Jade Thirlwall: The music industry is a savage machine
Jade Thirlwall admits that the music industry is a tough environment.
Jade Thirlwall thinks the entertainment industry can be a "savage" place.
The 32-year-old singer auditioned on the UK version of 'The X Factor' when she was just 15 years old, and Jade admits that it was a very tough environment for aspiring stars.
The pop singer - who previously starred in Little Mix, the chart-topping girl group - told The Independent: "I don’t think that kind of show can exist any more. We’re in a different place now.
"We wouldn’t put someone that’s mentally unwell on a TV screen and laugh at them while they sing terribly. The concept of a joke act on a show is just cruel. It’s all very Roman empire. But then at the same time, was it not the best training ever for me to enter the music industry?"
Jade suggested that reality TV shows are more challenging than viewers often realize.
The singer - who starred in Little Mix alongside Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards, and Jesy Nelson - admitted to feeling "conflicted" about 'The X Factor'.
She said: "I don’t know anyone that’s come off that show and not had some sort of mental health issue on the back of it, but also, even now, personally I’m conflicted criticizing [it], because it changed my life.
"I was from a very normal working-class family up north, I had tried sending demos in to labels, I’d gigged all over, I was doing everything I could to make it, and I needed a show like that to give me a chance."
Jade acknowledges that she's been very fortunate in her career.
She explained: "It’s so savage, this machine that we’re a part of. Even back then, we knew how lucky we were every day that we were still signed."
