'‘We've been in their shoes...'

The X Factor champions Little Mix on mentoring the next generation of pop sensations

- Victoria Wilson

Believe it or not, it’s nine years since Little Mix formed on The X Factor and made history as the first group to win the ITV talent show.

Now the biggest girl band on the planet, the quartet – Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson – have won countless awards, notched up four No.1 singles, and sold over 50 million records.

Over the last year, they have also been busy working on a brand-new project: finding the next generation of pop idols in Little Mix: The Search, which begins on BBC1 this weekend. The ladies are looking for ‘incredible singers’ to form a new band – it could be a boy band, a girl group or a mixed group – to support them during their next tour.

TV Times joined Jesy, 29, Leigh-Anne, 28, Perrie and Jade, both 27, for a video chat to find out more...

What makes this show different from other talent searches?

LEIGH-ANNE: We’ve been in the competitors’ shoes and lived this experience, so we’ve got a lot of knowledge to give them.

JADE: Yes, we’ve been in this industry for nearly 10 years, so we know what we’re talking about.

JESY: When a person is nervous, it can completely take over their vocals and sometimes you don’t hear their full potential. As singers, we understand that, but I don’t think other shows always take that into consideration.

What kind of judges are you?

JESY: Ha, ha! I think we all bring something completely different to the table. We’ve all got different tastes in terms of what we look for in a vocalist and in a group.