Jesy Nelson Recuited Nicki Minaj For Debut Solo Song "Boyz"

Jesy Nelson has gone solo. The former Little Mixer triumphantly launched her solo music career on Friday as she released her debut single titled “Boyz,” featuring none other than Queen of rap herself Nicki Minaj.

The swaggy and groovy hip-hop influenced song is all about Nelson’s love for so-called “bad boys.” “Ooh, I like them tattoos and them gold teeth/ Type to make me feel like I'm a baddie,” she sings on the track.

Nelson has spoken about her childhood growing up with R&B and hip-hop in the past, and she channels that love on “Boyz” which samples Diddy’s 2001 hit “Bad Boy 4 Life.” The veteran rapper even makes a cameo appearance in the “Boyz” music video.

In a statement, Nelson said she wrote the song after wondering why she likes bad boys at all. “So I messaged [production duo Loose Change] and was like 'you'll think I'm a nutter but I really want to write a song about why most women like bad boys and I want to use the Diddy song' and they were like 'let's do it’.”

“I just want to be myself and be real,” Nelson added of her new solo direction. “I want my fans to hear that they're my stories because they genuinely are. No one has come in and told me what to write about. This is the music I've always wanted to make.”

In the Harry James-directed music video, Nelson disrupts an idyllic suburban neighborhood in “Perfectville” by moving into one of its houses and immediately throwing a very public, very raunchy party.

The video is a very close re-make of Diddy’s music video for “Bad Boys For Life,” which also involves a scantily-clad outdoor party in “Perfectown, USA.”

Nicki Minaj makes her appearance in the second half, delivering her bars with a miles-long ponytail and black and white fur vest.

Nelson announced her departure from the wildly successful U.K. girl group Little Mix in December 2020, admitting in a letter to her fans that being in the band “has really taken a toll on my mental health. I find the constant pressure of being in a girl group and living up to expectations very hard.”

The remaining members of Little Mix, Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Ann Pinnock, and Perry Edwards, have continued on as a three-piece. In a recent interview, Nelson revealed that she hasn’t spoken to the members since she left the band “They are my sisters in so many ways, but for the time being we just don’t talk,” she told Glamour.