Jade Thirlwall officially launched her solo career with “Angel of My Dreams,” which arrived on Friday (July 19), and to celebrate, the pop star sat down with Billboard‘s Meghan Mahar to discuss her next musical chapter.

“‘Angel of My Dreams’ is about my love-hate relationship with the music industry, which I’ve been a part of for quite some time,” she explained of the single, which samples Sandie Shaw’s “Puppet on a String,” a song that represented United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967. “I have a lot to say about that, good and bad. ‘Angel of My Dreams’ is like a love letter to the Industry and how obsessed I am with it and how much I love it, but with that comes some trials and tribulations.”

She continued, “I’m a huge pop fan, and when I look at the pop girlies that I love, they’re the ones that are doing the absolute most. The looks, the choreo, the big songs, big choruses — give it to me! That’s what I want and that’s what I want to deliver.”

Thirlwall got her start as part of Little Mix alongside Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jesy Nelson. The now-trio — Nelson left the band in 2020 — announced their hiatus in 2021.

“I’m grateful I was so young when I was put in that band,” Thirlwall recalls. “I was only 18, and I think that naivety and innocence fared well for what I was put into because I was just so grateful to be there. Me and the girls worked so, so hard right until they end. It was rose-tinted glasses initially. It’s really important for me to surround myself with friends and family at all times to keep me grounded and understand what the bigger goal is. Obviously you have the blanket of the girls around you when you’re handling fame as a group, it tends to be easier. It comes with its troubles obviously — like the comparison thing. Not from each other, but I think when you’re in a girl band, everyone tries to compare you. It’s just natural. We had each other to support through everything.”

She continued, “This is essentially me starting again, so I don’t even know what it feels like fame-wise on my own. I’m really grateful I started this journey now at my age, because I’m just a lot more level-headed. I couldn’t be a solo artist 10 years ago. We’ll see what happens.”

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Jade Thirlwall above.