[16] In 2011, Edwards, Thirlwall, Pinnock and Nelson individually auditioned successfully as soloists for the eighth series of the UK version of The X Factor in front of judges Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow, Tulisa and Kelly Rowland,[17] but failed the first challenge of the "bootcamp" section.

On 3 December 2011, during the semi-final stage of the show, Little Mix performed The Supremes's "You Keep Me Hangin' On" for their Motown classic as well as Beyoncé's hit "If I Were a Boy" for a song they believed could get them to the final.

On 11 December 2011, Little Mix were announced as the winners of The X Factor 2011, the first time that a group had won the UK show and the second (of five) in the worldwide franchise (after Random on the first series of the Australian version).

[33] They made the Christmas number one spot on the Irish Singles Chart, beating novelty songs by The Saw Doctors and Ryan Sheridan.

They also accompanied fellow judges Gary Barlow and their mentor Tulisa Contostavlos on stage to receive the Best Talent Show award that had been won by The X Factor.

[36] In May 2012, Little Mix reportedly signed a deal with Vivid and Bravado to release signature products including dolls, puzzles, accessories and games.

On 1 June, a snippet of their debut single "Wings" previewed on chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man before its later release date in August.

[50] On 4 April 2013, the group revealed that Schwarzkopf hair dye Live Colour XXL would be promoted through their music video for "How Ya Doin'?"

[61] Throughout the recording process, Little Mix worked with several producers, including TMS, Future Cut, Fred Ball, Duvall and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

On 21 November 2013, Little Mix revealed via a YouTube video message that they decided to release it as the second single because it held a lot meaning to them and was written with their fans in mind.

The song debuted at number one in the UK and remained at the top of the chart for three weeks, becoming the first single by a girl group to do so since Sugababes's "About You Now" in October 2007.

[77] On 15 July 2015, Little Mix announced on Twitter that their third studio album would be titled Get Weird and would be available for pre-order in the UK from the following day, with a global release date set for 6 November 2015.

The group performed the song for the first time at X Factor Australia in October 2015, then at the Royal Albert Hall in December 2015 and at the Capital Jingle Bell Ball.

On 5 December, the group announced on Twitter that "Secret Love Song", featuring the American R&B singer Jason Derulo, would be released as the album's third single.

In August 2017, Little Mix and Latin American boy band CNCO collaborated on a remixed version of the latter group's song "Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos)".

[105] On 14 June 2018, it was revealed that a song by Little Mix and American DJ trio Cheat Codes, "Only You", would be part of the compilation album The Pool Party, to be released on 6 July 2018 by Ministry of Sound.

[168] Later that month, the group was featured on BBC Radio 1's LOL-a-thon for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day in support of helping those who struggle due to the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

[182] On 16 July 2021, it was announced that Little Mix would be honoured with wax figures at Madame Tussauds in London, in celebration of the group's ten-year anniversary.

[192] On 2 December 2021, the group announced that they would be going on hiatus following the completion of their planned Confetti Tour in 2022 to "recharge" and work on solo projects.

Tickets were made available along with merchandise on 27 April 2022, with a portion of proceeds being donated to the charities Child Poverty Action Group and Choose Love.

[233] In 2021, the group received their own wax figures at Madame Tussauds, with them commenting "From their award-winning music, to inspiring the next generation, Little Mix have been a massive part of the past decade and long may that continue!".

[241][242][243] Their music has often been the subject of numerous topics including feminism, bullying, gender equality, female empowerment, body positivity, and sexism.

[249][250] Writing for Gay Times, Jack Rowe wrote "They've marched in Pride parades, had LGBTQ+ representation in their music videos, and are also vocal supporters of our community.

[253][254] Their 2016 single "Secret Love Song" is also regarded as a gay anthem, and is credited to helping people come to terms with their own sexuality and feelings.

[259] Little Mix have become one Britain's biggest selling acts and one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, with estimated sales of over 75 million records worldwide.

[261] Little Mix Uncancelled was nominated at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Virtual Live, a special category created as a result of the pandemic.

[262] On 17 October 2019, it was announced that the group were set to launch a talent series on BBC One titled Little Mix The Search, in which they would create and mentor new bands, with the winners joining them on their Summer 2020 Tour.

[267] The girl group signed a joint deal with toymaker Vivid and music merchandiser Bravado to release a range of products including dolls, puzzles, accessories and games in November.

[284] Little Mix also appeared at the two-part charity concert Children in Need Rocks 2013 to raise money for the campaign, performing a medley of their singles "Change Your Life", "DNA" and "Wings".

[289] In March 2021, Little Mix participated in BBC Radio 1's LOL-a-thon for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day in support of helping those who struggle due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.