Leigh-Anne Pinnock is still healing from racism faced over the years (Picture: Mariano Vivanco for Rolling Stone UK)
Leigh-Anne Pinnock has been a pop icon for many years now but her career hasn’t been an easy journey with the singer faced with racism from all angles.
Being newly-wed looks fantastic on Leigh-Anne, who recently rocked an incredible bedazzled bikini at Notting Hill Carnival.
Carnival is a celebration of Caribbean culture and the former Little Mix star goes almost every year to celebrate her Jamaican and Barbadian ancestry.
While she wears her roots with pride, and looks phenomenal doing so, Leigh-Anne has also faced racism within her skyrocket to fame.
In 2021, her documentary shared some of her experiences with fans, who the Don’t Say Love singer was worried about losing for speaking out.
Her fans have stood by her side but in a new interview she has revealed that she still feels the impact of the racism she faced.
The singer has been outspoken about her experience of racism (Picture: Mariano Vivanco for Rolling Stone UK)
She released a documentary exploring the racism she faced (Picture: Mariano Vivanco for Rolling Stone UK)
Speaking to Rolling Stone UK, Leigh-Anne revealed she ‘pushed down’ her feelings to continue ‘smiling’ for cameras.
‘As the time went on, the feeling wasn’t right, and I’d be thinking, “Was that racist?” Just little things I was questioning, but also feeling quite alone with it… I just pushed it down and down and down,’ she said.
Little Mix formed in 2011 and consists of Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and formerly Jesy Nelson, with Leigh-Anne alone as the only black member of the group.
Jade is mixed-race, her mum is from Egyptian and Yemeni descent, but Leigh-Anne was often singled out as the only non-white-passing member.
She said the racist undertones are still present now in new groups (Picture: Mariano Vivanco for Rolling Stone UK)
Leigh-Anne struggled while in Little Mix’s early career (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
Leigh-Anne has previously called out the micro-aggression of the press mixing up the two women of colour in stories.
Back in 2020, the singer appeared on This Morning and said she was told it was ‘in [her] head’ that she was discriminated against within the group.
Since leaving the group, she has gone on to receive an honorary doctorate for her services to anti-racism and racial equality.
In 2021, she released Race, Pop & Power, sharing her experience of the industry in the raw and moving documentary.
Leigh-Anne continued: ‘I think that’s why I’m still trying to heal from it. It was so weirdly traumatic without even knowing it, because I was just getting on with it.
Leigh-Anne broke down to her parents in her documentary saying she felt lost (Picture: Mariano Vivanco for Rolling Stone UK)
The singer is still processing the trauma of it all (Picture: Mariano Vivanco for Rolling Stone UK)
‘I was still smiling, still living my life, but this thing was just there all the time.’
While Leigh-Anne might be out the other side and ‘healing’, racism is still a common experience for people of colour.
She shared that someone from another band had come up to her ‘recently’ and mentioned they were ‘experiencing something similar’.
Leigh-Anne added: ‘It kind of choked me up a bit … Having someone come up to me now, who has just stepped into the industry and feeling similar things to me.’
Read the full feature at www.rollingstone.co.uk
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She ‘pushed down’ the trauma.