Singer Perrie Edwards has spent most of her adult life as Perrie of Little Mix, the chart-topping British girl group, which went on hiatus in 2022. We met her through X Factor and saw her as part of a quartet, then a trio. But she is ready to reintroduce herself as just Perrie. 

After going solo in 2024 with her single Forget About Us, she released her debut eponymous album, Perrie, the following year. It’s a pop album full of sounds and references to music she has enjoyed, an exciting experiment as she finds her own sound, which she admits is both daunting and exciting. In an industry that can feel limiting, Perrie enjoys the creative freedom to experiment with different genres and draw from the wide range of artists who have influenced her throughout her life – from Journey and Alanis Morissette to Celine Dion and Hayley Williams. 

Her upcoming single Passenger Princess marks a new era in her artistry, reflecting the evolutions in her personal and professional life, with a pop-rock sound that will no doubt excite her fans and that she has loved going back to. With an upcoming packed festival season, including Isle of Wight and Might Hoopla this summer, as well as an exciting personal life, including the birth of her daughter earlier this year, you have to wonder how she does it all. Well, she loves staying busy and with a great support network of friends, family and fans, this year may be an exciting one for Perrie. 

Sitting down with 1883 magazine, Perrie talks about the transition to her solo career, the musical influences in her life as she finds her new sound, her love for Paramore and Bruno Mars, how she stays well and sane and the exciting changes in her personal life – from babies to furry friends. 

I imagine for you, going solo after being in a group for so long was nerve-racking? Was it really scary?

I think obviously it’s a huge dynamic shift. When you’re in a group, and you’ve got that comfort blanket of the other girls and a big team around you. Everything just kind of falls into place. And when you’ve been doing it for such a long time, like we were, everything was just so easy because we knew what our sound was, what worked, what our fans wanted, like, what kind of tours we wanted to put on, what set list we wanted. It was like second nature to us.

When you go solo, it’s basically starting from scratch again. So it’s quite daunting. But when you leave that group, the possibilities are endless. It’s like being in a restaurant and seeing the menu – you could have anything you want, a bit of this, a bit of that, a little bit of that. It’s exactly the same when it comes to being a solo artist. I think you’re just kind of overwhelmed by what route you could go down, what direction you want to go down, what your sound is. It’s daunting but exciting all at the same time. 

You have had a new sound with a new single this year. Woman in Love came out in February, and you have Passenger Princess coming out.  I’d love to know about the creative process around those songs in particular because it sounds like you are really settling into your own sound. 

 I think the main thing for me was that I could play with the sound, and I could make any sound, like sonically. So if I’ve got a good song and the melody is good, and the lyrics are good, you can kind of make it whatever you want. You can mould it into pop, you can mould it into rock, you can make it a bit more indie. You can make it more dancey. 

 I think for me, when I went solo, the most important thing for me was the lyrics. I just love telling a story through my music. I love quirky, fun lyrics that people can pick up on and sing along with. Forget About Us was a bit more mixed – it was a bit more rocky, a bit more like the guitars, the live-sounding band and things like that, which is why I’m excited for Passenger Princess and getting to go down that rock route again. That’s just where I feel more at home.

Passenger Princess is a lovely little closing chapter of the Perrie album. And the Perrie world, it just kind of closes everything nicely. I’m excited for what’s to come.

We are all excited! You have had so many wonderful things happening in your personal life – congratulations on the puppy and the baby! 

Thank you! Axel, put that down! 

(At this moment, we are briefly interrupted by Perrie’s son Axel – a brilliant example of her balancing career and motherhood, and I am also reminded that the five-second rule can only apply at home) 

(laughing) You’ve got so much going on! How has it been, balancing it all?

I love being busy and being on stage and being that pop star girly. But then I also love just being at home, being with my kids and being a mum. Going for little dog walks, and just going on adventures and all that kind of thing. I kind of love the balance of work life, personal life, so it’s just me. I feel very fulfilled in my life right now, and I’m very happy with the balance. But yeah, a lot is going on, babies, dogs, planning my wedding. 

So much is happening! Glad the football season is ending. We need to get Alex to work! 

(laughing) Yeah, we’re getting him to work! He’s great. 

You named your daughter after Alanis Morissette, and I remember that you sang her song at your X Factor audition. Are there any other artists who have had such a profound impact on your life? 

Alanis Morissette is a huge inspiration of mine. I love the way she writes. I love the aggression and the passion that she kind of brings to her music and her stories, like you’re so invested in the stories. 

I love Hayley Williams of Paramore; she was my biggest icon growing up. It was the first concert I ever saw when I was younger. When I left that concert, I rang my brother, and I was like, “Johnny, this is what I’m gonna do for a living! Like, I’m gonna be a singer.” She’s everything to me; her voice is insane. Steve Perry from Journey is one of the best in the world to me, up there with Freddie Mercury and Whitney Houston. I just love big singers. 

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And it’s funny because you were named after Steve Perry? It must be so wonderful for your family to see those influences and listen to your music?

I was! My dad was in rock bands for years, and in my household growing up, there was a lot of 80s pop rock. There was a lot of Journey, Guns and Roses, Aerosmith, all of that kind of music that was kind of in my veins from a very young age. And then when I went solo, I started trying every kind of thing. My mom loves the big divas of the world, and she loves Alanis Morissette, but then she’ll listen to Celine Dion. 

I think my dad, particularly, is going to enjoy, like, my sound moving forward. It’s a lot. It’s just like what he has been doing for years, like in bands and things like that. But, yeah, my dad’s been in bands all his life. He still sings now, and it’s just, I just love the sound of a live band. When you go to a gig and that band’s playing, there’s nothing that just feels euphoric to me.

I agree, live music is just incredible to listen to! Who is your dream collaboration – aside from my secret hope for some reunions with Little Mix?

I love the girls, so I’m always down! In an ideal world, I would love to do an album with Bon Jovi, Steve Perry, Steven Tyler, and Haley Williams. All of those artists would just be insane. Also, Bruno Mars, I love his music, and he’s such a brilliant songwriter. Even if he just wants me to clean these floors in the studio while he gets to work, I’m happy. Like, I just want to be in the presence of greatness while he’s creating.

Just being the studio tea lady for the day! I’m curious about your creative process. You have talked about how you scrapped whole parts of an album. How do you decide whether something is working or not whilst finding your sound?

I think it works best for me when I’m with the people who bring out the best. I know that sounds obvious, but I’ve worked with so many incredible songwriters and musicians and producers, and I think sometimes you just click or you don’t. 

You could have the best day and hang out with them and have so much banter, great craic, but creatively, it’s just not going anywhere. And then you can be in the studio with songwriters and producers that you just click with. They get your sound, they get your humour, and it just flows from there. And it just feels so good. And it feels freeing, in a way. You don’t feel limited necessarily.  I love the melodies. I love coming up with, like, the lyrics, the concepts and things like that. I think I could talk all day about it – I love a chat!

I agree as a fellow yapper! You have an amazing summer lined up – what is it, four or five festivals? 

Four now! 

What excites you the most about festival season? 

Oh, just being on stage, being live, having my band, just rocking out, just enjoying it. I love being on stage, seeing the fans. It’s just my happy place. It’s where I feel like the most, and I just love it so much.

You are just great with your fans. You had a listening party for your fans last month. What made you decide to even do something like that? Because I would be terrified of being like, Oh, let me share, like, extra songs, because I’d be thinking, “Oh, what if they sit there and go, that was shit actually.”

My fans are really real with me, we’re really honest with each other, and we have such a deep connection. I just love them so much, and I know that they want to do right by me. I want to do right by them. So we have such a good relationship in that way. And, you know, they’ll pick me up on things or suggest that I do more of another sound. They’re all like little mini promoters themselves. It cracks me up. But I just love doing anything with my fans. I’m very blessed. For me, as an artist, listening parties are great because I can find out what people are responding to.

If you had to pick one song that’s been really surprising that you’ve enjoyed this year, what would it be?

I think on my album, the one song I can’t escape is Absofuckinglutey. I love it so much. It’s so uplifting and happy and great, but it also makes people cry, so it’s just hilarious. But I just love that song so much. And then, at the moment, yeah, probably the new Bruno Mars songs. I’m just obsessed.

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He’s doing such cool work at the moment. It’s so wild to have seen you grow from X Factor to the amazing work that you’re doing now, not only on stage but off stage. What would you say to Perrie back then? 

 I would say stay genuine to yourself. Always stay positive. Hard, I know, but hard things happen to everybody, and it’s not nice, but I think how you build yourself and rebuild yourself from those situations is the most important. 

And also just that things get easier, and life is great. It sounds really cheesy, but I thank the Lord every day for my life. I’m so grateful I’ve got a lot of blessings in my life, so there’s not a lot to complain about, you know what I mean?  I think I’m just lucky that I’ve got such an amazing family around me, great friends around me, and my fans are amazing. There are a lot of people who pick me up when I’m down, so I’m very lucky to have that. So I would say, yeah, just keep doing you, babes.

Keep doing you, babes, is advice I think everyone needs! What else are we looking for? What else can we look forward to this year that you can tell me?

There’s so much in both my personal and professional life – my wedding! I tried on the dress the other day and I’m so happy with it. 

I can’t wait to see the dress! And the Little Mix reunion there?

It’s so exciting, I can’t wait. 

Keeping that harmony between work and life must be really tricky at times when there is so much going on.

I think I’m never going to get the balance perfect, but I think I have quite a good balance at the moment, and I’ve got such good people around me again, like my mom. Everyone needs a Debs; she’s wonderful. 

Big up, Debs! What little coping mechanisms really help you, and that you would also like advice for other people when dealing with stress?

I think just staying as grounded as possible. Literally do some grounding in the earth. Go out with your bare feet. Stand on the grass. Touch grass. Hug a tree! I’m not even kidding. Social media, cut it out for a little bit. Have a break from it. You don’t need to see what everyone’s doing in their lives. 24/7, focus on your own, like that. That’s real life. Your real life is what’s happening around you, not what’s online.

Touch grass is great advice and so many people need to! Being in the music industry now you have to be so social media focused, and it’s exhausting. I mean, even for my job, I have to be chronically online.

Yeah, it’s a lot! I’ve never been good at social media, probably never will be! 

What are you watching, reading, listening to right now, in between the music making and baby wrangling? 

I’m loving The Handmaid books (by Frieda Mcfadden) – could not put them down. The first one is brilliant. Married At First Sight, but it has to be Australia – 10/10. Oh and Running Time, with Kate Hudson, absolutely loves it. 

 Passenger Princess is out 29 May and Perrie will be headlining Mighty Hoopla on Sunday 31st Mary in Brockwell Park.

Interview Michaela Makusha

Photography Rebecka Slater

Stylist Katie Somavia

MUA Gemma Wheatcroft

Hair Aaron Carlo

Lighting @indivem

Videographer Tom Filipe

Location Indra Studios 

Cover image credits

Coat Yuhan Wang

Dress Zadig & Voltaire

Earrings and bracelet in bun Reis