English pop star JADE — whose real name is Jade Thirlwall — shamed white, straight, and “privileged” musicians who don’t push politics onto their fans. “It’s very easy for someone who’s white and straight and very privileged to say that,” the “Oops” singer said.
“I don’t think you can be a pop artist and cover your eyes,” JADE, a singer in the British girl group Little Mix, and focuses on LGBTQ+ pro-Palestinian issues, told the Guardian.
The pop star went on to recall having heard fellow English singer Matty Healy “say that he doesn’t want to be political,” which she said she found “disappointing.”
“It’s very easy for someone who’s white and straight and very privileged to say that,” JADE said, before sarcastically adding, “Good for you, hun!”
During one of her performances at the Glastonbury music festival, JADE reportedly led a “Fuck You” chant involving issues such as reform, welfare cuts, the alleged silencing of protests, and selling weaponry.
“I was ready for a backlash from the right kind of people,” the “Sweet Melody” singer said. “I saw a lot of people saying ‘Your Glastonbury set was really good until you got political’ or ‘I used to be a fan of yours until you got political.’”
“But, hun, you were never a fan, because I’ve always piped up,” JADE asserted.
In 2015, JADE commandeered the official X (then Twitter) account for Little Mix, and issued a post declaring she was “truly saddened and ashamed” by the UK parliament voting in favor of airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria.
“I got in a bit of trouble for that,” the singer cheerfully said to the Guardian. “But I felt very passionate about it. I’m no expert in politics but I’ve always taken an interest.”
“Around 9/11 I saw first‑hand the Islamophobia that my grandad experienced, and as someone of Arab heritage I’ve seen people turning a blind eye to the Middle Eastern tragedy,” JADE added.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
