In the video for her new single “Fantasy,” Jade appears through a pastel-hued haze like a mirage. Under the glitter and twinkle of a disco ball, the spotlight falls on her curls and spangly, Bob Mackie-inspired golden mini dress; in an homage to musical variety shows like American Bandstand and Soul Train, she vamps on a stage in front of a crowd of dancers, her star power shining as brightly as the sequins that trail from her gown. Until, that is, a drag queen sneaks into the party and tips a bucket of blood over her head from on high. As the stage set begins to fall apart and the dancers scramble in horror, a gore-covered Jade tilts her head like a zombie, eyes popping like Sissy Spacek’s in Carrie.
It’s glamorous, campy, and a little twisted—which is to say, it couldn’t feel more Jade. Over just three singles and two videos (including “Fantasy,” which was directed by none other than David LaChapelle), the singer, once known as one-quarter of the chart-topping British girl band Little Mix, has established her identity as a solo artist with laser focus. First, there was her audacious debut “Angel of My Dreams”—a bold and delightfully bonkers rollercoaster ride charting her journey from The X Factor hopeful to fully fledged pop star across multiple tempo changes; then, her follow-up promotional single, the sultry “Midnight Cowboy,” which featured more of her signature winking wordplay (“I’m the ride of your life, not a rental,” she sings, “I’m the editor—call me Mr. Enninful”) over throbbing synths and jerky percussion. “I definitely don’t take myself too seriously—pop is supposed to be fun,” Jade says over the phone from her home in London. “Even if I’m talking about the darker experiences I’ve been through, there’s always going to be a slight bit of humor.”
With “Fantasy,” a glossy slice of Jessie Ware-worthy throwback disco-pop, Jade now has a one-two-three punch of self-assured bangers under her belt. The ambitious and eclectic sonic landscape of her releases so far may speak to the fact she’s an avid scholar of the arts and sciences of pop music, but her playfulness and sheer force of personality make it all feel somehow cohesive. And while Jade’s forthcoming debut album doesn’t yet have a release date (expect it in early 2025), her following is already evolving far beyond her ever-loyal Little Mix fanbase. “I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be as big as it has been,” she says of the success of “Angel of My Dreams,” which quickly hit the top 10 in the UK single charts. More recently, her status as a rapidly rising pop force has been burnished by front row appearances at Burberry, Fendi, and Off-White during fashion week.
The only question remaining, really, is what on earth she did with the enormous retro sign spelling her own name in the “Fantasy” video. Did she ship it back to London to hang at home? “I wish,” Jade says, laughing. “I’ll always take a freebie home with me, but I don’t think that would have fit in my suitcase. I imagine it’s probably sat in David’s studio now—and there are definitely worse places in this world to be.”
