Leigh-Anne Pinnock has said that her new music will allow her to get things "off my chest" - something she was not able to do while in Little Mix.
The singer, 31, rose to fame as part of the girl group alongside Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson and spent 11 years in Little Mix before they went on hiatus last year.
On Friday, Pinnock released her first song as a solo artist, titled Don't Say Love, with an album expected to follow.
Appearing on the Hits Radio Breakfast Show in the UK on Friday, she said: "I think, for me, I always said the album had to feel like an open letter. Everything that I couldn't really get off my chest in the group, it is now my time to do that.
"Whether it's, like, my relationship, things that I experienced in the group, everything, I guess."
The singer admitted that she did feel pressure due to the expectations on the group after they had a great deal of success together.
"I'm just on a cloud. There's just so much going on and it's all good stuff and the reception has been amazing. I was just so petrified as well," she said.
"There's so many expectations for all of us coming out of something for so long, like on our own, but I'm just so proud of it. I love it and I'm excited."
Little Mix were formed on the X Factor in 2011 and became the first group to win the competition.
Pinnock released six studio albums with the group and a 2021 compilation album to mark the 10-year anniversary of the group's formation. The compilation included hit tracks from their decade together and five new unreleased songs.
The singer said that having her own release day is the moment she had always dreamed of but added that she is grateful for her time in the group.
"We obviously all auditioned as solo artists and the best thing they could have done was put us in a group because now I have all of this experience under my belt," she said.
"Eleven years of being on stage, writing and just everything that I've learned I can use now and it finally feels like the right time."
She added that by the time the group went on hiatus, they felt like it was "time for us to just spread our wings and go our separate ways for a little bit".
Earlier this year, Pinnock's former bandmate Jesy Nelson also released her second single. Nelson left Little Mix in 2020 after nine years, blaming the toll being in the group had taken on her mental health.
2023 has already been a busy year for Pinnock, who recently married footballer Andre Gray in Jamaica, where some of her family are from. The couple have twins together.
Reflecting on her wedding day, Pinnock said: "It was beautiful. Do you remember Jahmene (Douglas) from the X Factor? He sang as I walked down the aisle and I had a gospel choir as well. It was just absolutely stunning...
"All my friends and family, because it was in Jamaica, so everyone was there. It was a bit of a dream, to be honest."
Pinnock added that due to the wedding being in Jamaica, it was "a bit laid-back" and ran an hour late, but she felt it was a "perfect" day.
The Woman Like Me singer also opened up about the challenges of making a long-distance relationship work with Gray after he signed to play for the Greek Super League club Aris.
"It's a bit of a nightmare, to be honest. It's hard, really hard and especially with the babies, but you've just got to do what you've got to do.
"He's working hard to provide and I'm working hard and we just have to get on with it and realise we're doing it for them [the children]."
Source: Press Association
