Photos provided by Kamil Surma / Surma Media

To those in England and Europe, Little Mix could easily be considered the modern day equivalent to the Spice Girls in terms of both musical style and sheer magnitude, yet outside of supporting Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, America hasn’t been able to encounter much of “The X Factor” winners.

Though currently on collective hiatus, it’s given members a chance to shine outside the shadow of “the biggest girl group in the world,” and in the case of Jade Thirlwall, who now simply goes by JADE, she’s finally gaining considerable traction on these shores, especially amongst queer communities.

In fact, the House Of Blues stop of the “THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!” Tour sold out so fast, resale tickets went through the roof, and while it could’ve surely packed a place at least twice as large, such an up close environment was quite a treat.

Now 33 and fully in charge of her destiny for the first time, JADE is in the midst of an electronic pop rebrand, which isn’t to say this singer/songwriter lost any of Little Mix’s infectiousness, just took on a decidedly personal lyrical direction and a slightly darker, experimental sonic tone.

After entering to the pulsating beats of “FUFN,” “Headache,” “Before You Break My Heart” and “Unconditional,” the headliner appeared more confident than ever, both vocally and visually, accompanied by a band, dancers and an arena-level production.

In spite of a brief break due to a fan who fainted and JADE promised to meet at the end, other original endorphin rushes followed, including “Fantasy,” “Lip Service” and “Plastic Box,” further pointing to a solo superstar in-the-making (and we’re talking at the Lady Gaga, Charli XCX or Chappell Roan level).

She went on to salute Madonna, one of the icons who paved the way for all of the above, via the chilling “Frozen,” then put an individual spin on Little Mix’s rhythmic banger “Wasabi,” much to the delight of longtime listeners.

However, JADE was otherwise firmly planted in the right here and now, proudly belting out “IT Girl,” making a move to the balcony come “Silent Disco,” taking everyone to “Church” upon a return to the lower level and euphorically ending as the Windy City’s “Angel Of My Dreams.”

For additional information on JADE, visit JADEOfficial.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the House Of Blues include Justin Furstenfeld (Feb. 13-14); Justin Bieber Night (Feb. 20); Sixteen Candles (Feb. 21); Badflower (Feb. 22); Red Not Chilli Peppers (Feb. 27); Ruel (Mar. 1); Lauren Spencer Smith (Mar. 3); Peter McPoland (Mar. 5); Ludo (Mar. 6-8); Maggie Lindemann (Mar. 10); Amber Mark (Mar. 12); Gaelic Storm (Mar. 13-14); Jordan Ward (Mar. 15); Orbit Culture (Mar. 18); Sabrina Claudio (Mar. 19); The Strumbellas (Mar. 20); The Summer Set (Mar. 21); Laci Mosley (Mar. 26); ERRA and Currents (Mar. 28) and Hanabie. (Mar. 30). For additional details, visit HouseOfBluesChicago.com.

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