Jade Thirlwall, UK pop star with Arab heritage, wins first solo BRIT Award

Updated 15 sec ago

Arab News

March 02, 2026 11:11

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DUBAI: English pop star Jade Thirlwall, who has Egyptian and Yemeni ancestry on her mother’s side, was named Best Pop Act at the BRIT Awards 2026.

The last member of girl group Little Mix to launch a solo career, Thirlwall was born to an English father and has Egyptian and Yemeni ancestry on her mother's side.

Jade Thirlwall took to the BRIT Awards red carpet in a baby blue Regency-esque gown designed by Glenn Martens for Diesel. (Getty Images)

Accepting her award at London’s 02 Arena on Saturday night, the singer got emotional, saying, "Oh my God, what?! This is my first solo BRIT Award. Oh my God! I can't cry because I've got to sing later but I did do a little piece of paper in case I won. I know it's cringe!’

Thirlwall — who wore a baby blue Regency-esque gown designed by Glenn Martens for Diesel — ended her acceptance speech with a shoutout to her former Little Mix bandmates. "And finally, of course, my Little Mix sisters. I love you so much. I wouldn't have this award without them and they changed my life. I'm so grateful.”

She later took to the stage to perform her debut top 10 single, “Angel Of My Dreams.”

She later took to the stage to perform her debut top 10 single, “Angel Of My Dreams.” (Getty Images)

Of her Arab heritage, Thirlwall had said in a previous interview with BBC, “My granddad was a Muslim from Yemen. He settled in South Shields and married my granny, who was Egyptian – but I never met her because she died when my mam was four.”

“It was interesting for me, growing up in an Arab community,” continued Thirlwall, who was raised in South Shields, a coastal town in England. “My granddad really wanted me to be Muslim, bless him! My mam made me go to church on Sunday, but I went to Muslim school on Saturdays — it was next to the local mosque where my grandfather went.”

In 2022, the singer did a Q&A session on her Instagram Stories, where she further talked about her Arab heritage.  “I love cooking Yemeni food, discovering Yemeni artists and creatives, and I will be continuing to learn Arabic on tour,” she said.

In a more recent interview with Bang Showbiz, the 32-year-old singer talked about cancel culture and her support for Palestine.

She said: “Cancel culture is thriving now. When you’re in the public eye, it’s quite scary. I’ve always been quite vocal, and I’m not always going to get it right. But you can’t be a pop artist right now without speaking out about certain things.

“I have been warned there could be consequences for speaking out about things like Palestine, but these are basic human rights.”