It takes a girl group icon to spot an iconic girl group in the making. On Nov. 12, The X Factor UK released unseen footage that shows judge Kelly Rowland almost single-handedly forming the group that would soon be known as Little Mix. Members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Jesy Nelson auditioned for the show as soloists in 2011, but became the first group ever to win the series and went on to become one of the UK’s most successful girl groups of all time.
The video begins with the Destiny’s Child alum remarking that she likes Thirwall and Pinnock, before moving Nelson and Edwards’ cards to the group. “That is strong, vocally,” she said. When judge Tulisa questioned, “Really?” Rowland quipped back, “Abso-freakin’-lutely.” “It’s about finding the next generation and discovering something new,” she explained, pointing out that each girl had their own “personality” and noting how Edwards and Pinnock’s vocals worked great together. “[Leigh-Anne] has this nice, soft texture that fills it all in,” she said.
When judge Louis Walsh asked Rowland if they would “gel” this late into the competition, she joked, “I will make certain of it,” noting how some of them were friendly with each other already. “Not just that, but we heard these two sing together, it was nice,” she said, pointing to Thirwall and Pinnock, before moving on to Edwards and Nelson. “I heard these two sing together, and what they bring, and you listen to their voices and you know what can happen. I just hear it. They’re very strong.”
This situation is eerily similar to The X Factor’s other group success story. In July, similarly unseen footage revealed how guest judge Nicole Scherzinger had a huge hand in forming One Direction in 2010, an achievement that is usually credited to judge Simon Cowell. In fact, she was the one who even suggested building a potential boy band to save some of the solo male singers who auditioned, and immediately selected Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson as contenders. “They are the cutest boy band ever,” she said. “The little girls are going to love them.” And that they did.
Twitter immediately reacted to Rowland’s involvement by pointing out her touching connection with the group and joking about how Little Mix was always meant to be “Destiny’s Grandchildren.” Plus, given how Cowell was not a judge during the season where Little Mix was formed and Scherzinger had a bigger say in One Direction than previously known, some fans also asked an important question: what exactly did Cowell do with these groups?
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