Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix talks about studying Arabic and exploring her Arab identity

Jade Thirlwall, a British singer, recently had an Instagram Stories question-and-answer session with followers, talking anything from what books she reads to how she explored her Arab identity.

Her maternal grandpa was Yemeni, and her maternal grandmother was Egyptian, according to the 29-year-old singer. During the Q&A, the Little Mix member announced that she will be learning her Arabic on the girl group's next Confetti tour of the United Kingdom, which is expected to begin in April or May, according to Arab news.

One fan asked her: “As a fellow mixed race Yemeni living in the UK, how have you explored your identity?”

Thirlwall stated, "The more I explore and educate myself the more I feel at peace with myself and the more confidence I feel within myself, which has been and will continue to be a beautiful journey for me. I love cooking Yemeni food, discovering Yemeni artists and creatives, and I will be continuing to learn Arabic on tour.”

She typed her response next to a stack of black-and-white photos of her grandparents and a form her grandfather, Mohammed Ahmed Saleh Badwi, filled out in the 1950s for his national insurance card.

In a video for the UN Children's Fund, Unicef, the English songwriter demonstrated her Arabic-speaking skills. She explained that she studied the language as a youngster and that one of the things she knew was how to request a cup of tea. She explained how she was pressured into suppressing and being ashamed of her Arab background as a child in an interview with Vogue Arabia in 2020, which she regrets. Thirlwall claimed she now wanted to do more to represent the Arab world, citing a lack of representation for her culture as a child as a reason for her reluctance to embrace her origins.