Little Mix stars aJade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Perrie Edwards have all “unfollowed” former band member Jesy Nelson, just days after the latter released her debut single, “Boyz.”
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that all three of the remaining girls were no longer following Nelson, prompting fans to ask questions on social media, with many convinced that it may have had something to do with Nelson’s solo success.
“Boyz” had a solid start on the charts following its release earlier this week. The track, which features rapper Nicki Minaj, went straight to No. 1 on iTunes in 30 countries including the UK and the US, while its accompanying music video has amassed over 5 million views in less than two days.
Needless to say, Nelson, who has inked a record deal with Republic Records, is well on her way to making a name for herself away from her former girl band.
So, what’s going on?
According to fans on Twitter, it’s not all that clear whether Little Mix unfollowed Nelson or whether the 30-year-old blocked her ex-colleagues.
Nelson stopped following the girls right after announcing her departure in December 2020, but Thirlwall, Punnock, Edwards continued to support Nelson by opting not to hit the unfollow button on her.
This weekend, however, they were no longer following her, which has begged the question of whether they were blocked or they simply didn’t want any ties to Nelson and her newfound solo success.
Nelson made headlines just days before news of Little Mix unfollowing her when she responded to claims she’s been “blackfishing” and cultural appropriating.
“I’m very aware that I’m a white British woman; I’ve never said that I wasn’t,” she told Vulture. “I mean, like, I love Black culture. I love Black music. That’s all I know, it’s what I grew up on.”
“I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that’s why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me.”