Leigh-Anne Pinnock wants to move to New York.
The former Little Mix star – who announced this week that she and her footballer husband Andrew Gray are expecting their third child together – revealed she wants to relocate to the USA for her solo music career but her spouse is against the move.
Speaking on the Relationsh*t podcast with Kamie Crawford, she explained: “In the UK, there’s a lot of Black female artists that aren’t getting the support they deserve, and people are coming to America for that reason.
“Having experienced everything I’ve experienced, I’m now like, ‘I’m going where I’m loved’. That helps my mental health.
“I definitely feel like there’s a market here for me and a fan base that I can keep nurturing. But I have to be here. And I’ll be honest, it is really hard with kids.
“My girls go to school in the UK. Like, if I come here, I can only really do two weeks at a time.
“I want to move to New York, but my husband doesn’t want to. I mean, I get it! It’s frustrating.”
Leigh-Anne, 34, previously spent time in Greece, Turkey and Saudi Arabia for Andre’s football career.
Leigh-Anne and Andre, who married in 2023, are already parents to twin daughters, who were born in 2021.
The singer and her husband have consistently chosen not to reveal their daughters’ names or show their faces publicly, explaining the decision was made to protect their privacy.
Earlier this year, Leigh-Anne explained why she and Andre had decided to keep their daughters out of the public eye.
She told PEOPLE: “I remember when they were born, I was going through this online hate thing and really seeing the toxicity of social media.
“I mean, I probably would’ve still decided to not show their faces anyway, but that just kind of confirmed it for me. I want them to be able to make that decision.
“I want them to be able to (choose) if they want to be famous or not, because once they’re out there, they’re out there. And I think that’s such a big thing.”
She said she and Andre had ultimately chosen to keep their daughters’ identities private to “protect them”.
Leigh-Anne continued: “It’s just a f****** scary place out there.”
Although she rarely shares details of her daughters publicly, Leigh-Anne included their voices at the end of Heaven, the closing track on her debut album My Ego Told Me To.
The song concludes with recordings of the twins, with Leigh-Anne singing: “When you’re here / This is the closest I’ve ever, ever been to Heaven / All I need’s right here.”
Speaking about the track, she said: “I cry every time (I listen to that song.) Oh, God, it’s just so special.”
Leigh-Anne rose to fame after winning The X Factor in 2011 as one quarter of Little Mix alongside Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Jesy Nelson.
The group became one of Britain’s most successful girl bands, achieving multiple UK number-one singles, BRIT Awards and sold-out arena tours before announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2022.
