Leigh-Anne Pinnock Takes on a Doja Cat Hit for BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Solo Debut: Watch
Written by djfrosty on October 11, 2023
After a few previous trips to BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge as a part of Little Mix, Leigh-Anne Pinnock has stepped out on her own and made her solo debut on the segment. She and her former bandmates previously delivered covers of certified classics and contemporary hits, but Leigh-Anne put her own twist on their Live Lounge history for her solo debut Tuesday (Oct. 10) by taking on a Doja Cat hit.
To introduce her cover of Doja’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Paint the Town Red,” Leigh-Anne delivered a sultry rendition of the first verse and pre-chorus of Dionne Warwick’s “Walk on By” — the song from which Doja’s Scarlet hit sources its prominent sample. Leigh-Anne used that section of Warwick’s song to transition into a censored cover of the first verse of “Paint the Town Red.” Although “Paint the Town Red” is a hip-hop song with rapped verses — in fact, it was the first hip-hop song to top the Hot 100 in 2023 — Leigh-Anne employed a cadence closer to singing than rapping.
In addition to her cover of “Paint the Town Red,” Leigh-Anne also treated listeners to a rendition of “My Love,” her new Ayra Starr-featuring single. The Afrobeats-tinged track peaked at No. 28 in the U.K., and served as the follow-up to “Don’t Say Love,” her garage-inflected dance-pop debut solo single.
As a member of Little Mix, Leigh-Anne has earned three entries on the Hot 100: 2013’s “Wings” (No. 79), 2015’s “Black Magic” (No. 67)” and 2016’s “Shout Out To My Ex” (No. 69). On the Billboard 200, the BRIT Award-winning girl group have charted all five of their studio albums, including the top 10 titles, DNA (No. 4) and Salute (No. 6).
Scroll up to watch Leigh-Anne nail “Paint the Town Red,” and check out her winning “My Love” performance below.