Little Mix pushes anti-feminist message with ‘Salute’
British artists have been making a name for themselves in the past, and recently a group has caught my attention, an all-female group consisting of four early 20 year-olds. Little Mix made a name for themselves after winning The X Factor in December 2011.
Since then they have released two albums. Their most recent album is titled Salute and it became available to the U.S. in February. It intrigued me then; I enjoy every song, note, and lyric on this album. The order in which the songs are placed entices the listener to keep listening, and deters the listeners urge to skip songs. Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jade Thirlwall each bring their own unique style and sound to the group, and each individual strength benefits the overall composition of the songs and, ultimately, the album.
The title track starts the album off slowly, and then grows into a girl-power song using military metaphors and sirens. This track will sound familiar to any Beyoncé fan because it has a similar message and tempo. As with many of the songs on this album, “Salute” urges women to fight their way through any situation and stand up against any enemy that may be holding them back. Do not think this song is a rise against men, because it is not. It is a lead into the groups mind set that women are strong and must fight through stereotypes and the “typical” image of women that people all over the world have come to accept.
“Move,” Little Mix’s first single off the second album, is enough to make anyone who listens to it want to move. The message of the song is simple, don’t be a boy who thinks he’s too cool and stands in the corner while everyone else is on the dance floor. Get on the dance floor and move because “Don’t you know a girl likes a boy who moves.” It starts with Jade singing about being old-fashioned and wanting the boy to come and ask the girl to dance, instead of the girl approaching the boy.
“Little Me,” a very emotional song, begins with a slow and quiet melody, and builds as the emotion of the song escalates. The lyrics help the listener quickly realize the song is focused on females reminding themselves that they are allowed to speak their mind and that they are beautiful just the way they are. Throughout the song it is as if the group goes back in time and wishes they could speak to their younger self and give advice to their younger selves.
“Nothing Feels Like You,” the fourth track, returns to a quick tempo song about no matter what belongings one has, having a special someone is worth more and means more than earthly possessions. The lyrics give a story that states no matter the distance or what is going on in your life; if you truly love someone, nothing else matters.
“Towers,” track five, is a break-up song with the group using their vocals to show their emotion about being with a guy who doesn’t try as hard as the girl thinks he should in a relationship. In the end, the guy gives up on the relationship. This leaves the woman almost emotionless, as if she gave more and received nothing from the relationship. Each member of Little Mix uses her range of notes to add to the emotional sound of this track.
“Competition,” another faster tempo song, is about being in a relationship where the guy feels he must have the last word and pushes the girl to her edge. Instead of the girl having the respect, he has to be the one to finish the argument and win. Although some think that it is typical for many women to always have the last say, some relationships end up with the man wanting to win the “competition.”
“These Four Walls,” the seventh track, returns back to a slow pace. This track is about the end of a relationship and centers around the emotion that many women feel after losing someone they were close to. The listener can distinguish that the members of Little Mix are definitely British during this song. The soft voices of the members come out while still portraying their emotions with the lyrics. The emotional repercussions of not being able to sleep, eat, and simply feeling lonely are obvious emotions that are prominent in this song.
“About The Boy,” a song about a guy who catches your eye and seems to send you under his spell, is the track Little Mix chose to follow the previous sad break up song. “About the Boy” is about finding someone new and knowing he may not be what is best for you, like that bad boy most of us all want at one point or another, but you can’t seem to forget him.
“Boy,” a song about women banding together when a man hurts one of their friends, is the theme for the ninth track. “He’ll never realize what he’s got until it’s gone…” those are the words sung in the chorus. They are typical words women tell their friend after a hard relationship ends that are meant to help soothe the pain. “Girl you’ll be alright…” these lyrics tell the friend that he wasn’t good enough anyway, and she needs to move on and find someone better for her.
“Good Enough,” another break-up type song fills the slot of the tenth track, but instead of feeling lost after the relationship ends, this is about moving on and realizing that life will turn out better. This song’s tempo and lyrics are very similar to those of “These Four Walls.”
“Mr. Loverboy,” a song with not quite as fast a tempo as “Move” and “About the Boy,” is about finding the perfect guy. However, there is a male part in the song as well.
“A Different Beat,” a strong song to end an album on, is an up-tempo number that the group bands together for. The song is about taking your own path in life instead of following the crowd. “I’ve got the right to make up my mind…” as part of the chorus, Little Mix is all about staying true to yourself, doing what is best for your life, and following your dreams.
Little Mix has been compared to The Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child, and Beyoncé when it comes to their sound. Their second album is taking off in the U.S. and quickly reached number one on the U.S. iTunes chart. Many may listen and think the group is anti-feminist, but they are simply singing about staying true to yourself, following your dreams, the typical relationship songs, and fighting back about whatever type of enemies you may have that are holding you back from your full potential. Give the album a listen on either iTunes or on YouTube under their Salute album, for all the songs.