Little Mix: Their 10 best b-sides, remixes and hidden gems

‘The Beginning’ (bonus track) 

At first, Little Mix were viewed as mainstream, sugar-coated pop fodder — a group that had been put together for TV entertainment. Bonus track ‘The Beginning’ reveals a 90-second stripped-back glimpse behind the reality competition curtains. “They turned us strangers into closest friends”, they sing on the autobiographical track, keen to show that they are not simply pop puppets or one-hit wonders but an emerging sisterhood who believe it is “just the beginning” for the four-piece. 

‘Nothing Feels Like You’ (album track) 

With a heavier R&B vibe and a more urban sound accompanied by drums and gospel chanting, ‘Nothing Feels Like You’ is symbolic of Little Mix’s shift from their early ‘DNA’ sound to a more adult audience. Carnivalesque and cool, this is a track that will have everyone dropping it on the dance floor. 

‘Always Be Together’ (album track) 

Every girl group needs an optimistic ballad early doors for fans to belt out in the shower. However, where ‘Always Be Together’ stands out is in its bridge. “I’m in the stars”, they sing, with a growing build-up of beautifully blended harmonies sent straight from the heavens.  

‘Break Up Song’ Steve Void Remix 

The original single ‘Break Up Song’ was a punchy belter revealing to the ex that this time, it was over for good. However, metaphorically, the Steve Void Remix is the holiday after the break-up: lying by the poolside, drinking a pina colada, checking out the topless boys by the water and listening to slick and sexy beats, affirming that after the event, you definitely made the right choice to leave.   

‘We Are Young’ (cover) 

Back in their early days, when Little Mix were briefly known as Rhythmix, they graced The X Factor stage with a series of entertaining covers: a high-energy pop take on Nicki Minaj’s ‘Super Bass’; a dark and twisted take on Katy Perry’s ‘E.T.’; a rousing and powerful rendition of En Vogue’s ‘Don’t Let Go’. But this critic’s favourite is their cover of ‘We Are Young’ by Fun, with silky vocals set against an acoustic backdrop. They sound like the girls next door singing along to the cool sixth-former strumming his guitar. It offers a more grounded and vulnerable perspective than the original.  

‘A Mess (Happy 4 U)’ (album track) 

This track from the final Little Mix album feels like it could have been an Ariana Grande single — Jade Thirlwall’s vocals sound like they might have come straight from the American pop diva’s lungs. The paradoxical title demonstrates the more mature and experimental sound of this upbeat yet sad song that you can dance and cry to simultaneously: “I’m still a mess” but “I’m happy for you”.  

‘The Cure (Stripped)’ (B-side) 

That magic moment that Kelly Rowland put the four solo auditionees together and said, “This is the band,” pays off in this stunning, harmonic B-side. Every member of Little Mix not only has their own unique vocal style, but when layered together as they are here, it creates perhaps their greatest soundscape, highlighted by the absence of musical accompaniment.  

‘Love Me or Leave Me’ (album track)  

‘Love Me or Leave Me’ should have been a single. This powerhouse ballad holds up in a landscape of ‘Secret Love Song’, ‘Cannonball’ and ‘Little Me’, but has perhaps the punchiest chorus of them all: Perrie and Leigh-Anne’s raw vocal break at the start of the chorus will pull at your heartstrings every single time. 

‘Kiss My (Uh Oh)’ (Girl Power remix)  

Anne-Marie. Raye. Becky Hill. Stefflon Don. This remix has to be one of the best feature tracks of all time. Released in 2021, this sexy, attitude-filled track that samples ‘Never Leave You’ by Lumidee foreshadows the epic careers that were to come of some of the greatest female artists of 2024. 

‘Shout Out to My Ex’ (live at the Brits)  

Perhaps Little Mix’s most popular song, this is absolutely one of their most iconic performances. The girls are carried on stage on thrones dressed like regal space queens, before offering a seductive yet aggressive dance break that culminates with one of the band’s best fist-pumping choruses. Punctuated even harder by Perrie’s then-recent break-up with Zayn Malik, this feels like the moment that Little Mix ruled British pop.