Perrie Edwards on verge of tears over 'heartbreak' amid Jesy Nelson estrangement

Singer-songwriter Perrie Edwards was emotional whilst introducing a song that's said to be about the end of her friendship with Jesy Nelson at a gig recently. She spoke about struggling to navigate losing a friend at the concert.

Perrie, 32, has been promoting her self-titled debut solo album at signings and gigs since it was released last week. It's included the Little Mix member having performed for fans at a concert that was held in Circuit in Kingston on Saturday night.

At the acoustic show, Perrie performed Same Place Different View, which features on her new album. She's previously mentioned the track whilst discussing her estrangement from former bandmate Jesy, 34, who left Little Mix in 2020 after having been part of the group for almost a decade.

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Videos shared on social media show Perrie becoming emotional whilst introducing the song. She told the audience: "I wrote this next song because I feel like we talk about heartbreak a lot in music, in songs and life, and it's always romantically.

"And we seem to forget like losing a friend or falling out with a friend or not having them in your life anymore, it's f***ing hard! And it's like how do I navigate a life where that person's been there for years, they've seen me cry, they've seen my absolute demons, they've seen everything, and then poof they're gone?"

She continued: "It's like 'okay'. So I think I really struggled to navigate it." After appearing to get emotional, Perrie was met with support from the crowd but she said: "Okay, wait! Don't make me cry because then my vocal chords are gonna go funny and then I'm not gonna sound good." She then revealed that the song was Same Place Different View.

Perrie has previously spoken about her friendship with Jesy. They were put into Little Mix together on the X Factor in 2011 and it was later announced in 2020 that Jesy was leaving the group.

Jesy said in a statement released at the time: "The truth is recently being in the band has really taken a toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard. There comes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focusing on making other people happy, and I feel like now is the time to begin the process."

More recently, on Alison Hammond's Big Weekend, Perrie said that she was no longer in contact with Jesy. She went on to say on her episode of the BBC show, released in May: "I wrote a song about it. Every time I listen to it, I cry."

Whilst on Fearne Cotton's podcast, Perrie said about experiencing a loss of friendship: "I wrote a song about it and it's called Same Place Different View and it's about a friendship that I had, that I no longer have anymore. I mentioned it in an interview, and so many people reached out to me."

Perrie added: "It's not really spoken about. When you hear a heartbreak song, it's about a relationship or a significant other. [...] But when it's a friend, like you don't really hear about it that much in music, so I was like 'I'm gonna write something about it because it's just as heartbreaking, if not worse'."

She later added: "It's really sad, but at the same time, these things sometimes happen and it does makes you think like 'ahh, do we try and rectify the situation? Do we try this? Do I reach out? It doesn't feel like I should. I feel like I should just stay away'. It's a really horrible dynamic to be in."

Jesy has also spoken about no longer being in contact with her former bandmates. As reported at the time, she said on The Graham Norton Show in 2021: "We're not talking any more. It is sad but honestly there is no bad blood from my side, and I still love them to pieces and genuinely wish them all the best."

She added: "I loved my time with them, and we've got the most incredible memories together but it's just one of those things which needs to take time, so who knows. To me they are still the 'sickest' girl band in the world."

More recently, Jesy told the Sun in 2023 that she had no "regrets" about having left Little Mix because it was "right" for her, before saying that she would "always cherish the memories" she made in the group. She then spoke about no longer speaking to her former bandmates.

She said: "No, we haven't talked since then. Never say never, but I honestly wish them the best on their solo journeys now, which is so exciting." Jesy said that she was "rooting" for them all, adding: "I honestly do wish them all the success as they are all crazy talented."

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