On Wednesday, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, a member of the disbanded British girl group Little Mix, called out the reason for the lack of mainstream female pop artists in an interview with Bricks Magazine.
“People will say, 'Where are all the Black pop girls?'” Pinnock said to the media outlet. “You can’t see us because you’re tearing us down. You’re not allowing us to thrive and are not supporting us. They did the same to Chloe Bailey and Normani.”
Even before Pinnock’s statements, a slew of criticism targeting black pop artists reached a boiling point among fans in recent months.
Chloe Bailey is often considered the catalyst for the motifs used in criticisms against newer Black pop singers. Bailey, who gained fame through the sister duo Chloe x Halle, released her own single in 2021 called “Have Mercy.”
The 2021 track satiated the appetites of many who had been looking for the next generation of Black pop stars, to follow in the footsteps of Beyoncé and Rihanna. However, Bailey was criticized severely for it. Accused of being too “provocative” or miscategorized as an artist, Bailey has been the subject of hate and extreme commentary.
One of the more obvious contradictions that fans pointed out was when Bailey released the single “Boy Bye” in 2024, and uses the word “Motherf--er.” Despite the song being one of her best pop releases, critics online argued the song was too vulgar and wouldn’t achieve mainstream success because of it. Two months later, Sabrina Carpenter used the same word in “Please, Please, Please” and received little to no criticism for it. The song went number one on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
The British girl group FLO also began to face similar criticisms. When the group released “In My Bag,” it was criticized for being “too urban.”
The term “urban” is often used as a microaggression to categorize something as “Black” or “ethnic.” The term’s usage originated from the influx of minorities into urban areas.
Recently, FLO released “Leak It,” an undoubtedly pop-oriented song. Comments about “being urban” usually stem from the production and types of lyrics used in songs. The phrase “in my bag” was popularized by Black Americans, and therefore, that or other phrases with a similar origin are deemed “urban.”
While it's been praised, FLO was criticized for sounding “too pop.” Fans of non-Black pop artists have praised the song, while also commenting they wish their favorite artists had similar music.
A FLO fan on X wrote, "It's always I wish x artist made music like flo, instead of becoming a flo fan. Why’s that?” Alluding to some people’s hesitancy to just listen to Black artists.
In December, Ravyn Lenae, whose song “Love Me Not” became a hit earlier in 2025, called out a post on X that read, “Her aesthetic gives only black girl in a white friend group.” This post alluded to her and her music, being considered “whitewashed;” not presenting as Black enough.
After the 2025 Grammys, when biracial British singer Olivia Dean took home the award for Best New Artist, people online criticized her for being “boring” and “too classy.”
Instances such as these sparked debate as to why there aren’t many mainstream Black pop singers.
“‘Why do we not have any black pop girls?’ Have you considered that you guys just hate black women?” X user @_emxnchj wrote in a post. “And that you criticise them for artistic qualities and choices that you ignore when it comes to praising white and asian pop girls?”
Another X user, @BeccaRBRoyalty, responded to Pinnock’s statement, saying, “Exactly. People tear Black women in pop down, withhold support, and then question their visibility. It’s a cycle, and it’s exhausting.”
Fans argue the “criticism” against Black women in pop, for many, boils down to contradictory and fickle condemnation for the music and art produced by these women.
Bailey was seen as too sexual, but Dean is too classy. Bailey was too urban, yet Lenae is whitewashed. FLO’s song “Leak It” was just right, but showed people’s hesitancy to enjoy a song by Black pop artists.
On the other hand, some people argue the criticism isn’t misplaced; the music and direction are just bad.
“To be honest, I hate when [black women] celebs who make garbage music start saying this kind of stuff because it’s misleading,” X user @gingerIemons wrote in response to Pinnock. “Like, yes, the black pop girls are graded on a harsher scale than others, but also, the music has to be GOOD, and Little Mix is not that. Stop expecting support just because you're part black.”
“Even tho I agree with her, the issue these three have isn’t the lack of talent… It's the musical quality,” X user @JAPANESEBLACK responded to Pinnock’s statement.
Regardless of what pop fans believe, many people are still waiting for the next generation of mainstream Black pop stars.
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