“Hello, it’s me, your ex…”
Against all odds, Little Mix is thriving.
At a time when most girl groups historically lose steam – in fact, they’ve outlived the lifespan of a majority of those acts already – the newly minted trio is defying expectations and keeping it moving more than ever, even in the face of roster shake-ups, pandemic postponed tours and pregnancies.
After just achieving a historic feat – securing the Best British Group award for the first-time ever at the 2021 BRITs (and thanking all the ladies who’ve paved the path before in a fantastic speech), as well as generating hype with their Saweetie and Drag Race UK-alum assisted, drag king dress-up in the form of the “Confetti” video, the girls are meeting the end-of-lockdown moment with “Heartbreak Anthem,” a team-up with tried-and-true dance floor demolishers David Guetta and Galantis.
And, in case you were misled by the title: this ain’t a heartbreak anthem. Just take their word for it.
“I don’t want to feel, I don’t want to feel hollow / Chasing you and me, chasing all of these shadows / This ain’t a heartbreak anthem / I don’t care what happened, but I ain’t got no time to dwell on it,” they declare from the other side.
The fist-pumping, (soon to be reopened) club floor-ready cut supplies just the kind of string and piano-led drama and push-through-the-pain, no-time-to-dwell, chant-along energy needed to shake off one hell of a hellish 15 months and counting. The big House diva vocals are top-notch, to no surprise. And leave it to Galantis and Guetta to provide the sunny, reliably festival-friendly fare.
“This song has been a puzzle for quite some time. We started with just the chords in London before the pandemic, with David jumping on shortly after. There was a lot of sending files back and forth, but that slower pace of working intensely on something and then waiting really shaped the sound into something different. We had been talking about collaborating for some time, and I’m happy it was this song – especially with Little Mix joining, I am absolutely blown away at how strong and unique their vocals are,” Galantis’ legendary Christian Karlsson (of Bloodshy & Avant fame) explained of the song’s creation.
And as the video, demonstrates, the girls are clearly unafraid of big wings and even bolder wig choices.
“The concept for ‘Heartbreak Anthem’ was inspired by Angela Carter’s infamous 1984 novel Nights at the Circus, a magical realism feminist tale about freedom,” director Samuel Douek explains.
“Little Mix are the Winged Fatales, an all singing, all dancing trio who perform night after night to adoring crowds, whilst backstage they feel trapped and alone. As we move through the song they find happiness in their own skin alongside digital images of David Guetta and the Galantis Seafox – a symbol of liberation. The video touches upon the pressures of fame and heartbreak, evoking a message of self-acceptance against the backdrop of a sci-fi burlesque world.”
Shout out to Little Mix’s ex(es) for inspiring yet another banger: you’re really quite the best.
Confetti is out now on vinyl.
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Photo credit: Big Beat Records