Untypical Mixer

Wow, I feel like a total outsider this era. The two songs everyone seems to love the most (NMSS, Touch) are two of my least favorite on GD. The album as a whole is my probably my least favorite (that's a subject for it's own thread). That's probably what makes me feel really unclear about their chances in the US. I have been part of the small US fan base for years and really have seen nothing (aside from the music and the girls themselves) but botched attempt after attempt to break the US. If all this ends up that way then I sadly but realistically think it's time to give it up. From a purely business standpoint these continued poor showings here can't be cheap. Cut your financial losses, stop wasting the girls' time and effort, and focus on keeping them going strong in the UK. They can still release new material here for the few die hard US fans. It's hard for me to say that but I think it's best.

I thought I'd read somewhere that it's still the original version that's been spun until Friday when the version with the rap feature takes over.

I hate feeling this way because I do think Touch is going to work in America, but it's my least favorite song they've ever released as single anywhere. I could never hate it, but it really does nothing for me. I really wanted our first big LM hit over here to be one that I love, but if that breaks the US losing streak; I'm all for it.

I feel like I shouldn't really get to vote since I'm from the US and in almost every case it's the only single we got from the album. I'll say for even the US, Black Magic was the best choice. I won't even get started on my feelings about only getting BM, which, despite a weak push from their team, actually sold and could have been even bigger. Aside from Wings occasionally, if Americans know any LM song it's Black Magic. It could have been our key into the Get Weird era if handled right.

I'm sure they will just do Glory Days (which makes me kind of sad. - Have much different opinion of GD than most fans) Their team does appear to actually be on it this time. I just don't know about the Kid's Choice Awards. I'm all for them getting seen. It just feel like it's a strange appearance and audience to target. They need more appearances on things like award shows (like VMAs or Billboard Music Awards) guest performer on results night of The Voice, all the major talk shows even Saturday Night Live. Billboard has been talking them up on social media a lot recently with a lot of hints that something is coming like possibly a performance on the show. What I'm bracing for mostly is the all the people in the US that have "moved on" from their type of pop music to something "more serious." It's weird. Like it'll will kill your credibility if you admit you like Little Mix. There are still many here though, like me, that have always loved that type of music and will see them as not only great entertainers but great singers. That's key, too. At least one big performance should cut out any flash and simply be them showcasing how truly great their voices are. It's going to be crucial to making new fans and getting taken seriously to show that they really have talent and not just another girl group. I wanted to scream every time someone asks me if they are like the new Spice Girls. I mean yes they are in a way, but then again not at all. I want people to get that they aren't any old group. There is something very special about them. Last, I think it's imperative they are able to really show their personalities and dynamic with each other. If they can do that, people are going to love them. Perrie is going to translate very well over here. Everytime I see LM introduced to someone new, her voice is always the one that gets the most reaction and she's incredibly funny and that is honestly not knock to the other 3 who are just as important.

http://headlineplanet.com/home/2016/12/29/...s-success-2017/ This article gets it just right. It should have been required reading for their team. I really believe this approach would work aside from having already dropped Shout Out To My Ex as a single here yet it keeps showing little random signs of life on the iTunes chart. I feel more confused than ever honestly. Are we finally getting an effort from the team? Do they finally have a shot at success here? Biggest questions: the fate of Touch and the payoff from the Ariana Grande tour. There is still a long way to go and with a month of the tour down now, time is moving fast. It will be time to go back to the UK before we know it and with their own big tour planned, unless they plan to go back and forth a lot (which I really don't want to see - will just burn them out), they may not be able to get back to the US for quite a while. Besides some actual success, US fans most want their own headlining tour. IF the cards are played right, they are in an interesting position with material to push in the US. They will hopefully, logically, just push Glory Days, especially if Touch hits. They have nearly a year while the ladies are touring Europe/UK. If they can get things going in that time, they could wrap Europe/The UK, take a quick break, then do a US leg of the Glory Days tour. It's not out of the question. I bring up what material to push because another fan reminded me that Get Weird was DOA in the US. They could conceivably reissue GW or GD with the songs from each that are mostly likely to appeal to American audiences. I'm not a fan of changing up songs to cater to a new audience (Touch remix). If the US doesn't like their stuff as is, then too bad. They don't need to change a thing and there are several songs on GW and a few on GD that are more in line with the current US pop sound. I am almost certain they won't do that or even think to do that. If not, I say just push GD and get the US caught up with the rest of the world.

The remix really could work here. This remix, which honestly I like, does drive me crazy that the rap feature is not where the bridge should be. The rap divides the song up in an odd way. I'm in a huge minority of fans in that I have never loved the original version of Touch. I've always though it was kind of bland. The feature kind of punches it up a little for me. That said, it's got the right sound for US airplay. I've been waiting for the rest of the US to catch up for years now. I really don't want to see another failed attempt. I really get this feeling though that things are slowly starting to develop. We are seeing more and more scheduled appearances pop up. Touch moved up (while still low) almost 150 spots on US itunes in the past day. What I wonder most if how the tour with Ariana Grande is going to pay off. I went to the 3rd show on the tour and I was really nervous to see how the audience was going to receive them. I was shocked, honestly. The response from the audience was MASSIVE. Look up some of the videos and listen to the crowd, granted these were big arenas 10,000 - 20,000, several sold out. The 8-set show was killer. They are incredible performers. They knew they had to come back here and kill it so they did. It was more than just an opening act. It was like a second mini-show. It's just hard to imagine that this tour wouldn't create a least some buzz for them. Ok, sorry got way off the subject of Touch there. :)

We are pretty excited at the prospect of it being true for we US mixers. We are taking it with a grain of salt though. History doesn't favor us. I don't know much about rap, but I do hear and see Kendrick Lamar's name all over the place here and the US mixers that know him say the label actually came through choosing the best possible rapper. We are currently confused as hell trying to sort all this speculation out there and that we've not gotten any confirmation from Little Mix or the label.

I can see where a whole thread of fans complaining could be a bit of chore to read at times especially if it's gotten out of hand. I suggested the topic because it is a relevant to many of the happenings in their career, especially to Mixers from the US (like me).

I think I will. I'll start it with their management's biggest American blunder. If the person in charge kept his job I'd be shocked. An absolutely epic failure. Can anyone guess what I'm talking about?

I will provide info each time I get its current stats. I follow that stuff very closely. I just can't accept that LM might not ever happen in the US. American Mixers need Touch to hit. For themselves and especially the ladies. We also have them only 3 shows into their 26 supporting for Ariana Grande. This could be a huge opportunity for them. They are playing at big venues on this tour and many dates are sold out, so they are getting huge exposure. Finally, I attend the tour last night and can confirm their spot is short but they were flawless. The audience reacted so loudly and seemed pretty impressed. That's been the case at the first 2 shows, too. I find this exciting. With this response and 23 more dates ahead this might be a game changer. This could finally be their time.

American Mixer here again. Yes, Touch has now been released to US radio and now the American Mixers just have to wait to see if yet another big era passes us by or it FINALLY happens. I'm thinking of starting a topic about all the things that the label/management has done or NOT done to hinder the girls' progress. American Mixers would have a field day with that. We are absolute gluttons for punishment. We just keep waiting and waiting despite knowing better. I've connected with a lot of American Mixers via Twitter and that constant disappointment is starting to turn into anger. We just want Columbia to do it's job. We are all waiting nervously to see if they screw up Touch's chances. There's also ,the matter of Glory Days. It was DOA here. With Touch having a chance and buzz from the Ariana Grande tour, they've got their best shot in a long time maybe ever. They are playing to huge, mostly sold out arenas on the Ariana tour. They are only 3 shows in and audience reaction has been big. I actually went to the show last night and on top of the girls being flawless, they got a big reaction from the audience. If this continues, this tour may finally make a differene and then we're back to hoping that the LM team can use the good buzz from the tour to boost album sales here. They will have to rerelease it here for and see what happens. Bottom line: if this American go around yet again fails to produce hit songs, improve album sales, and have no chart presences then the team fails again. It's bad enough they're doing that to the American Mixers yet again; they should be fired for failing the fans and especially the girls. Sorry for the rambling message, but I believe Little Mix is very appealing and very talented and could have been successful here years ago. A lot of us over here are really starting to believe someone is working against them. It's a huge mess over here for them. Anyway finally back on topic! Touch is officially our new single now. SOTME is dead. I'm very anxious to see if it pays off.

American Mixer here: the consensus among fans on Twitter today is that their team made the right move in the US for quite possibly the first time at the same time people were shocked that a good move was actually being made. Touch is our hope now. I am almost 100% positive SOTME is dead and gone.

I do agree that they didn't ever try that hard with SOTME. I don't think it would have it big. Honestly, based on what they play here, I can't hear it on the radio at all. It's a great song. I've come to really love it. At the very least, we can be happy and shocked that they recognized it wasn't going anywhere and switched to a song with a better chance. I was listening to Glory Days earlier and I also think No More Sad Songs has potential, but I won't be surprised if they've given up before it could ever be tried.

The fact that their management (in charge of the US) still have their jobs is appalling. They have done a terrible job for the girls. They fail them over and over again. They have missed so many opportunities, it's pathetic. I sure they think that since the girls are in the US for so long they'll assume they did what the needed here and neglect the US for the rest of the year. An outsider would say I'm being super pessimistic, but we Mixers know we have every reason to be, especially when US Mixers just keep getting burned over and over. I have actually purchased a Glory Days tour ticket for London in October because as much as I want this go around to spark interest in a solo tour; I just don't think it's going to happen. If they come to that opinion too, I hope they are smart enough not to plan a US tour and then scrap it like the Salute tour. I could go on all day. I watch the message boards, social media, and watch the charts everyday, staying hopeful that today things could turn around for them. Maybe, I'm being foolish, but as long as it's something the girls want; I will hope it happens.

I am cautiously optimistic. If it doesn't happen again this time, it will be not fault of the girls' I don't think it needs it and frankly I hate it when they do this, but adding a major American act to collaborate on Touch, could really help. Someone featuring someone else is common in so many singles here in the US. The US just doesn't do pop the way the U.K. does. I completely agree that they need to be doing late-night and daytime talk shows, not just radio shows. Get their faces out their, let people who aren't going to the tour see what they can do. I know it's a lot, but the girls have said they're ready for it. Does their team really want another failed attempt? Really? It's very frustrating to be an American Mixer. Other than our amazing ladies who really care about and appreciate their American fans, the team doesn't seem to care about us at all. Bad practice, you start ignoring a fanbase and they begin to give up and you might not be able to get them back. If this DWT run ends with out the girls having gained any real traction, I'll be heartbroken for them. If that happens, they have every right to demand an explanation from the label as to why they didn't even try. I will be very interested to see what comes about here in the next couple of months.

Bump

Hi everyone, I thought I would post fairly regularly while the girls are in the US, to keep you updated on how we are receiving them here. They have their third show of the Dangerous Woman Tour tonight. I will actually be attending the show tonight as it's the one that came closest to where I live. The audience this time is middle America where country music often dominates pop. This could possibly be an audience reaction that isn't as strong as what they started off the tour with as Little Mix is probably not well known at all. I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised, but if not that's ok. The reality is that probably not every tour stop will have the huge reactions they first received, but as long as they continue to get a solid response at each stop then they are doing just fine. You may have read this already, but we here JUST learned that SOTME is being scrapped at US radio and Touch going to be pushed ASAP. I love SOTME, but this is the right move. SOTME just couldn't gain any traction here. Touch is much closer to what you would hear on US Radio. So we will see if that move pays off for them. I'm honestly shocked that their team took notice and made the change. This is the same team that watched Black Magic become their biggest US hit and completely failed use that success to promote Get Weird. So what we got was some success for Black Magic, Get Weird being DOA, and all other singles scrapped when Secret Love Song had huge potential. If they aren't going to do any better by Glory Days then what is the point of sending them to the US for 2 and a half months. This comes from an American Mixer that wants so badly to see them find success here. I know they don't need the US. They are doing just fine, but I want them to make it here because they girls really want it. I want to hear their music played and have someone say "oh I love that song" and better yet actually be able to tell me that it's Little Mix singing it. I just want them to have the success they deserve. This move with Touch is great way to get it going. Glory Days needs a new push here as well (actually a first push) as it was dropped with absolutely no promotion. Spark their interest with the tour and encourage them to go check out Glory Days. That's it for now. Again, I'll post tomorrow with my a review of the Dangerous Woman Tour.

American Mixer here. Perrie seems to be right about this being the year to impress America. They are 2 shows into the DWT and they have gotten an amazing reception each night. It's encouraging, but people still need to start buying their music. Since it was pretty much DOA here, why take the success of the DWT and rerelease Glory Days here with actual fanfare this time. There is no reason this album can't be turned into a hit.

Love this song!! I love Jade's sweet but sultry intro and Jesy's follow-up. I also have a very unpopular opinion about Leigh on the song. I love her and she's come so far as a vocalist, but I honesty don't believe that she pulled off that big note without the help of autotune. I don't like thinking that but I can't shake that feeling.

I completely agree. Adding say, Nicki, could help the song reach different markets and and actually get them on to US radio and charts. Americans don't embrace pop music the way the U.K. does so if they want a hit they need to make sure it's not seen as just another pop song.

Little Mix got a huge reaction from the crowd at both shows so far. For American fans like me, I am so thrilled for them. I absolutely think think they are the best thing in pop music. I have been a pop music fanatic my whole life and for me they are manage to a wonderful throwback to the days of pop that people (Americans) seem to have moved on from. The days when auto tune was used for effect and not fixing vocal shortcomings, strong live performances were just expected, and there were hard working pop stars that cared more about show casing their talent than the level of their celebrity. America is getting the chance to discover a pop act that are talented, fun, funny, hard-working and so appreciative of their fans and all the success they've had. The DWT tour was the perfect platform for them to show why they are one of the biggest acts in the world and that America has been missing out. I can't say know people were thinking, but there's no denying that people are liking what they are seeing. We are only 2 show in. The 3rd is tomorrow in Omaha. I will be going to that show. I will give a full report after the show. If they truly want to make this finally happen. They are going to have to move fast and be on top of every opportunity to raise their profile. They girls are well aware that they are here to not only meet but gain new fans. This tour is a good chance to turn some heads and show America just how bad they have been sleeping on one of the top pop acts in the world.

As you all know, the ladies are currently in the United States opening for Ariana Grande on tour. While they would never admit it, they've pretty much reached do or die time. If this tour doesn't work for them, it's probably not ever going to happen. Well, we are 2 shows in and here's where we stand: audience reaction has been crazy. People are actually starting to wake up and are loving them. This is very exciting for the ladies and the American fans who've been waiting for their country to get with the program. I never saw the stats, but I've heard from several people that Little Mix out-trended Ariana Grande on opening night of the tour. Who knows if this is actually true. It's hard not to get excited and say that's it's finally happening for them here, but those people are little blinded by how unexpected many of us were by the big audience reaction. There have only been two tour dates so far. As always, I'm not very confident that their team will keep from screwing this up for them. It's not enough to just impress the audience every night. They need to be capitalizing on every success. As happy as I am that audiences are loving them, that just won't be enough. If the tour fails to produce any sales boost, chart boost or solo tour demand then, honestly, the DWT tour did them no favors. It's also becoming clear that SOTME is not going to be the hit in America that it was in the U.K. It just can't seem to gain any traction. Touch is getting a lot of positive buzz and is honestly better suited to American pop radio than SOTME. My proposed plan: cut their losses with SOTME, send Touch to US radio ASAP, do more than radio promos, find talk-shows and events for them to perform at, have them do a few acapella and acoustic performances. I know it's alot, but they only have 2 1/2 months. They don't have time to waste. Ditch SOTME, use Touch and tour to create and maintain buzz. Do a rerelease of Glory Days as soon as the DWT ends. People are finally taking notice, but I always fear that their team is going screw them over yet again. Finally, I will be going to the DWT on Tuesday. I will come back and post about the show, specifically how Little Mix did and if they got the audience to take notice.

Forgive my ignorance, but I'm new here. What is this competition about? Clearly, ballads, but how does the competition work?

You're not wrong. I don't listen to much of U.S. popular music at all. Two of my three favorites are from the U.K., obviously Little Mix and Emeli Sande. I will always love Kelly Clarkson though. She's the real deal. I don't know how she's fared in the U.K. though.