Jade Thirlwall Wants More Politics In Pop – As She Should

 

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Jade Thirlwall is having a great couple of years.

She’s released a series of singles slandering the music industry. Her debut album is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the year. She’s firmly establishing herself as one of the most exciting pop artists of the 2020s.

She’s also made it abundantly clear that she’s going to use her platform to stand up for what she believes in, to raise awareness of atrocities happening around the world, and to call out those who refuse to.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Jade name checked the 1975’s Matty Healy for his new found refusal to bring politics into his art. Matty recently told the crowd at Glastonbury: “We don’t need more politics. We need more love and friendship.”

“I don’t think you can be a pop artist and cover your eyes,” said Jade. “I saw Matty Healy say that he doesn’t want to be political, which I found disappointing.

“It’s very easy for someone who’s white and straight and very privileged to say that. Good for you, hun!” Preach it, girl.

JADE tells The Guardian that she finds it disappointing when singers avoid politics:

“I saw Matty Healy say that he doesn’t want to be political, which I found disappointing. It’s very easy for someone who’s white and straight and very privileged to say that. Good for you, hun!” pic.twitter.com/njYezjIGGK

— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 17, 2025

Jade has long been passionate about supporting minority groups and protesting cruelties – even in the early days of her pop career.

Back when she was on X Factor, she tweeted her dismay that the UK government voted in favour of a Syrian airstrike. She said she got “in a bit of trouble” as the tweet was sent from the Little Mix account.

“What’s quite funny is that [the members of Little Mix] didn’t have individual Twitter accounts [at that time], and we each had to sign off tweets from the Little Mix account with our name. So I did my tweet about Syria and ended it with ‘xxJadexx’,” she said.

 “I felt very passionate about it. I’m no expert in politics but I’ve always taken an interest. Around 9/11 I saw first‑hand the Islamophobia that my grandad experienced, and as someone of Arab heritage I’ve seen people turning a blind eye to the Middle Eastern tragedy.”

 

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Jade’s current focus is Palestine, and the thousands of Gazans who have been stripped of their land, and lives, over the past few years. Not only has she shared information on social media, but she has attended rallies and fundraisers in support of Palestinians, using her name and platform to drive awareness.

She is, however, one of few pop artists doing so. As the situation in Gaza and beyond continues to worsen, countless celebrities who could incite real change remain silent.

Among those speaking out (and there really aren’t many) are Jade, Dua Lipa, Renée Rapp, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Macklemore, and a few others. Most haven’t said anything, whether that’s sharing links to raise vital funds or simply educating their followers on the conflict, which has since become a genocide.

In the grand scheme of things, pop stars are largely seen as unimportant. They sing, they entertain, they perform. But when it comes to politics and war (and this war in particular), their influence could be more important than ever.