Leigh-anne speaks from the heart
Little Mix star felt “invisible” in the group
Leigh-anne Pinnock shared an emotional video with fans last week, telling them she felt the need to be “open and honest” about her experiences with racism. The 28 year old spoke about the struggles she had faced in the music industry – revealing parallels with Mel B’s experiences over 20 years before (see right).
In a moving speech, the Little Mix singer said, “My reality was feeling lonely while touring to predominantly white countries. I sing to fans who don’t see me or hear me or cheer me on. My reality is feeling anxious before fan events or signings because I always feel like I’m the least favoured. My reality is constantly feeling like I have to work ten times harder and longer to mark my place in the group because my talent is not enough. My reality is all the times I’ve felt invisible in the group, but part of me is fully aware that my experience would have been even harder to cope with if I were dark skinned.”
Since sharing the video, the singer – who recently got engaged to footballer Andre Gray – says she has been overwhelmed with messages of support. Speaking on This Morning, she also said that watching the video back, she could see “how much pain that I’m carrying”, but that she was pleased it had encouraged people to try to understand and educate themselves.
Leigh-anne’s video has had over 3million views and has gained praise from fans and celebrities alike who agree with her inspiring message that “there needs to be a change, we can’t go on like this any more”. ■