outside my local Sainsbury’s and sing Christmas songs.”
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