Little Mix are certainly pulling no punches with their latest promotional single 'Not a Pop Song'. In actual fact, it is very much a pop song, but as it's a rather bold onslaught against their former manager Simon Cowell, we can certainly forgive the irony.
To understand the context of the song, you may need a little background. Following their win on the eighth series of The X Factor back in 2011, they were signed under judge Simon Cowell's label Syco Records. However, in 2018 they left the label for RCA instead, because they were unhappy with the sound and image that they were being pushed towards.
Rather than accessible pop tunes, Little Mix fancied a more grown-up, R&B sound, and the chance to really do their own thing when it came to their music and their style. Simon Cowell isn't exactly the sort of man who embraces individuality, and that's where 'Not a Pop Song' came in.
While it's brazen enough to name him directly ("I don't do what Simon says"), the group insists that it's a tongue-in-cheek tune rather than a venomous attack on their old boss, but they did announce the release of the track on his birthday (October 7th), dropping it just two days later. It's difficult not to feel some deep respect for the solidarity and singularity that the group has shown over the years, given that so few pop artists find it easy to rebel against what's expected of them.
The song will feature on Little Mix's forthcoming sixth album (and first on RCA UK) 'Confetti', which is set to be released on November 6th 2020. Previous singles include 'Break Up Song' (another splash of irony when one considers the line "No more singin' songs 'bout breakin' my heart" in 'Not a Pop Song') and 'Holiday'.