Jade Thirlwall made an emotional return to her native North East with a powerful and intimate performance for BBC Proms. The former Little Mix star, 32, admitted she had gone "full circle" as she took to the stage at Gateshead's Glasshouse International Centre for Music on Friday night.
It marked the South Shields star's first homecoming as a solo artist over a decade after her X Factor success. Introduced by Radio 1's Greg James, Jade gave the crowd a memorable show on the history-making occasion. Accompanied by the Royal Northern Sinfonia, orchestrated by Robert Ames, her tunes had an added twist.
Jade mixed her own songs, covers and medleys, including Little Mix's Sweet Melody. She also performed a Clubland medley dedicated to her brother Karl, and a spine-tingling cover of Sam Fender's Remember My Name, which left her tearful as she revealed it had been played at a friend's funeral weeks ago.
The concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and will air again on BBC Radio 1 on Sunday. It marked the first time the Proms had been filmed for television outside London. The night also featured a DJ set by Becky Woodcock and a warm-up performance by Middlesbrough's Finn Forster.
Jade urged the powers that be to ensure funding for the arts on stage, reinforcing her powerful vocal range and passionate display as an artist proudly returning to her roots.
