JADE on being ‘scared to promote’ her Arab heritage: ‘I try to make up for that now’
Our Trailblazer Award winner, who is half Arab: one-quarter Yemeni, one-quarter Egyptian, discusses her initial worries about being open with her identity in her work
Jade Thirlwall – aka JADE – has discussed her mixed heritage and her initial hesitation to represent it in her work.
JADE was named our Trailblazer at last week’s Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024, and also appears on the cover of The Awards Issue of Rolling Stone UK.
In the cover feature, JADE – who is half Arab: one-quarter Yemeni, one-quarter Egyptian – discusses how she initially struggled to work out how to honour her heritage in her work, saying that she is now trying to make it a clearer part of her artistic identity.
“I’d only ever seen negative stereotypes of Arab people in the press, so I was scared to promote my heritage,” she told Rolling Stone UK.
“I feel sad for my younger self that I could’ve been the representation I needed back then. I try to make up for that now.”
Of her upbringing, she remembered: “I have a lot of memories of my grandad cooking curries or waiting for him outside the mosque. I listened to his prayer and Arabic music, too.”
Read JADE’s full Rolling Stone UK cover feature here.
At the Rolling Stone UK Awards at London’s Roundhouse, JADE thanked ‘myself’ as she picked up The Trailblazer Award.
In her acceptance speech, she said: “Being able to be brutally honest about my journey and my career, and for that to be well received is really amazing.
“Lastly I want to thank myself, because it’s really scary going from being in a girl band for over 10 years, that was all I knew for so long, to coming out as a solo artist – I was terrified. So I’m really proud of myself.”
JADE also performed a stunning version of her debut solo single ‘Angel of My Dreams’ at the ceremony.
You can check back here for all the latest coverage of the Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024.