Jesy Nelson On Being A Solo Artist After Leaving Little Mix For Mental Health

Jesy Nelson got candid about her exit from Little Mix and why she's doing solo music at present.

Nelson announced her departure from the girl band in December to prioritize her mental health. Some raised their eyebrows after learning that she is still making music but without her former bandmates Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Nelson explained that she never said she would stop making music after her exit and the people were wrong to think that way.

"I feel like there have been a few people who don’t understand why I left Little Mix, but am now in the studio making music," Nelson told Cosmopolitan for its June issue.

"A lot of people said, 'I thought you came out of the band to focus on your mental health?' I never said when I put out my statement that I was coming out of the band to never be in the public eye or perform again, or do music. I said I was coming out of the band because I genuinely couldn’t deal with the pressure of being in a girl band."

Nelson stated the same reason when she left the girl band last year. In a candid statement on Instagram, she wrote that the constant "pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard" had already "taken a toll on [her] mental health."

Little Mix is known for their music that uplifts and empowers women. However, Nelson's position in the band, being the heaviest one, had subjected her to body-shaming in the past years. Many would often compare her figure to the other ladies in the group and they would shame her because she looked bigger compared to her bandmates. Nelson believed that the comparison was due to the typical perspective that girls in a band should be skinny.

"The 'X Factor' was so used to having typical girl groups that were very skinny, and looked how girl groups are, 'supposed,' to look," Nelson shared. "We were these little scruff bags who just wore what we wanted, and everyone was like, 'This is different.' I was bigger than the other three, and there’s never really been that in a girl group. I was classed as the obese, fat one."

Nelson said she had been confident about her figure before joining the band even giving herself nine or 10. She had no "insecurities" at the time. However, she had zero confidence when she got into the band. After several years she slowly got her confidence back and rated herself 4.5 and things turned better in terms of her body confidence after leaving Little Mix.

"And then I’d say now I’ve left, I’m a solid 8.5," Nelson said.

Nelson's bandmates were supportive of her decision to leave the group.

"After an amazing 9 years together Jesy has made the decision to leave Little Mix. This is an incredibly sad time for all of us but we are fully supportive of Jesy," Edwards, Thirlwall and Pinnock wrote in a statement.

"We love her very much and agree that it is so important that she does what is right for her mental health and well-being. We are still very much enjoying our Little Mix journey and the 3 of us are not ready for it to be over," the three added.