JADE, aka Jade Thirlwall, has said that playing Glastonbury during the summer was an "out-of-body experience" that "took my breath away".
After six massively successful albums with Little Mix, the British popstar has spent the last few years working on solo material, including her rabidly received hit single Angel Of My Dreams.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment as she geared up to release her hotly-anticipated record That's Showbiz Baby! on 12 September, JADE said: "I still can't quite believe it. It's really hard for me to understand that this is happening. I feel so lucky that I get to do this again, but on my own. Not many people are given that opportunity."
"This still feels brand new to me, especially now as a solo artist, it does feel like starting again," she continued. "I always had that mentality of, just because Little Mix were huge, it doesn't mean I'm going to be offered all these big things.
"You've still got to graft for it, and sometimes it's even harder because you have to prove why you're good as a solo artist as well as being in a band. I don't take any of it for granted, if anything, I'm working harder now."
JADE has navigated an impressively idiosyncratic path as a solo artist. Staying true to herself has paid off in her innovative music as well as her impressive stage shows, including a theatrical performance at the BRIT Awards in March and a headline-making appearance at Glastonbury in June.
The 32-year-old popstar said it was "an out-of-body experience" playing to a packed-out audience at the Woodsies stage.
"More so because I was sweating so profusely, so overheated, at one point I genuinely thought was going to pass out, so that mixed with the adrenaline was a whole other ball game," she laughed. "Prior to going on stage, I kept saying my tour manager, 'Oh God, is anyone there? Is it half full?' I was freaking out so much."
"Glastonbury is the pinnacle of festivals, arguably the best festival in the world, so to even be booked for it, without an album out as well, it was crazy," she continued. "Me and the girls never quite managed to book festivals like that, so I was really honoured to be asked.
"I was so surprised when I went out there, one that it was jam-packed and two, that people knew the words, not even just the Little Mix songs, people were genuinely fans of my music and it really took my breath away."
JADE's debut album That's Showbiz Baby! is released on 12 September. She plays Dublin's 3Olympia Theatre on 7 and 8 October.
Read our full interview with JADE on Saturday, 13 September.
