An unearthed clip from The X Factor has showed how Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland was the mastermind who created a group who went on to sell 50 million records.
In the short video, posted on Twitter, we see The X Factor judges, Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Tulisa and Kelly Rowland discussing singers on the panel table.
But it was Kelly, now 41, who picked out the four women who would later become a worldwide sensation – Little Mix.
Yep, the singer put them together and got the ball rolling. The rest is history.
Unearthed X Factor clip shows Kelly Rowland working her magic
The four judges are going over the performances of the singers and have their photos displayed all over the table. As Tulisa is moving around photos, Kelly grabs Perrie Edwards’ and places it alongside Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock’s.
She declares: “This is strong. Vocally.”
But Tulisa questions her with “really?” as she takes it all in. Kelly didn’t hold back and simply said: “Abso-freaking-lutely,” confident in her match.
She said: “It’s about having… being the next generation and discovering something new.” Kelly then adds how the girls have personalities and their vocals work well together.
Louis, seeming unconvinced, kept asking if the four performers would ‘gel’ together.
But Take That star Gary Barlow explained no one will know until they are actually put together as a group.
Twitter users agreed with Kelly’s decision, with the poster commenting her “vision was crystal clear.”
A second said: “She saw all their potential from the very start, that’s mother.”
And a third added: “Oh, Kelly KNEW what she was doing.”
Lastly, she was hailed a ‘visionary’ with: “There’s just something about girls like Kelly and Nicole, who actually were in very popular groups themselves (Destiny’s Child, Pussycat Dolls), and know what a group should look like.
“They’re true visionaries!”
The post has since gone viral, with almost 9,000 retweets and more than 95,000 likes. Watch the full clip of Little Mix being born below.
Little Mix stormed the stage
The four singers, who were signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment following their impressive stint on The X Factor in 2011, went on to sell 50 million records.
In December 2020, after incredible hit singles like Black Magic and Shout Out To My Ex, Jesy announced her departure from the group. Citing mental health reasons, the singer decided to debut her own solo career. Her first single being Boyz which featured Nicki Minaj in October 2021.
The trio, Leigh-Anne, Perrie and Jade, continued without Jesy for two years before announcing their indefinite hiatus.
It allows them to pursue solo projects, as Leigh-Anne raises her twin sons and Perrie her son, Axel Oxlade-Chamberlain. They actually welcomed their children in the same month, August 2021.
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