Latest news with #JadeThirlwall
Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
JADE review — an impressive Proms debut from the former Little Mix star
The Proms' annual weekend in the northeast of England has become a regular fixture, but this year everything felt as if it had been dialled up a notch. Lots of touches, including more concerts in more places and the first time that any Prom outside of London has been televised, indicated expansion and confidence. Also for the first time the festival escaped Gateshead, staging a jazz celebration in the Fire Station in Sunderland. Hosted by Soweto Kinch, who twice picked up his saxophone to join in, this featured some esoteric psychedelia from the trumpeter Theo Croker and some more instantly appealing virtuosity from the Joe Webb trio, whose freewheeling centenary tribute to Oscar Peterson stole the show. • Read more of our music critics' verdicts on the Proms Undoubtedly, however, the star of the weekend was Jade Thirlwall, who may have put her Little Mix days behind her, but hasn't forgotten her South Shields roots. Much of her Friday night Glasshouse set (which featured a high-class warm-up from the engaging, Middlesbrough-born Finn Forster) was a love letter to the region. The magic came from JADE's ability to project larger-than-life star quality with the ability to hold the audience close, whether she was belting out her hits — the concert included material from her forthcoming album along with selections from her back catalogue — or covering songs by Madonna or Sam Fender. JADE has the voice of a diva combined with communicative immediacy, with roof-raisers sitting happily alongside softer songs of disarming intimacy. • Read more classical reviews, guides and interviews The Royal Northern Sinfonia provided her with dutiful but unobtrusive background support in arrangements conducted by Robert Ames. Their own moment in the spotlight came on Saturday evening alongside the pianist David Fray, who played a Bach concerto sensitively, if not always in sync with the beat of conductor Dinis Sousa. They also gave a rousing performance of Mendelssohn's Lobgesang Symphony, for which they were joined by no fewer than three choruses from Tyneside and Huddersfield, all of whom sang their hearts out.★★★★☆On BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Jade Thirlwall makes history at BBC Proms as she pays tearful tribute to North East icon
Former Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall put on a show to remember as she returned back to her North East roots to make BBC Proms history Jade Thirlwall made an emotional return to her native North East with a powerful and intimate performance for BBC Proms. The former Little Mix star, 32, admitted she had gone "full circle" as she took to the stage at Gateshead's exquisite venue, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, on Friday night. It marked the South Shields star's first welcome home as a solo artist over a decade after catapulting to fame after her X Factor success. And the show she put on for her adoring fans was nothing short of spectacular. After being introduced to the stage by Radio 1's Greg James, Jade gave the crowd a show to remember on the history-making occasion. Accompanied throughout by the immensely talented Royal Northern Sonfonia, who were superbly orchestrated by Robert Ames, Jade's tunes had an added twist to them. She mixed things up with an entertaining blend of her own songs, beautiful covers and medleys to boot. Oh, and of course one of her favourite Little Mix numbers, too, which was made all the more special to her thanks to the orchestra. The venue on the banks of the River Tyne provided the perfect backdrop for Jade's powerful vocals to reverberate. AS well as her own huge tracks such as Plastic Box, FUFN, and Angel of My Dreams, the talented vocalist impressed with covered songs that meant a lot to her. After starting with Madonna's Frozen, she then treated the crowd one of her top three Little Mix numbers. Expressing how she had "waited years for this moment" she belted out Sweet Melody with the backing help of the sinfonia. Perhaps the performance of the night soon followed, though, before she dedicated a Clubland medley to her brother Karl, who was in attendance. Paying tribute to the "King of the North," Jade produced a flawless and spine tingling performance of Sam Fender's Remember My Name. The emotional number had fans in tears before Jade teared up while explaining the sentimental meaning behind her choice. With her voice breaking, she revealed the song had been played at a friend's funeral just weeks ago. The candid confession was met with huge support from the crowd, some of who shouted out to gush over their "Angel of the North". In between the tunes, Jade continued to shower praise on her north east roots at every given opportunity - including her love of homemade mince and dumplings. And the down to earth interactions saw her happily respond to outbursts of adoration from the crowd as she sipped on her tea. And she also had time for one last surprise at the end of the night - but insisted phones were put away to treasure the moment and keep the surprise in tact. Let's just say fans are in for a real treat! While the concert was being broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 on the night and will go out again on BBC Radio 1 on Sunday, it marked the first time the Proms had been filmed for television outside of London. The occasion on the night began with those in the bar area treated to an upbeat DJ set by DJ Becky Woodcock, before Middlesbrough's Finn Forster impressed with a warm-up performance on stage. Showcasing his vocal talents, Finn wouldn't have looked out of place headlining his own show on the night, with his dulcet tones and clever songwriting gripping the audience with his stripped back acoustic performance. But it was far from the only occasion on offer for the Proms in the region. The night marked four days of live music across the North East for the BBC Proms. Special performances, including Jade's, reflect on a region on the rise musically and culturally at the Glasshouse in Gateshead. And there was also a first as newly crowned Music City Sunderland also held its very first BBC Proms gig at The Fire Station on Thursday. Tonight, however, reinforced Jade's hugely powerful vocal range as she dominated the solo performance and had those watching in the palm of her hands. A fiercely passionate display that peeled back the layers to show an artist proudly returning to her roots. And she also found the time to urge the powers that be to ensure funding is available for the arts on a stage she first graced as a novice aged 15.
Daily Record
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
ITV bosses reveal future of The Assembly and fans will be thrilled
The Assembly became an instant hit with fans after its first series but ITV bosses have already made up their minds on its future Jade Thirwall says she 'resents' being asked about pregnancy ITV has confirmed the future of The Assembly, and it's a cause for celebration among fans. The hit series is officially returning for an extended second series following its stellar reception from audiences and critics alike. Dubbed by enthusiasts as "the best interview show", the first series captivated viewers with high-profile guests like Little Mix's Jade Thirlwall, EastEnders icon Danny Dyer, Doctor Who's David Tennant, and Sky Sports' Gary Lineker, who all bravely endured a no-holds-barred "ask me anything" interview format. A remarkable panel of autistic or neurodivergent interviewers, who won over the hearts of the nation, will be back to challenge a fresh line-up of celebrities with their unfiltered and candid questions. ITV has made it clear that the ethos of season two will remain unchanged; there are no forbidden questions and no taboo topics. While the identities of the six new celebrities who will appear in the upcoming season remain under wraps, and an official release date has yet to be announced, one thing is certain—viewers can look forward to an extra episode. The Mirror reports that this special instalment, The Assembly: Unseen, promises to reveal all the intriguing snippets from the celebrity interviews that didn't make the initial cut. Discussing the eagerly anticipated return of the show, ITV's Director of Entertainment and Daytime Commissioning, Katie Rawcliffe, expressed: "This really is ITV entertainment at its best: warm, funny, revealing and just that little bit mischievous." She further added: "We've got lots of ideas about which famous faces will join for series 2 and we're eager to see what we'll learn from the fantastic questions The Assembly will have." David Smyth, Entertainment Commissioning Editor at ITV, also shared his enthusiasm: "The response to series 1 was thrilling and completely deserved for this fantastic cast and crew. There was no doubt in my mind that we needed to do more. I can't wait to see what questions The Assembly will put to our next group of bold celebrities and what their responses will be.." In the first series, an emotional moment unfolded when Jade Thirlwall, formerly of Little Mix, confessed she felt like she had "sold her soul" in pursuit of her music career. The endearing team of interviewers, who are either autistic or have learning disabilities, asked the singer a poignant question: if she ever felt as though she had "sold her soul" to achieve stardom. Clearly taken aback by the depth of the question, she replied: "You've trumped me. Maybe a little bit in the beginning. I was so young, and I just signed on the dotted line. "But as the years have gone by, I've learned more and more about the industry. I've been collecting - a bit like [Marvel superhero] Thanos with the stones - I've been collecting parts of my soul back as I've gained more creative freedom." It is due to air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player in 2026.
Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
ITV The Assembly future sealed as bosses share huge announcement
ITV bosses have big news for fans of The Assembly after stars Danny Dyer, David Tennant, Jade Thirlwall and Gary Lineker all took part in the first series. ITV's The Assembly's future has been sealed by executives and fans will be thrilled to learn, it's good news. The smash-hit series is set to return for a bumper-series two after it received rave reviews from viewers and critical acclaim. Hailed as "the best interview show" by fans, we previously saw celebrities such as Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall, Eastenders ' legend Danny Dyer, Doctor Who's David Tennant and Sky Sports star Gary Lineker risk everything as they faced an "ask me anything" interview like no other. A remarkable group of inquisitive interviewers who are autistic or neurodivergent put each celebrity to the test asking questions that have zero bounds. The group who touched the hearts of the nation - and are allowed to ask anything they choose - will once again return, putting their unique questions to a brand new batch of brave celebrities. ITV have been clear, that for season two, the rules will remain the same; no question is off the table and no topic is out of bounds. The news on which six famous faces taking part in the new season is not yet known and no exact release date has been established just yet. However, what we do know, is that fans will be able to tune in to see an additional episode, which includes The Assembly: Unseen, this will include all the missed tidbits from each celeb interview previously. Speaking about the show's return, Katie Rawcliffe, Director of Entertainment & Daytime Commissioning ITV said: "This really is ITV entertainment at its best: warm, funny, revealing and just that little bit mischievous. "We've got lots of ideas about which famous faces will join for series 2 and we're eager to see what we'll learn from the fantastic questions The Assembly will have." David Smyth, Entertainment Commissioning Editor ITV also commented: "The response to series 1 was thrilling and completely deserved for this fantastic cast and crew. There was no doubt in my mind that we needed to do more. I can't wait to see what questions The Assembly will put to our next group of bold celebrities and what their responses will be..." In series one, things took an emotional turn when former Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall admitted she'd "sold her soul" for her on-stage career. The loveable group made up of autistic or learning disabled interviewers, asked the singer if she'd ever felt as though she'd "sold her soul" to be a music star. Evidently astounded by the question, she responded: "You've trumped me. Maybe a little bit in the beginning. I was so young and I just signed on the dotted line. "But as the years have gone by I've learned more and more about the industry. I've been collecting — a bit like [Marvel superhero] Thanos with the stones — I've been collecting parts of my soul back as I've gained more creative freedom." It is due to air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player in 2026.
Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Rizzle Kicks star lifts lid on growing crime that's 'devastating' teenage boys
Rizzle Kicks star and Jade Thirlwall's partner Jordan Stephens has opened up about filming his new sextortion documentary for Channel 4 - revealing the 'heartbreaking' real victims Rizzle Kicks star Jordan Stephens hasn't shied away from danger for his first-ever documentary - flying over 4,000 miles to confront a Nigerian sextortion scammer. The 33-year-old explores just how teenage boys are being impacted by social media sextortion, with scammers tricking young men into sending nude pictures of themselves before financially blackmailing them. In Channel 4 's Hunting My Sextortion Scammer, Jordan allows himself to be sextorted by a scammer over social media before using cutting-edge technology to locate and track down the faceless criminal alongside a security detail. Despite entering hazardous situations to interview those behind these crimes, Jordan found looking into the victims' stories even harder. 'Obviously I knew about scamming before but I was learning [about sextortion] in real time,' Jordan says of the investigation. 'To learn that boys are taking their own lives was heartbreaking and devastating. 'It's boys not understanding the consequences or risks of engaging online but with that panic, they can go from a normal life to not a life within half an hour and that is really scary.' The documentary speaks to the brothers of 15-year-old Murray Dowie, who killed himself after being blackmailed in a sextortion scam. The Dunblane student was catfished by a scammer posing to be a girl his age, who tricked him into sending intimate photos before threatening to make them public. 'He was just like every other teenager and then one day he was dead,' Murray's older brother Ryan, 19, says in the documentary. 'He never liked being the centre of attention. The fear for him, the panic was that he would have been the centre of attention. That must have just been awful for him. 'There is someone responsible for the death of my brother but I have absolutely no clue who. It's a faceless crime.' In a bid to raise awareness of the issue and bring at least one scammer to justice, Jordan - who is the boyfriend of singer Jade Thirlwall - set up several fake social media accounts in the hopes of being targeted by a sextorter. With many sextortion scammers asking for payment in gift cards, Channel 4 enlisted the help of a web developer to create a site that would locate a scammer when they tried to redeem the fake gift card. Attracting a sextorters turned out to be easy, but coaxing them into allowing the gift card site to use their location data proved to be much harder. When one criminal finally took the bait, the scam was interrupted by Instagram instead. 'Not only did he not accept it initially but his account was shut down in the middle of the extortion,' Jordan says. 'His account was disabled in the middle of the exchange. We thought, 'We were so close!'' However, the same sextorter made a new account and popped back up to continue to con, having been given an AI-generated selfie and the nude pictures of a consenting life art model by Jordan. This time, he began shouting abuse at Jordan over the phone, threatening to ruin his life if he didn't send the gift card. 'I literally had to coach him into accepting the revealing of his own location. That tech has not been shown before on TV.' Finally, a location pin came through via the website - showing the sextorter to be in Erunmu, a small village in Nigeria. The African state has become a hotspot for sextortion plots in recent years, with Meta shutting down 63,000 accounts connected to the crime just last year. 'It's difficult to wrap your head around the fact that that can all be occurring in this rural space and that one piece of technology with the potential to ruin a life that was 6,000 miles away,' Jordan says. With this new information, Jordan boarded a plane to Lagos to track down his sextorter, but not before he was met by his own security team and local cybercrime investigator Priye. 'We have very high rates of kidnap around,' he tells Jordan in the documentary. 'Always watch your back.' Jordan admits that he was sufficiently warned of the dangers ahead of flying - and was even told not to tell friends that he was travelling to Lagos. 'The security detail put a ridiculous amount of fear into me before the trip - there are dangers of course in most countries, especially one with that level of wealth inequality, but you have to use your common sense,' he says. 'They were just sending me really extreme news stories. I even bought a burner phone.' After sending Priye on a reconnaissance mission to identify their conman, they found their man - a barber in the village with a similar voice and the same username that was used to sextort Jordan. The Rizzle Kicks star confronted him over FaceTime after his security detail decided that it was too dangerous to do so in person. 'It was quite surreal. I'm 90 percent sure it was the guy. He was running his business and trying to get a little extra on the side,' Jordan says. 'Suddenly he couldn't speak English, suddenly he didn't understand the name or the number.' For those in countries like Nigeria where the exchange rate is weak, sextortion crimes can prove to be lucrative. In the documentary, Jordan interviews young Nigerian criminals who can pay a year of their rent just by blackmailing a Brit for £200. 'We spoke to some boys who didn't want to think about the consequences. One boy mentioned not having any support - he's 17. So you have 17-year-old boys extorting 15-year-old boys to try to survive,' Jordan says. 'It's the equivalent of a 15-year-old boy in the UK scamming someone and getting £35,000 if you were to change that exchange rate. That's why it's happening so often. As the rate of sextortion cases on the rise in the Britain, Jordan hopes that the documentary will send an important message to young boys and parents. 'The realistic thing is as a teenage boy, you're going to make mistakes. Another thing I want to change is the general conversation around sex when we're younger and understanding our bodies and our feelings. ' 'So if it's happened, it's just removing that sense of shame. Instead of that panic, you can 100 percent speak to a person and you can get past it.' He adds, 'The preventative measure is don't respond to any messages from anybody that you don't know in person. There should be more stringent measures on how you even get an account on social media, in my opinion.'
