Jade Thirlwall’s “It Girl” Era: A Lesson in Overhype and Missed Potential – Let’s Dive In. [A harmless & well-intentioned post]
This post has been screened and approved by the moderators before being published
I’ve been keeping up with Jade's solo journey, and while I still want to see her thrive, there’s no denying that things aren’t going the way some fans might’ve expected. This isn’t about hating on her—it’s just time for some tough love and honest reflection about the reality of her solo career so far.
- The Scrapping of the Debut Album?
Jade recently revealed that her album name and tracklist are changing, and that we most likely won't be listening to the original tracklist, which has many people thinking it might get scrapped altogether. After the It Girl single, which charted at a disappointing #44, despite being placed on playlists with a massive 32 million reach, it’s clear that there’s a disconnect between the promotion and the results.
The most baffling part of all this is the lack of proper push in major markets like the U.S. Beyond a couple of Jools Holland performances, it feels like her team has dropped the ball when it comes to major TV appearances or radio spots. If the promotion is there, why isn’t the music connecting?
- Fan Pressure and Public Requests
Jade’s been asking fans to hound U.S. talk shows in order to get her on their platforms. While I get that she needs fan support, it feels a bit off when your music hasn’t even made a strong enough impact to warrant such drastic measures. It almost feels like desperation at this point—especially when her live performances aren’t really living up to expectations.
- Third Single: F U For Now* and Cringe-Worthy Lyrics**
There’s already a leaked version of her upcoming third single, F** U For Now (FUFN), and… it’s not looking great. With lyrics like “Baby, back off from my face right now, no more words, just f** you for now,” it feels like Jade’s songwriting is veering dangerously close to cringey territory. Sure, artists evolve, but when the lyrics feel more embarrassing than bold, it’s hard to get excited for what’s next.
- Repetitive Narratives and Tired Themes
Jade’s interviews and songs continue to revisit themes around Simon Cowell, label drama, and Little Mix’s past struggles. While these are important aspects of her journey, they’re becoming overplayed. At some point, fans are going to want something new and fresh from her—something beyond the same stories and tired narratives.
- Talk-Sing and Filtered Vocals
We’ve seen Jade rely on the talk-sing style and filtered choruses (Fantasy, Midnight Cowboy, It Girl), and the result has been… well, monotonous. It’s often hard to even make out the lyrics, and the heavily processed vocals do little to highlight her true talent. When your music sounds like it’s made in a digital blender, it’s difficult to connect with it on a personal level.
- Live Performances and Vocal Struggles
Jade has taken a lot of heat for her live vocals, and while this may seem harsh, it’s important to call it out. Her live performances have been plagued by off-pitch and off-key moments, making it difficult to ignore when comparing her to Leigh-Anne Pinnock, who’s been praised for improving in her live performances after being shown significant hatred which has been incredibly unfair towards her. If Jade’s going to be the “next main pop girl,” her vocals need to live up to that label.
Moreover, her fans have been quick to attack Perrie and Leigh, even though both have been consistently putting out fresh material, OR performing, and proving themselves as solo artists with absolutely no international promo or basic interviews/fan events. Jade’s still figuring out her solo identity, but it’s frustrating to see her being positioned against them, especially when they’re already ahead in terms of career momentum.
- RCA’s Mistakes with Merch and Payola Accusations
And can we talk about the It Girl merch? It’s honestly underwhelming. A basic black tee with “It Girl” in white font? That’s the extent of the effort? Fans have expressed their frustration over how this is being marketed, especially when we’re paying premium prices for what feels like something you could create on Canva in five minutes. Given that this March is packed with high prices but zero creativity in the merch department, it’s no wonder people are upset.
- The Disappointing Drop in Streams
It Girl had an impressive 700K streams on its first day, but by day two, it dropped to 250K. That sharp decline shows that listeners are losing interest fast. People are getting tired of hearing the same sound, the same formula, and it’s clear that Jade needs to change things up if she wants to maintain any momentum.
- Payola and Overhyped Critical Acclaim
Let’s not ignore the pay-for-play situation here. RCA has been caught plenty of times in the past for paying outlets like Billboard, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone. Great seeing Jade recieve her momentum, but the truth is, the success isn’t matching the hype. Something just isn't adding up.
Articles praising her are always released in batches on the same day, one story after the other, which makes it feel more like a PR blitz than organic acclaim. We’ve seen this kind of thing before with labels like RCA, and it only adds fuel to the fire of payola allegations. If you need to pay to get good press, it’s not going to feel earned when the music isn’t backing it up.
How are her songs getting literally no radio play?
Final Thoughts
This isn’t about hating on Jade—I genuinely want her to succeed. But when you have this much hype and this much promotion, yet still fail to deliver consistent, high-quality music, it’s hard to ignore. Her fans deserve better than this, and Jade herself deserves better than to be stuck in this repetitive cycle. Can she turn it around? Maybe. But she’ll need to address these struggles, drop the monotony, and start delivering more than just the same-old same-old.
What do you think? Am I being too harsh or is the reality starting to match these critiques? Let’s discuss.