Perrie Announces Debut Solo Album
Perrie
In the often-unforgiving machinery of the music industry, where momentum is currency and a ticking clock dictates every move, the ability to simply hit "pause" is a radical act. For Perrie Edwards, a name synonymous with global pop stardom as a member of Little Mix, that act was more than a professional decision—it was a personal one. After a brief solo launch in 2024, she found herself at a crossroads, navigating a familiar narrative: the pressure to produce, to move quickly, to be something for everyone. This story, in one form or another, has undone countless artists. Perrie's response, however, was to step away.
That moment of stepping away, she recently revealed, was prompted by her therapist. The advice was simple and cuttingly true: if you're not happy, take away the pressure and stop. The result of that intentional break is a debut solo album, 'Perrie', set for a September release, and a new single, ‘If He Wanted To He Would,’ that embodies the very clarity born from that pause. The track, co-written with Nina Nesbitt and The Nocturns, is a lyrical departure from manufactured pop. Leaning on live instrumentation, it dissects a toxic relationship from the empathetic perspective of a best friend. It’s a narrative that carries a weight of maturity and a quiet authenticity, far removed from the high-energy anthems that defined her past. The accompanying video, shot in a palace and nodding to classic rom-coms like The Holiday and Bridesmaids, adds a layer of wit and cinematic charm, with Nesbitt making an appearance, signaling a creative partnership built on mutual understanding.
In a recent statement, Perrie laid out her thought process with a refreshing lack of pretense. She spoke directly about feeling unhappy with the music she was releasing and how a therapist’s advice freed her. The time away was spent writing songs that were "totally authentic to me and about subjects that were close to my heart." This isn’t a new claim from an artist on the promotional circuit, but in Perrie's case, it feels less like a marketing line and more like a hard-won truth. She claims to "absolutely love" the album she has created and is "super excited to release it to the world this October." This new work isn't just a collection of songs; it’s a direct product of an artist's refusal to bend to external pressure, a narrative arc that moves from a state of creative disquiet to one of self-assured purpose.
In a world where the speed of content often trumps its substance, Perrie’s story offers a compelling counter-narrative. It suggests that the most powerful art is not born from a rush to a release date, but from a deliberate, often difficult, journey toward authenticity. The final product, 'Perrie', promises to be a raw and honest portrait of an artist who chose to make the music she wanted to make, not the music she was told to.
