Jade Thirlwall makes history at BBC Proms as she pays tearful tribute to North East icon

Jade Thirlwallmade an emotional return to her native North East with a powerful and intimate performance for BBC Proms. The former Little Mix star, 32, admitted she had gone "full circle" as she took to the stage at Gateshead's exquisite venue, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, on Friday night.

It marked the South Shields star's first welcome home as a solo artist over a decade after catapulting to fame after her X Factor success. And the show she put on for her adoring fans was nothing short of spectacular.

After being introduced to the stage by Radio 1's Greg James, Jade gave the crowd a show to remember on the history-making occasion. Accompanied throughout by the immensely talented Royal Northern Sonfonia, who were superbly orchestrated by Robert Ames, Jade's tunes had an added twist to them.

She mixed things up with an entertaining blend of her own songs, beautiful covers and medleys to boot. Oh, and of course one of her favourite Little Mix numbers, too, which was made all the more special to her thanks to the orchestra.

The venue on the banks of the River Tyne provided the perfect backdrop for Jade's powerful vocals to reverberate. AS well as her own huge tracks such as Plastic Box, FUFN, and Angel of My Dreams, the talented vocalist impressed with covered songs that meant a lot to her.

After starting with Madonna's Frozen, she then treated the crowd one of her top three Little Mix numbers. Expressing how she had "waited years for this moment" she belted out Sweet Melody with the backing help of the sinfonia.

Perhaps the performance of the night soon followed, though, before she dedicated a Clubland medley to her brother Karl, who was in attendance. Paying tribute to the "King of the North," Jade produced a flawless and spine tingling performance of Sam Fender's Remember My Name.

The emotional number had fans in tears before Jade teared up while explaining the sentimental meaning behind her choice. With her voice breaking, she revealed the song had been played at a friend's funeral just weeks ago.

The candid confession was met with huge support from the crowd, some of who shouted out to gush over their "Angel of the North".

In between the tunes, Jade continued to shower praise on her north east roots at every given opportunity - including her love of homemade mince and dumplings. And the down to earth interactions saw her happily respond to outbursts of adoration from the crowd as she sipped on her tea.

And she also had time for one last surprise at the end of the night - but insisted phones were put away to treasure the moment and keep the surprise in tact. Let's just say fans are in for a real treat!

While the concert was being broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 on the night and will go out again on BBC Radio 1 on Sunday, it marked the first time the Proms had been filmed for television outside of London.

The occasion on the night began with those in the bar area treated to an upbeat DJ set by DJ Becky Woodcock, before Middlesbrough's Finn Forster impressed with a warm-up performance on stage. Showcasing his vocal talents, Finn wouldn't have looked out of place headlining his own show on the night, with his dulcet tones and clever songwriting gripping the audience with his stripped back acoustic performance.

But it was far from the only occasion on offer for the Proms in the region. The night marked four days of live music across the North East for the BBC Proms. Special performances, including Jade's, reflect on a region on the rise musically and culturally at the Glasshouse in Gateshead. And there was also a first as newly crowned Music City Sunderland also held its very first BBC Proms gig at The Fire Station on Thursday.

Tonight, however, reinforced Jade's hugely powerful vocal range as she dominated the solo performance and had those watching in the palm of her hands. A fiercely passionate display that peeled back the layers to show an artist proudly returning to her roots. And she also found the time to urge the powers that be to ensure funding is available for the arts on a stage she first graced as a novice aged 15.

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