Leigh-anne: ‘I hope I give others the courage to speak out’
The Little Mix star talks tackling racism in her new documentary
She’s living the ultimate pop-star life as one-third of the UK’S biggest girl group, with millions of fans across the globe. But Little Mix’s Leigh-anne Pinnock made headlines last year when, in an impassioned video following the death of George Floyd, she opened up about her experiences as a person of colour in the music industry. She described feeling inferior to her bandmates, telling followers, “My constant reality is feeling like I have to work ten times harder and longer to mark my place in the group because my talent alone isn’t enough.”
Now, in her new documentary Leigh-anne: Race, Pop And Power, the 29 year old tackles the issue head on – delving deeper into her own battles with racism and colourism, and also speaking to friends, family and other black singers in the UK, including Keisha Buchanan and Alexandra Burke. Speaking ahead of the documentary airing, Leigh-anne says it’s been a long time coming.
“I wanted to educate myself and hopefully educate others, too,” she explains. “It’s an issue I’ve been bottling up for ten years. I’d just been putting it to the back of my mind and not dealing with it. Dealing with it was one of my biggest fears. So, I am proud that I managed to be completely open and allow myself to get rid of the pain that I’ve been holding on to for so long.”
The docu comes almost two years after former bandmate Jesy Nelson fronted her own BBC film detailing her experiences of online bullying and mental ill health. According to Leigh-anne, it was important for her to tackle the nuances of racism, and recognise that – while she’s faced prejudice – she’s also experienced privilege from being light skinned. “I always wanted to use this docu to allow dark-skinned women to be a part and amplify their voices,” she says. “Understanding my own privilege has always been important to me, and something I touch on in the film is the idea that if I was some shades darker, I might not even have been put in the group.”
Leigh-anne adds that she’s working to change the status quo. She’s cofounded The Black Fund, a foundation to support black communities, and she also demands more diversity within Little Mix’s team. “I hope this show opens up the topics of racism and colourism,” she says. “I hope it gives other people the courage to speak out. I hope it also gives people the motivation to be part of change… If it helps even one person, I’ll have done my job.” n
Leigh-anne: Race, Pop And Power is on BBC3, 13 May
‘I wanted to educate myself and others, too’