The hottest new girl band in the world is also the first group EVER to win The X Factor UK. Made up of Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Perrie Edwards, this Brit girl group phenomenon have already had two hit songs overseas -- "Wings" and "DNA" -- and brought down the house with their incredible 'X Factor UK' finale performance of "Cannonball" in late 2011 (only moments before being crowned champs!). J-14 had the chance to chat with Jade, Jesy, and Leigh-Anne this morning -- Perrie was home sick with tonsillitis! -- and the girls were happy to dish on all things 'X Factor UK,' working with One Direction, and (sadly!) missing out on meeting Taylor Swift during their Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball performance this past weekend! Meet Little Mix!
J-14: You all auditioned as solo artists, but then were sent home and brought back as a group. What was that experience like?
Jade: We were sent home as individual artists and then the three of us got put into a group first. And then we told 'no.' And then we got put into separate groups. And then told 'no.' And then finally we were put into Little Mix. It was a bit of a crazy time!
Leigh-Anne: I think they had to go through all that process of finding who was supposed to be in what groups, and who would be in Little Mix. And it couldn't have gone better.
Jade: I'd actually already auditioned for 'The X Factor' twice before and made it through to bootcamp -- but I thought, maybe the third time is lucky! And it was!
J-14: What was your most memorable performance from the show?
Jesy: "Don't Let Go." It was when we got noticed properly as a group. It was when people started to say, 'Oh, these girls could have a chance of winning this.'
Leigh-Anne: For me, it was the first live show. Gary Barlow, one of the judges, actually said we were one of the best girl bands to ever be on 'The X Factor.' We were so nervous -- girls bands hadn't done well in the past -- and to hear that from Gary was just amazing.
J-14: You girls are obviously quite connected to One Direction -- Perrie is dating 1D's Zayn Malik! -- so have they ever offered you any advice?
Jade: When One Direction came on the show, they helped us out with a bit of advice. It was really nice to get support from bands that had been there and done it. It's nice to see One Direction so humble. Those boys are just so down to earth, so normal, and they work really hard for what they've achieved. So, we've definitely learned a lot from them.