Over the last couple of weeks, CelebMix have been taking a look back at the last twelve months for some of our favourite music artists. In this article, we take a look back at some of the successes quartet Little Mix achieved throughout 2018.
On 01 January 2018, the girls shared a nostalgic post summarising the previous year – 2017. With some of their achievements including a Number One and double platinum album with ‘Glory Days’ to their having the biggest UK arena tour of 2017 with the most tickets sold, 2017 was no doubt an immensely successful year for Jesy, Jade, Leigh-Anne and Perrie. But 2018 was set to be even bigger.
Little Mix unveiled that they were up for three awards at The Global Awards – Best Song (‘Power’ – Featuring Stormzy), Best Group and Best British Artist/Group – all of which they won. You can watch Jade’s empowering speech at the event below.
Shortly after their three-award win at The Global Awards, Little Mix announced that they were nominated for two awards (Best British Video – ‘Touch’ – and Best British Single) at the annual BRIT Awards – an absolutely incredible achievement to be nominated at such a widely acclaimed ceremony!
In the months that followed, the girls became immersed in the writing and production of their new album, ‘LM5’, which was released late 2018. During their time in the studio, the band kept fans updated with images from the studio throughout the year.
June 2018 marked the band’s first release of the year, with track ‘Only You,’ in collaboration with Cheat Codes. ‘Only You’ quickly became a fan favourite and Little Mix described the track as a ‘feel good summer anthem.’ When speaking about the single, trio Cheat Codes explained:
“When we did ‘Only You’ we wanted to tell a story that a lot of people are familiar with, like picturing love as your favourite movie and this is the final scene. You don’t want it to ever end but unfortunately, there’s no way to rewind the footage, the memories of that love are all we hold. ‘Only You’ is about that special someone that no matter where you are in the universe your stars still align.”
Shortly after the release of ‘Only You,’ rehearsals for their ‘Summer Hits Tour’ began – a tour which saw the band performing at infamous stadiums around the UK. This tour allowed the four-piece to perform a collection of their tracks – both old and new material – and it was great to see the girls back on stage again!
2018 was also a stand-out year for Little Mix in terms of brand collaborations. Throughout the year, they launched a skin-care range with Superdrug, launched their third collection with sportswear brand USA Pro and in conjunction with Boots, launched LMX – a collection of make-up products designed by the band.
The first preview of the new era was unveiled by the band in August 2018, with the girls in a car with a track (‘Joan of Arc’) being played in the background. The short preview of the track hinted at the imminent release of new music and marked the beginning of what went on to become one of their most successful eras to date!
Each year, Little Mix always celebrate the band’s anniversary. In August 2018, they celebrated seven years of being together, describing their continued success ‘like a dream that we get to do what we do every day!’ To mark their time together, they did an acapella version of ‘Don’t Let Go’ – the track which truly changed things for them on ‘The X Factor.’
On 30 September 2018, Little Mix announced their new single was titled ‘Woman Like Me’ and would feature Nicki Minaj – a collaboration they have been wanting for years. They explained that their ‘Woman Like Me’ served as a celebration of ‘incredible women in every shape and form.’ The fierce, empowering track was released on 12 October 2018 and hit the Number One spot in many countries worldwide.
You can watch the iconic music video for ‘Woman Like Me’ (featuring Nicki Minaj) below:
In mid-October, Little Mix unveiled the artwork and title for their fifth studio album – ‘LM5.’ They also announced that there was going to be three different editions of the album released: a Standard Edition, a Deluxe Edition and a Super Deluxe Edition.
With the announcement of the release of a new album also came the news of a 2019 headline tour around the UK and Ireland. Limited tickets are remaining for a majority of the dates. For a full list of tour dates and to buy tickets to the ‘LM5 Tour’, make sure you click here.
Another poignant moment from 2018 for Little Mix was no doubt having the opportunity to perform ‘Woman Like Me’ live with Nicki Minaj at the MTV EMA Awards and their performance was absolutely fantastic! The girls also scooped an award for ‘Best UK and Ireland Act’ at the Awards.
‘LM5’ was released worldwide on 16 November 2018 and featured empowering tracks, with a host of collaborations. The album, which featured tracks such as ‘Think About Us,’ ‘Monster In Me’ and ‘The Cure,’ included key themes of self-love, independence and feminine empowerment. You can check out our review of the ‘LM5’ album by clicking here.
In conjunction with the album’s release, several music videos were released – which you can watch below.
‘Strip’ (Featuring Sharaya J)
‘More Than Words’ (Featuring Kamille)
The release of ‘LM5’ truly sums up an incredibly successful year for the Little Mix ladies. With the girls performing at the BRIT Awards next month and a headline tour later this year, 2019 is looking to be another immensely successful twelve months for the quartet. Here at CelebMix, we can’t wait to see what the year has in store for the band!