We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson - Little Mix & One Direction: What REALLY Happened Off Stage

Episode Date: June 4, 2026

Perrie Edwards and Lou Teasdale pull back the curtain on life inside two of the biggest pop groups of a generation. Perrie reflects on growing up in Little Mix, becoming one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, public heartbreak, pressure, and the sisterhood that carried them through. Lou shares what it was really like touring the world with One Direction, raising her daughter on the road, the fan chaos, the private jets, and why life behind the scenes was far less glamorous than it looked. This is a rare look inside Little Mix, One Direction, fame, friendship, and the real cost of growing up in the spotlight. (00:00) Intro (00:32) The Success of Little Mix (02:00) How Little Mix Shaped Perrie as a Woman (04:17) Why Perrie Still Sees Little Mix as Underdogs (08:02) Perrie’s Most Challenging Time in Little Mix (09:20) Finding Stability While Touring the World (12:23) How Lou Started Working With One Direction (14:14) The First One Direction Tour (14:57) How Fame Changed the Members of One Direction (17:10) The Best Moments of Life on Tour (19:34) The Wildest Things Fans Did to Meet One Direction Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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In this episode, Perry Edwards and Lou Teesdale pull back the curtain on what life was really like inside a 2010's pop machine. From global tours and record-breaking highs to the emotional toll of growing up on the road. So the super group is put together. Yes. And you go on to win. Yes. For what I understand, this is the first group to win the X factor. Yeah.

All right. Not bad. Crazy. Not bad. Not shy. And then you go on to participate in a little group called Little Mix. Yeah. Which.

Cash a whole. I will say what I was blown away. This is the stat I was blown away. So I was interviewing Ashley Roberts. Mm-hmm. And I was doing research on the Pussy Cat Dolls. Yep. At how many albums, streams and singles, the Pussy Gats, Pussy Gat dolls had sold.

Yeah. There were only a few groups that had sold more. Right. You know who the top three? Okay. It was Spice Girls. Yeah. The Supremes.

Oh, wow. And Little Mix. No. Yes. I thought you were going to say Destiny's Child, like, on Vogue. Destiny's Child was next. Wow. Yes.

That's wild. In terms of albums, streams, singles. That's mindblood, isn't it? That's just... We did so well. That is crazy. Yeah. It's just mad.

Yeah. So when you think about that entire period, like how many years were you and the girls together? Twelve, I believe. Okay. Yeah. And that was an important 12 because you were literally becoming a woman. Yes. During that time.

So how do you think being in this super group shaped you as a woman? Oh, massively. I feel like, because I was the youngest as well, I looked up to them. so much and I learned so much from them. I feel like grown up in the public eye isn't easy, but when you have three other girls who are going through it, it kind of takes the load off a little bit. But I always say like it sounds crazy, but me and the girls were so in each other's pockets and so in sync that it was like next level in sync. So like if one of us went through heartbreak, we all felt it. If one of us lost a family member, we were all heart. We were all

If one of us was like winning in life, we were all winning in life. Like we were literally, we felt every emotion like in sync. It was so bizarre. Like not just like, oh babe, I'm here for you. It was like we were all heartbroken because we just felt it. We didn't want to see one of us that down and that sad. We all just kind of tuck it on as well. So I think our connection was huge.

And I'm so grateful because when we were put in the group, it was like, go bands clash. You'll argue. You won't get along. It'll be really competitive. And there was moments where it was like, babe, can you stop pissing me off? But other than that,

we just adored each other. Like we had each other's backs. We didn't argue. And even though people wanted to make that the headline every five seconds of our career, we didn't. We just knew exactly what we wanted. We had each other.

We all had one vision and one goal. and we knew what we wanted to do. And we were always the underdogs. Like from the very beginning, it was like, you won't do very well. Girl bands don't do that well. And it won't last. And all this stuff.

And I think that's what give us the fire in our bellies to want to work so much and so hard to prove everybody wrong. So I think that's why we were never, we never just sat back and thought, we were like, what can we do now? What else can we do? How can we make this bigger?

Where can we take this now? Like we were constantly going at a pace. Yes. I mean, you can see it in the results, you know. So the biggest selling single, shout out to my ex, stayed at number one for three weeks, achieved over two million in total sales in the UK. Wow. Billboard ranked Black Magic among the 100 greatest girl group songs of all time. Wow.

The debut album, DNA, was the first. by a British girl group to debut in the U.S. top five. Yeah. Spice Girls didn't even do that. That one was a big one. I mean, your fourth album, Glory Days, became the longest reigning top 40 album by a girl group since the Spice Girls.

It's like numbers don't lie in terms of how successful the group was. Do you think there was ever a point where you were no longer the underdog? Or did you stay? Stayed. You stayed. Yeah, you could read those numbers to a million people and they'd be like, yeah, they weren't that good. People just didn't see us as that credible for a long time. I think eventually people started to see it, but I still think they looked at us and thought,

oh, they're just four little girls in a pop group. I don't think they really saw the graft and the dedication and the numbers and the success that we had. I still think people kind of oversay it a little bit. Why do you think that is, right? Now that you could reflect back a little bit, I know it was a different time in terms of media. Yeah. But why do you think that the little mix remain the underdog? I think part of it was our age and our name, which is great because it kept us young.

But at the same time, I think we were like four little girls kind of at the start. And I think even when we were like 30 years old, people were still like, oh, Oh, Little Mix. Like, I don't think they really, like, some people age, funnily enough. And I think they always just seen us as like these little pop girlies. I don't think we ever shook that, which we didn't really care here, to be honest, because we were like, we're living our best lives. But people did have that, like, opinion on us.

Yeah. So I got to the UK in 2018. Every time I heard Little Mix, right? Yeah. I thought, you know, advocate around feminism. Yeah. Advocate around queer rights. Yeah.

You know, so to me, those are positions of leadership, though. Did you feel like that gave the group any bit of the visibility of maturity? Yes. Okay. I do think so. I think, like, when I'm seeing people didn't see us as that credible and all these other things, it was more the people that didn't want to like Little Mix. everyone who wanted to like Little Mix,

they were the reason we were so big because they were so dedicated. They were like die hard and still are, like die hard fans. Like I think our Spotify streams were still one of the highest girl groups. Still, we haven't released a song in years. But they're still there. They're still listening.

They're still loving it. And that's why I think we have it all to thank. Like they are everything, our fan base. They were huge. Yes. Like massive. Yes. Yeah, massive. Gargantuan. Yeah. Large. Like every

Yeah. Every descriptor you could say for massive. It was so good. So those moments though, I know that you've said that those are some of the greatest moments of your life, but it must have been challenging as well. Oh, yeah. When you reflect back, what was, or what do you believe was the most challenging moment for you during your time with Little Mix? This spring, denim gets a softer, lighter update. Introducing Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg, a new fit that moves with you. It's everything you want denim to feel like for summer. Easy, breathable, and effortlessly cool.

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It was horrible. And also going through like personal things with family or personal things with, like, we were so dedicated to Little Mix that I think we, like, being away from our family and friends was really difficult. Like that's another side that people don't see. We were like young girls whisked off and that was it. I didn't see my mom very much. My brother didn't see my family for a lot of. time and I think that was kind of the hardest parts and then just going through anything personal in the public is just icky McBickey.

Yes. It's awful. Yes. How did you manage that? Because, you know, you were from looking at you as a little girl, right, moving around, the sense of I need to have some stability in my life. Yeah. Then you become an adult and you're moving around, going around.

There's no stability. Yeah. So how do you then reconcile being able to feel safe and stable and this motion that you're continually in? I think I probably feel more safe and settled now than I ever have been. But I think it's because I have like a very stable relationship. I have a child like things aren't as chaotic as it was in the little mixed days. So I think, obviously having a child, it just puts everything in perspective, right? You don't sweat the small stuff anymore.

You think there's actually bigger things in life than these worries and issues that I have. Like, yeah, they're valid. It's great to feel them. But I think when you kind of settle down and you meet your person and you have a child and all these lovely things happen in life, it's like, oh. I can exhale. I can exhale. This is lovely.

But during that time, it seems like, during the time in the group, You couldn't. You're just... I couldn't, no. You just... Yeah, it was too much. It was really hard to have relationships when we were in Little Mix, because I think it's a lot to ask of someone.

Because we were never home, like ever. And we never really had days off. It was probably like round about Christmas would get a little bit of time off. But, yeah, I think it would have been hard to kind of navigate a relationship at that time anyway. And I remember meeting Alex and we were going to go on the Ariana Grande tour. for three months. And I was like, look, I'm going on to her three months. We can call this off now if you want.

And he was like, why would we do that? And I just in my head assumed that someone wouldn't wait for me if I was doing my thing for three months. So I just assumed, oh, he'll probably just go. And then that'll be it. And he was like, why can't I wait for you for three months? What's wrong with that? And I was like, really?

He was like, yes. Well, why would I? What do you mean? And I was like, okay, fab. And then that was when we started our relationship. So the first three months of our relationship, we were just Skype and Skype. But let's talk about that, though, because you had already assumed that you can't sustain a relationship with someone. Or maybe someone can't sustain a relationship with you.

Or maybe it's not fair. Yes. Because of your job. Yes. Right. So when you look back, what do you think it was or what is it? This isn't just for you. This is for anyone who's in this constant flow in their position.

What do you think the reason is is why a relationship can't be sustained? I think it probably comes from maybe past relationships and how the other person's handled it. And then you just assume, oh, nobody's going to want this. Does that make sense? Yes. So I think maybe my previous relationship made me think, I probably can't have my cake and eat it.

I probably can't be a pop star and have a real. relationship, it's one or the other. Okay. So how is it that you begin working with one direction? So I was actually pregnant when I met them and so I wanted boys and they were really like nurturing with me and I felt like they would just look after me and I just wanted to work with them. I didn't I didn't realize at the time how big they would be. I actually thought it would be an easier gig and one of the big female acts where it's sort of hard of work you've got to carry a lot more kit around for one of the girls or whatever. So I just thought, they're cool, they're really easy going, they're nice to me, I'm going to

stick with that, and they just got bigger and bigger and bigger. Wow. Did you have anyone assisting you, or was it only you working for One Direction? So, no, I just worked for them on my own, but later on the tour, maybe four years later, Louis from One Direction, his younger sister her mum called me up and was like, you know, she hasn't got into six form and she wants to do what you do. So she's coming to be your assistant and I didn't really have much say.

But she ended up being my assistant and actually she was like a little grafter and she ended up teaching me so much because the world of social media was taking over the beauty industry and she was 16 so she knew all of that and I just wouldn't have I wouldn't have been across the social media world like I

like I was so early on if it wasn't of her and she taught me a lot that ended up making me secure in my career even after One Direction had finished because I ended up going into that side of things because of her Wow look at that. This is Lottie

Yes. Okay. All right so now let's talk about this tour that you think you're going on this little tour with this band that probably won't become huge. Yeah, so I just had a baby and they'd said, you know, what about if you bring her because the boys really want you? And we can do this and some logistic discussions. And actually, never really came home for five years from that. It just kept going and more would get booked in because it was going so well. And it just spiraled into what it turned into. And I was committed.

I was in it with them. Their diary was my diary. I would never say I can't be there because they can't do that. You had a very intimate look at one of the most successful bands as they climb the charts. So what did you notice about how they changed? as their notoriety grew. I think that when people become more successful, they do naturally become a lot more.

They keep their circle smaller. And we sort of had five circles, really, on our tour. And I think that it just became really difficult for them to go after what they wanted, because there was kind of this bigger picture going on that was so successful. They had to all really not make it about them, but they all had things that they wanted to achieve.

And I think with that gig specifically, there just had to be an end point because it wasn't sustainable because there were five human beings with five, you know, life goals and things that they want. Even people on the team, we were being offered these opportunities because it was so successful

that we couldn't take. You know, they were being offered movies, they were being offered all of these things. And so to keep touring as a group wasn't really possible if they wanted to achieve anything what they wanted to achieve outside of that.

So, I mean, I would love them to come back together and do something. I hope that they do because I think that's actually, even though they've gone on to do amazing things, I think now when you look back at what they were doing, that was what was cool. Yes.

And that was why all us fans are there, because it was really cool. But then they've gone off to do all of the things that they want to do. And so have we and everybody who is part of it. Yeah. But it makes sense in that as the whole enterprise became more successful, everyone's getting opportunities. Yeah.

Right, as a result of that. Yeah. When you think back to the highs and lows, right? what were some of the greatest highs of traveling with the band throughout the world with your daughter? What were some of those greatest highs for you? I can never think of anything specific, and that is because it's such a blur, really. Even just how it would be with some of the hotels and the crowds of fans that were waiting all the time, and it sort of meant we couldn't really do much.

It was, it was, you know, we would kind of, me and Lottie would kind of try and sneak out and get to like a Zara or a Starbucks or something to try and get out of the hotel. But really, we were waiting for the time off to be able to just go on our holiday or things like that because the time on tour was quite hard work to do anything fun. Yes.

and we were, they were going on like the biggest shows in the world and we were on a private jet every day and all of that. But really that becomes quite, if that just becomes normal life and not that exciting after, you know, when my mum used to come out to help me with the baby, she'd just be like video and like the police convoy and like the jet and like video and Harry what he's doing. I'm like, stop filming him.

And she's like, it's so exciting. And it becomes a bit of an eye roll really when you're doing it. it because you're just doing your job. So what stands out most are the sea of fans? Yeah, the sea of fans and like the people, you know, they would be like Barack Obama there or like, yeah, everyone. Anyone you could think of, I remember we saw Eminem at something and his daughter was there and they would just be like everyone you could think of would have kids that wanted to come

and see one direction wherever we were in the world. You know, I always find it interesting when you see someone like a Barack Obama, for example. I would imagine it was his daughters that wanted to come see one direction. Yeah. So, Sasha and Malia. So you think, okay, here's Barack Obama. At that time, was he president of the United States? He's president of the United States.

Comes to see this group, right, that you're working with. What does that teach you or show you about humanity? Just that we're all the same. So you talked about the sea of fans. I would imagine that fans did some pretty wild things to get to the boys. What were some of those? You know, they would be just like transit vans full of girls along the motorway, and they've opened the side thing, and they're trying to touch the cab, and we're all driving.

And it's really, really dangerous. Oh, my gosh. Do they break into the hotels? They would always be in the hotels, yeah, because they would just book rooms. So really they were, you know, because they were young, they would generally do as they were told. So if they were in the swimming pool or the gym and we would go in the gym, if security would say you need to get out for now, they would do as they were told.

Okay. Whereas some of the older people that would come, and there were a few elderly fans that would come everywhere, they sort of don't get moved on as much. Interesting. But actually, I would find that more threatening. I didn't understand that as much as the younger fans of why they were there again

when they were in the last hotel and now you're in this. Oh wow, so they would just book throughout the whole tour and just stay with you all. Yeah, and they would have a lot of information and some of them were elderly. Do you think the guys felt safe all the time? No.

Yeah, I would have meant not whatsoever. You know, with that? And if you want to hear the full unfiltered stories from today's guest, you can check them out on the We Need to Talk page. Drop a like, leave a comment, and hit subscribe. See you next week. Spotify, it's Jay Shetty. Are you one of those media strategy people? Scrolling through spreadsheets, searching for an audience that pays twice as much attention to your ads than they do on social?

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