The members of Little Mix are reportedly all planning solo careers after their tour ends next spring which could spark the end of the group.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 30, Perrie Edwards, 28, and Jade Thirlwall, 28, are all said to be eager to work on their own solo projects following former bandmate Jesy Nelson, 30, quitting the group last December.
According to The Sun, the group have been quietly negotiating new management and recording deals but may decide to go on an indefinite hiatus, rather than call time on the band for good.
Going solo: The members of Little Mix are reportedly all planning solo careers after their tour ends next spring which could spark the end of the group (Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards pictured in May 2021)
A source said: 'They've been pretty open with each other about it. There are a lot of meetings happening at the moment. Some of them have already done management deals.
'Leigh-Anne has signed up with Dua Lipa's manager, Jade is cutting her teeth as a songwriter and presenter while Perrie is working on other things too. They still get on great, despite everything which has happened with Jesy. But her departure put the cat among the pigeons.
'They all know there will have to be a career beyond Little Mix, So they've put things in place. The plan is to see out commitments, then turn to solo projects almost immediately. The intention is to keep the band going too, but that's how One Direction ended and it's hard to believe they will have time for everything.'
Leigh-Anne is making her acting debut in the Christmas film Boxing Day and is said to be eyeing up other acting roles while Perrie is reportedly launching her own company.
Split: They are said to be working on their own solo projects following former bandmate Jesy Nelson, 30, quitting the group last December (Jesy pictured in October 2021)
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Little Mix for comment.
Little Mix are set to release their first greatest hits album Between Us on November 12, with the album including four new songs.
Their tour ends in London's 02 Arena with three shows from May 13-15.
It was previously reported in November that the group were all planning solo careers at the end of their existing record deal.
A source told The Sun at the time: 'The girls have been open and honest with each other, and with their current management team.
Plan: According to The Sun, the group have been quietly negotiating new management and recording deals but may decide to go on an indefinite hiatus, rather than call time on the band for good
'They have started discussions with some prospective managers and agents about what their solo careers might look like.
'Some of the girls might end up taking on solo projects with their current management team too. But this isn’t about ending the band, it’s about looking to the future.'
The insider also said the ladies are trying to emulate Take That, where each member drifts out to work on their own projects but come back together at different times.
They also claimed there is no 'bad blood' between the group and they are all supportive of each other's wishes to go solo.
Jesy announced she was leaving the band in December 2020 when she shared a lengthy statement on Instagram stating she was stepping back to protect her mental health.
The singer has since been accused of causing the rift with her Little Mix bandmates after quitting the group without speaking to them directly first.
A source said: 'They've been pretty open with each other about it. There are a lot of meetings happening at the moment. Some of them have already done management deals'
A source revealed that the move came as a complete shock to her bandmates who heard about the decision through lawyers.
The move kickstarted tensions between the girls - who have not spoken with Jesy for a year.
Now the girls' fallout has taken an ugly and public turn, with Leigh-Anne accusing Jesy of of 'blackfishing' - a term used to describe a white person attempting to appear to have black heritage - in leaked messages - while Jesy was seen laughing as Nicki Minaj accused Leigh-Anne of being a 'jealous clown'.
Yet a source insisted that the tensions have been brewing for months, telling MailOnline: 'Jesy created this scenario. She left the band without telling the girls or management directly and they heard about it through her lawyers.'
'Those around her have been supporting her for ten years and protected her and are devastated over all this.'
After Jesy made her statement, the girls simply released a statement expressing their love for her.
Way back when: Little Mix were put together on the X Factor in 2011 and had global fame with many of their hits - before Jesy suddenly left the band (pictured with mentor Tulisa)
The row between the former bandmates hit global headlines this week when leaked messages between Leigh-Anne and influencer NoHun saw the singer accuse Jesy of blackfishing in the music video for her new single, Boyz.
Jesy then took part in an Instagram livestream with Boyz collaborator Nicki, who accused Leigh-Anne of trying to ruin Jesy's new solo career and branded the new mother and the rest of the group 'jealous miserable clowns'.
Jesy was then said to be 'devastated' Leigh-Anne had 'sparked racial hatred' and a new wave of intense trolling towards her, telling pals she couldn't believe 'someone she once called family could be so cruel.'
However, a source clarified to MailOnline: 'It's not fair to criticise Leigh-Anne over this. She was just upset as were others over blackfishing, and social media is awash with it.'
They added that Jesy should have been aware of the backlash her music video would receive as she had already been spoken about blackfishing by Leigh-Anne during her time in the band.
They explained: 'Everyone had been very supportive to Jesy. Leigh Anne and others sat down with Jesy years ago and spoke to her about blackfishing - and warned her about her excessive tanning and wearing braids.
Emotional: Jesy announced she was leaving the band in December 2020 when she shared a lengthy statement on Instagram stating she was stepping back to protect her mental health.
Support: Roughly an hour later Little Mix also took to Instagram to share the news as they admitted it was an 'incredibly sad time' for the band but they 'fully supported' Jesy's decision
'The word "blackfishing" may not have been used but the principle of it was. But Jesy didnt want to hear it - she just didn't want to know! It's not new news to her.'
MailOnline has contacted Jesy's representatives for comment.
Jesy's pal Nicki doubled down on her row with Leigh-Anne in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
After hitting out at Leigh-Anne during her Instagram live with Jesy on Monday, the rapper reiterated her comments in tweets on Tuesday - taking aim at Leigh-Anne's 'messy' fans and accusing them of having a negative impact on Jesy's mental health.
Jesy has spoken candidly about her mental health battles in the past, and revealed in her 2019 BBC documentary, Odd One Out, that she attempted suicide after being subjected to vicious trolling.
Following a backlash over the livestream chat, Trinidadian-born rapper Nicki noted Jesy's mental state as she tweeted: 'JeLeigh btchs actin real messy. ~ if you know someone has been suicidal from bullying in the past, why try to get a bunch of ppl to bully them again about smthng else, on an even bigger scale?
Blackfishing? Jesy was accused of blackfishing after releasing the music video to her single, Boyz - a remake of Diddy's 2001 video Bad Boy For Life, which she samples in her new track
Heard it all before: Jesy should have been aware of the backlash her music video would receive as she had already been spoken about blackfishing by Leigh-Anne during her time in the band
A newly coined phrase in 2018, 'blackfishing' describes someone who pretends to be black on social media for social or financial gain - using make-up, hairstyles, or even surgery to alter their appearance and adopt characteristics typically associated with women of colour.
The term came to prominence after a post calling out the 'alarming' amount of 'white girls cosplaying as black women on Instagram' was liked nearly 50,000 times on Twitter.
It prompted users to flood the thread with before and after snaps revealing drastic changes to certain influencers' appearance.
Advertisement
'Shame on you— that’s rlly sad. You don’t know what ppl can deal with. Mental Health [sic].'
The post came after Nicki also took a not-so subtle swipe at Leigh-Anne in which she accused the singer of only speaking out about blackfishing now that Jesy is no longer helping the band make money.
Nicki posted: 'Don’t call things out when they benefit your personal vendetta to
