Leigh-Anne Pinnock
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Leigh-Anne Pinnock (born 4 October 1991) is an English singer, actress and songwriter. She rose to prominence in the 2010s as a member of the girl group
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...
, one of the world's best-selling girl groups ever. With Little Mix, she released six studio albums and achieved five number-one singles on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. While in Little Mix, Pinnock released her documentary '' Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power'' (2021), which was met with critical acclaim. At the 26th National Television Awards, it received a nomination for "Best Authored Documentary". In the same year, she made her acting debut in the film ''
Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
'', which became the first British festive rom-com to be led by an all-black cast. Besides music, she is also known for her activism in fighting against racism and in 2020, she won the Equality Award in recognition for her work towards racial equality in the UK.


Early life

Leigh-Anne Pinnock was born on 4 October 1991, to
black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
mixed-race parents Deborah Thornhill, a history teacher, and John Pinnock, and was raised in a Caribbean household. Pinnock lived in
High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, south-southeast of Ayl ...
,
Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
. with her two older sisters Sian-Louise and Sairah. Pinnock has Barbadian and Jamaican ancestry and counts Jamaica as her second home. She has been spending her holidays there since she was a child, with many of her relatives still living there. Before joining
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...
, she worked as a waitress at
Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...
. Her early experience of organised singing came when she joined a youth club and choir then run by
Jay Blades Jason Blades (born 21 February 1970) is a British furniture restorer and television presenter. He grew up in Hackney, which in his childhood was a working class area of Inner London, and now lives in Ironbridge in Shropshire. Early life Bl ...
, who later became a trustee of her charity ''The Black Fund'' that she founded in 2021. In 2020, she spoke about the first time she experienced racism at the age of nine, for a documentary that was later aired on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
.


Career


2011–2021: Little Mix and other ventures

Pinnock's first audition on ''The X Factor'' was "
Only Girl (In the World) "Only Girl (In the World)" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fifth album, '' Loud'' (2010). Serving as the album's lead single, it was released on September 10, 2010. Crystal Johnson wrote the song in collaboration with producers S ...
" by
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
. After she failed the first bootcamp challenge she was placed in a three-piece group named "Orion" alongside
Jade Thirlwall Jade Amelia Thirlwall (born 26 December 1992) is an English singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence in the 2010s as a member of Little Mix, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. With Little Mix, she released six studio albums and ach ...
. Orion performed rendition of " Yeah" by
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...
.
Perrie Edwards Perrie Louise Edwards (born 10 July 1993) is an English singer. She rose to prominence in the 2010s as a member of the British girl group Little Mix, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. With Little Mix, she released six studio albums ...
and
Jesy Nelson Jessica Louise Nelson (born 14 June 1991) is an English singer who rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Little Mix from 2011 to 2020, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. With Little Mix, she released six studio albums and ...
were in another group called "Faux Pas". Faux Pas performed a rendition of " Survivor" by
Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
. Both groups, however, were eliminated. Later, the four were called back by the judges to form into the four-piece group Rhythmix, and they progressed to judges' houses. They eventually reached the live shows and were mentored by
Tulisa Contostavlos Tula Paulinea Contostavlos (Greek: Τούλα Παυλίνα 'Τουλίσα' Κοντόσταυλου; born 13 July 1988) professionally known as Tulisa, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. As a part of the ...
. On 28 October 2011, it was announced that the band's new name would be
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...
. In December 2011, Little Mix were announced as the winners, making them the first group to ever win the British version of the show. As of 2022, Pinnock has released seven albums with the group: '' DNA'' (2012), ''
Salute A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sco ...
'' (2013), ''
Get Weird ''Get Weird'' is the third studio album released by British girl group Little Mix, on 6 November 2015, through Syco Music and Columbia Records. The group began work on a previous album before it was scrapped in 2014, with only a few tracks makin ...
'' (2015), '' Glory Days'' (2016), '' LM5'' (2018) ''
Confetti Confetti are small pieces or streamers of paper, mylar, or metallic material which are usually thrown at celebrations, especially parades and weddings. The origins are from the Latin ''confectum'', with ''confetti'' the plural of Italian ''con ...
'' (2020), and '' Between Us'' (2021). Outside of the group Pinnock has ventured into her own solo projects. In February 2015, she launched a
Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...
fashion
blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
called "Leigh Loves". In 2016, Pinnock was attacked at a London restaurant by a male diner. In December 2017 while performing alongside Little Mix as an opening act for Ariana Grande,
Dangerous Woman Tour The Dangerous Woman Tour was the third concert tour and the second arena tour by American singer Ariana Grande in support of her third studio album, ''Dangerous Woman'' (2016). It traveled across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Oc ...
, she suffered a burn backstage at one of their gigs. In April 2019, she signed to Sony/ATV via joint venture TwentySeven as a published songwriter. Later that month, Pinnock released her own
swimwear A swimsuit is an item of clothing designed to be worn by people engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, diving and surfing, or sun-orientated activities, such as sun bathing. Different types may be worn by men, wom ...
range with Gabrielle Urquhart, titled In'A'Seashell. In March 2019, Pinnock was named as the new face of the sports brand
Umbro Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 c ...
. In April 2020, she revealed she would be launching a documentary with
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, detailing experiences of racism and colourism in the United Kingdom. In October 2020, the singer launched her own production house named ''Pinnock Productions,'' to help embrace diversity and cultures that are underrepresented in the media. In 2020, she released a style edit collection with
ASOS ASOS or Asos may refer to: * Asos, a village in Greece * ASOS (retailer), a UK online fashion store * Association Sportive Oussou Saka, a Beninese football team * Automated Surface Observing System, a type of weather station * Air Support Operat ...
, a British online fashion retailer. Later that month, it was announced that she would be making her acting debut in the upcoming Christmas film ''
Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
''. ''Pinnock Productions'' contributed to the production of the film, which she also stars in. In December 2020, Pinnock won the Equality Award at the Ethnicity Awards, along with group member
Jade Thirlwall Jade Amelia Thirlwall (born 26 December 1992) is an English singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence in the 2010s as a member of Little Mix, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. With Little Mix, she released six studio albums and ach ...
; in recognition for their work towards racial equality in the UK. In March 2021, it was announced she had signed to Taps Music to focus on her solo career; she stated her intent to pursue solo projects alongside her Little Mix commitments. In May 2021, her released documentary '' Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power'' was released on
BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...
and
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
talking about racial issues and colourism in the music industry and her personal experiences. The documentary has been nominated for a
National Television Award The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV (TV network), ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the ...
for Best Authored Documentary. In June 2021, Pinnock was announced as the new ambassador for Maybelline New York, an American cosmetic brand, and launched the "Brave Together" initiative in October. In September 2021, journalist Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Timi Sotire release the book "Black Joy" which includes a personal essay by Leigh-Anne, titled "The Power Within: Finding Purpose in Raising My Voice". In November 2021, it was announced that Pinnock would be one of the hosts for the 2021
MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Af ...
. In December 2021, she made her acting debut in the film ''Boxing Day'' for which she also recorded original music for the first time.


2022-present: Solo career

In February 2022, Pinnock signed a record deal with
Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
, and spent time between the UK and Jamaica recording for her debut album. A demo track of hers was later leaked online before being taken down. In July 2022, she joined the social media app
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, and revealed she is dropping her solo music when she's ready. In September 2022, Pinnock attended and spoke at the One Young World Summit in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
.


Personal life

In 2012 during the release party for Little Mix's single "Wings", Pinnock met footballer Jordan Kiffin, and the pair were in an
on-off relationship An on-again, off-again relationship (also known as an on–off or off–on relationship) is a form of personal relationship between two persons who keep breaking up only to reconcile afterwards, thus repeating a cycle. Researcher Kale Monk, an a ...
, from 2013 to 2016. In 2016 she started dating professional footballer
Andre Gray Andre Anthony Gray (born 26 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Super League Greece club Aris. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national team. A product of the Shrewsbury Town youth system, Gray came ...
. The couple eventually moved in together in December 2018 and in 2020 got engaged on their four-year anniversary. In May 2021, she announced that she was pregnant, and on 16 August 2021, she gave birth to twins. The gender and the names of twins remains unknown as Pinnock wishes to keep it private. In an interview for
Women's Health Women's health differs from that of men in many unique ways. Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not mer ...
, she spoke about her struggles with breastfeeding her twins and the sleep deprivation she was experiencing following their births. The couple currently resides in
Surrey, England Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area ...
, but also due to Gray signing a four-year contract with the Greek football team of
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
, the couple will be splitting their time between the UK and the Greek city of
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
. Pinnock has been open about her struggles with racism. In an interview with '' Glamour'' magazine in March 2019, she spoke about her experiences with racism and comments she received on social media, while feeling "invisible" for the first three years as the only black girl in Little Mix. In the same year she and band member Jade Thirlwall, with other British celebrities, climbed
Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...
to raise funds for
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
's
Red Nose Day Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
. In the rise of
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
, during the summer of 2020, Pinnock spoke about racism in Britain and shared her own experiences in the music industry. In 2020, she attended the Black Lives Matter protests in London, and spoke out about the murder of African American George Floyd and the killing of Breonna Taylor by American police. Pinnock has since acknowledged her own privilege as a light-skinned, mixed-race woman. In her documentary: '' Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power'', she cites group member
Jade Thirlwall Jade Amelia Thirlwall (born 26 December 1992) is an English singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence in the 2010s as a member of Little Mix, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. With Little Mix, she released six studio albums and ach ...
, as someone she could turn to for support, who also shared similar experiences with racism for her mixed ethnicity. In the documentary she and her fiancé Andre Gray also expressed their intent in helping the black community by using their platforms. On 14 May 2021, Pinnock, in partnership with her fiancé and sister Sairah, launched a charity called ''The Black Fund''. The charity is made to support existing charities and groups who deliver support to the black community, including financial support. In the same month she called British Media for mistaking her for band member Jade Thirlwall, after her pregnancy announcement. Pinnock also pointed out that this wasn't the first time that the Little Mix stars have been mistaken for each other.


Discography


Songwriting credits


Filmography


Awards and nominations


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinnock, Leigh-Anne 1991 births Living people People from High Wycombe Musicians from Buckinghamshire 21st-century Black British women singers British people of Barbadian descent British people of Jamaican descent English women pop singers English film actresses English songwriters Feminist musicians Little Mix members