Jesy Nelson’s first independent single is a flop

Jesy Nelson’s debut single as an independent artist was a massive flop as it failed to chart in the UK.

The song, titled Bad Thing, failed to reach the Official Singles Chart Top 100.

It was her first single after leaving Polydor Records in 2022 and was released in conjunction with Women’s Aid and details Nelson’s experiences with her father who was in and out of prison during her childhood.

Read more: Jesy Nelson responds to blackfishing claims after leaving Little Mix

Nelson said of the single: “I feel like a lot of women in my life have gone through these kinds of horrible experiences and I really wanted to raise awareness about it.”

While Bad Thing failed to land on the main charts, it peaked at number 15 on the download chart and 17 on the sales chart.

Bad Thing is also Nelson’s second solo single after leaving Little Mix. Their debut single and its video – Boys – was released in 2021, which was criticized for blackfishing and cultural appropriation.

Nelson was criticized for darkening his skin to make himself appear racially ambiguous.

She later defended herself in an interview with Vulture: “The whole time I was in Little Mix, I never got anything. And then I came out of (the band) and people suddenly started saying that. I wasn’t that. On social media around the time, so I let my team (deal with it), because that’s when I left.

“But I mean, like, I love black culture. I love black music. That’s all I know; I grew up in it. I’m well aware that I’m a white British woman; I’ve never Didn’t say I wasn’t.”

The single also performed poorly commercially, falling out of the UK chart after seven weeks and failing to chart in the US despite Nicki Minaj’s presence on the track.

WATCH BELOW: Jesy Nelson hasn’t spoken to her Little Mix bandmates in two years