Jesy Nelson admits she ‘cried like a baby’ while listening to new album

Jesy Nelson has admitted she ‘cried her eyes out like a baby’ while listening to her upcoming album, weeks after it was confirmed she’d left her record label, Polydor.

The former Little Mix bandmember, 31, who departed the band in 2020, revealed the deeply personal LP will feature ‘things that she’s never, ever spoken about’ before.

Writing on her Friday Instagram Story, she penned: ‘Just sat here listening to my album in the car and I’ve literally cried my eyes out like a baby.

‘I’ve honestly never felt more proud. I cannot wait to share it with you guys.

‘There’s things I’ve written on there that I’ve never, ever spoken about, I’ve poured my heart and soul into this and hope you love it as much as I do and the people that have worked just as hard on it with me.’

Jesy recently left her record label Polydor, just 14 months after signing with them.

She made a ‘clean break’ with the music juggernaut after deciding to go in a ‘different direction’ with her career. 

A music insider told how she wanted to ‘start afresh whilst everyone was still friends’, while insisting ‘there hadn’t been a fall-out’ to begin with.

Jesy is continuing to work with songwriters and producers in the US following the success of her debut solo single Boyz, which reached number four in the UK Singles Chart upon its release in October 2021. 

A source told MailOnline: ‘Jesy decided it was the right time for her to make a clean break. She and the label have been going in different directions in recent months.

‘And whilst there hasn’t been a fall-out; Jesy just felt it was better to start afresh now – whilst everyone was still friends.’

They continued: ‘She enjoyed her time with Polydor – but feels, rather than go on together whilst having such differing musical ideas for the future, she now wants to be able to develop fully her own ideas as an individual artist.’

A representative for the Romford-native said: ‘Jesy feels now is the right for her to move in a new direction. As a result, she has decided to part company with Polydor.’

Polydor said: ‘Polydor have amicably parted ways with Jesy. We have enjoyed working with her and everyone at the label wishes her nothing but the best for the future.’

In June, she addressed concerns of her solo album being delayed following reports of her record executives being ‘unimpressed’ with early versions of her songs.

The singer departed Little Mix in 2020 and released her debut solo single Boyz with Nicki Minaj in October last year, but has not produced another song since. 

The star took to her Instagram Story to tell fans that there is ‘absolutely nothing to worry about’.

She wrote: ‘Don’t usually comment on stuff like this because I can’t be bothered to waste my energy on total and utter nonsense so I’m going to address this once and once only.’

The songstress has been working on her new music in Los Angeles over the past few months and told fans to ‘stay tuned’ ahead of the release as it’s ‘almost finished’.

According to The Sun, Jesy was told by recordbosses to ‘go back to the drawing board’ when they heard some of the music she has been working on.

A separate source claimed: ‘Jesy has worked incredibly hard on her solo music. After releasing Boyz last year, she let the label hear early versions of the songs she had come up with.

‘The bosses felt sure there was potential there but they wanted her to go back to the drawing board. They felt the tracks would benefit from it — so that is what she has done.

‘She is determined to only play them the new music when it’s perfect, so they haven’t heard any more since then.’

The insider added that there are ‘high hopes’ for Jesy’s album when it’s completed.

The Brit Award winner was forced to defend herself after being met with a plethora of allegations that she had been attempting to appear as though she has black heritage back in December.

In an interview with Vulture, she claimed that the term had never been directed towards her before her departure from the girlband.

She went on to add: ‘I’m very aware that I’m a white British woman; I’ve never said that I wasn’t.

‘But I mean, like, I love Black culture. I love Black music. That’s all I know; it’s what I grew up on,’ the Essex-born star said.

When quizzed about claims that some of her Instagram followers were blocked by her account after commenting that she appeared to be Blackfishing, Jesy said it may have been a member of her team.

The Power hitmaker later added that her management team have deleted comments and blocked users in the past, following years of trolling online.

‘I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that’s why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me,’ Jesy’s publicist told the publication.

Little Mix also revealed they had warned her about blackfishing before her shock exit from the group last year.

Jade Thirwall admitted she, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards had a ‘friendly, educational’ chat with Jesy, 30, after she began to overhaul her image.

Jesy was reportedly criticised in Instagram messages by her former bandmate Leigh-Anne for appropriating black culture and darkening her skin with fake tan and changing her hair in the Boyz video.

The group recently confirmed they had spoken to her about the difficulties in the way she presented herself, but insisted it happened before she quit last year.

Jade told Stella magazine: ‘We don’t want to talk about the video, or be critical, but one thing we will clarify regarding the blackfishing situation is that Jesy was approached by the group in a very friendly, educational manner.’

Leigh-Anne added: ‘Capitalising on aspects of blackness without having to endure the daily realities of the black experience is problematic and harmful to people of colour.

‘We think it’s absolutely not OK to use harmful stereotypes. There’s so much to say on that subject that it’s hard to sum up in a sound bite.’

This comes as it was claimed Jesy never wanted to be locked in a feud with her former Little Mix bandmates and feels it is ‘getting a bit much’.

The singer quit the band last December, saying she found the pressure of being in a girl group difficult to deal with.