Little Mix singer Leigh-Ann Pinnock broke down after sharing her painful experiences of racism as a member of the chart-topping girl band.
The British star, 28 who has two mixed-raced parents and has Jamaican and Barbadian heritage, showed visible emotion in a powerful video posted to her Instagram page, where she spoke extremely candidly.
The video came in the wake of the death of George Floyd who died last week after being detained by US police in Minneapolis.
A video of the incident – which shows white cop Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes as he repeatedly pleads; “I can’t breathe”, as three other officers looked on – went viral and has sparked mass protests across the world, including the UK.
In the post’s caption, Leigh-Anne wrote: “Like many of you, I have been feeling really heavy with everything that we are seeing online and hearing on the news.”
Leigh-Anne grew emotional as she discussed her experiences of racism
Reading from a piece of paper held in her hand, she said: “When we were filming Wings [choreographer] Frank Gatson told me: ‘You’re the black girl, you have to work 10 times harder,’ never in my life had someone told that I would have to work 10 times harder because of my race.
“Later on, I learnt that what Frank Gatson said made sense. I learnt that the dream of being in the biggest band in the world came with its flaws and consequences.”
She added: “Consequences such as knowing about the underlying existent racism in the creative industries.”
Little Mix rose to fame back in 2011, after appearing on X Factor (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
She went on to detail some of the stereotypes attached to black people and how she had to stifle herself in a bid not to be negatively labelled.
“You learn to see that you can’t be seen as too loud or too opinionated otherwise you’re deemed as a diva or aggressive,” she expressed.
“You learn that walking into a room you are deemed as unapproachable or offish before anyone has approached you. You learn that by voicing your opinion about the lack of diversity in the industry is like slapping your head against a brick wall.”
WARNING TAKEN FROM INSTAGRAM LITTLE MIX STAR LEIGH-ANNE PINNOCK SHARES EMOTIONAL VIDEO ABOUT RACISM LINK TO PAGE: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBDqHVcHVVw/
Leigh-Anne sky-rocketed to fame after appearing on the 2011 series of the X Factor where she was grouped with three other solo-acts – Jade Thirwall, Jessy Nelson and Perri Edwards – to form the band.
Mentored by then-judge Tulisa, they went on to win the show and have enjoyed international success with hits such as Shout Out to My Ex, Wings and Black Magic.
Leigh-Anne struggled to stop herself crying as she revealed: “I sing to fans who don’t hear me or see me or cheer me on.
“My reality is always feeling anxious before gigs or signings because I always feel the least favoured. My reality is constantly feeling like I have to work ten times harder in order to mark my place in the group because my talent is not enough.”
Andre recently asked Leigh-Anne to marry him, with the lovebirds sharing the happy news over social media
The star, who recently got engaged to long-time partner and Watford FC footballer Andre Gray, also touched on the deeper roots of systemic racism that she said can be found everywhere including “sports, the creative industries, in politics and policies, in the streets and in the hearts on racist individuals”.
She said: “My reality is all the times I have felt invisible in the group, but part of me knows it would have been even harder to cope with if I was dark-skinned.”
This is not the first time Leigh-Anne has spoken out about experiencing racism during her time in Little Mix.
Little Mix’s summer tour was cancelled due to coronavirus (Image: Getty Images for MTV)
In May last year, while appearing on Lorraine, she told the presenter: “It’s horrible. Especially having to deal with it in the public eye, it is nasty.”
In April of this year, it was reported that the Little Mix star was making a documentary with the BBC highlighting issues surrounding race and prejudice in the UK. Filming of the programme was said to be currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Leanne’s post received support from fellow artists including a former member of US girl group Fifth Harmony, Normani Kordei, who also found fame on the X Factor, but the US version.
“I am YOU and you are ME,” she posted. “I see you sis.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
