According to former Little Mix member Leigh-Anne Pinnock, when she attempted to contact the label that originally signed her after leaving the British girl group in 2022, she received no response. During her appearance on Paloma Faith’s Mad Sad Bad podcast on Tuesday (Jan. 6), Pinnock, 34, mentioned that she typically starts a new year with a clear vision of what the next 12 months will entail.
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Not this year, though.
Pinnock explained, “This New Year’s… a couple months prior I had a fallout with my label and basically left them,” referring to her decision to part ways with Warner Records after three years, which included plans for a 2024 EP, No Hard Feelings, an Amazon Music Live City Session that same year, and several singles.
Pinnock described the situation as “crazy,” stating, “Like, they weren’t responding to us and… they were basically ghosting. It was wild… It’s like, ‘how can you do that to someone?’” When Faith inquired if Pinnock ever received an explanation for the alleged ghosting, she recounted how the label boss — who remains unnamed — called her but “exited the call after two rings. I was like, ‘okay.’”
Pinnock stated that she has never received a proper explanation regarding the situation, calling it “quite brutal.” Reflecting on her solo career, she feels she was doing “good” and described the reported radio silence from her former label as “weird” and “frustrating,” suggesting it was not her fault. “I feel like it was them,” she asserted.
Last week, she shared a video with fans reflecting on her challenging year, stating, “So, long story short, the label have said no basically. They don’t have a budget to put my album out, so I’m ready to take the reins. It will be a new chapter and I just can’t wait. I’m leading this s–t!”
At press time, Warner Music had not responded to Billboard‘s request for comment regarding Pinnock’s claims.
The positive news is that Pinnock is now fully in control of her music and plans to release her debut full-length LP, My Ego Told Me To, through Virgin Music Group on Feb. 20.
Pinnock has been preparing for this long-awaited album for years; in 2023, she told Billboard that she identifies as an “R&B girl,” but wants to incorporate other genres she loves, including reggae and pop sounds after releasing what was expected to be the collection’s first single, “Don’t Say Love.”
Pinnock has scheduled an April European solo tour and has been promoting the album for several months. In October, she posted an image of the cover on her Instagram, writing, “The journey to this moment hasn’t been smooth. I’ve navigated going solo after over 10 years in a group, left a label and gone independent. It feels like I’ve started from the beginning TWICE but I truly believe everything has happened exactly how it was supposed to.”
Pinnock discusses her label drama in detail below (begins at the 14-minute mark):
