Three years ago marked the solo debut of Leigh-Anne — a solo adventure that turned out to be quite the bumpy ride. An unforgettable debut single, a warm-up EP, being dropped by her label, and eventually launching her own independent imprint later, we finally arrive at her official debut album My Ego Told Me To. The singer is ready to show her former label exactly why they shouldn’t have dropped her in the first place. She’s claiming her spot in the industry — and she’s doing it fully independent.
Every taste we’ve gotten ahead of today’s release has carefully set the tone. With ‘Been A Minute’, she makes it clear she’s shaking off her girl group days and stepping fully into her own roots. The track samples ‘Work’ by Masters at Work, and Leigh-Anne confidently builds her own sound around the familiar production. A smart move to set the tone: it pulls you in instantly while introducing her independent vision at full force.
The album opens with ‘Look Into My Eyes’, demanding attention from the very first second. A distorted voice invites you into Leigh-Anne’s world, grabbing your hand before leading you straight into the soon-to-drop aggressive beat. Once we’ve arrived in the wild, she commands you to look into her eyes. It’s a haunting mix of reggae and jungle influences — and the album is off to a bang.
The follow-up track ‘Dead and Gone’ feels like the emotional thesis of the project. The former Little Mix star unapologetically lets her fans know she’s letting go of the version of herself that played it safe for too long — the one that cared too much about what others thought. She’s killing off the old version to make room for someone freer, fiercer and more honest. “She’s dead and gone!”
With ‘Revival’, Leigh-Anne delivers her strongest homage to reggae. It plays like a sun-soaked ode to the genre. She experiments with accents throughout the track, briefly leaning into a Jamaican inflection before switching back to her British tone. The song may feel sweet and playful at first listen, but don’t be fooled. The lyrics are confrontational, aimed at someone insincere — someone who pretended to care but never truly supported her. It’s unapologetic and empowered. And yes, we can’t help but wonder whether this is directed at those involved in her first record deal before being dropped.
Amidst the reggae and island-inspired sounds, we get a breather with the beautiful ‘Goodbye Goodmorning’. It echoes some of Rihanna’s deeper cuts like ‘What Now’ and ‘Fire Bomb’. This is pop with rock undertones, carried by electric guitar and finished with a striking solo near the end. She sings about wishing she could hate her lover, only to end up back in his bed after every fight — goodbyes turning into good mornings. An instant highlight.
Towards the end, we reach ‘Tight Up Skirt’ and ‘Talk To Me Nice’. Both feel like the soundtrack to a night out that lingers until sunrise — eyes locked with a stranger across the room. These tracks are pure sensuality poured over dance-worthy beats. Grab your lover, hit the dancefloor, dance body to body. A little sweat never hurt nobody and boy, oh boy, do we want to get sweaty with these songs playing out loud in the background.
This debut has been three years in the making, shaped by setbacks and resilience. But now that we’re here, we don’t want to leave Leigh-Anne’s world. It’s warm. It’s sun-soaked. It’s empowering and unapologetic. It’s the beginning of an international star taking the reins in her own hands.