Perrie Edwards just gave what is arguably her most candid interview to date, opening up about her past struggles with ex-fiancé Zayn Malik and former bandmate Jesy Nelson.

On the Wednesday (June 10) episode of Great Company With Jamie Laing, the Little Mix singer first addressed the mentally draining experience of splitting from the One Direction alum back in 2015 after being engaged for two years. “When you go through heartbreak, it is hellish,” she began. “You feel abandoned, and you don’t feel good enough, and you feel like you’ve been left for something better.”

“And then what makes it even worse is I feel like the world was then looking at me laughing at me,” Edwards continued, noting she believes Malik’s experience with the breakup was probably less difficult. “When you’re moving on with somebody else, you always get on better. When you’re the one left behind, that’s when it’s hard. Because it’s like, ‘Oh s–t, they’ve left me for someone more beautiful. They’ve met someone better than me.’”

The British boy bander’s next relationship was with Gigi Hadid, with whom he’d have an on-off relationship for about six years years — and welcome daughter Khai in 2020 — before calling it quits for good in 2021. The model also starred alongside Malik in the music video for his Billboard Hot 100-topping single “Pillowtalk.”

“Let’s just say there was a bit of a — I’m just gonna say it — there was a bit of an overlap,” Edwards said of Malik and Hadid. “Then you have a song that they’ve written about you, but then someone else is in the video. It was one thing after the other after the other. I remember finding out about that … it was just the nail in the coffin.”

Billboard has reached out to Malik for comment.

As for where she stands with Nelson — who recently aired out her grievances with Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall in a new documentary and claimed that the group members didn’t support her through various mental health issues — Edwards said, “Sometimes you just don’t win with people.”

“What upsets me the most is when the other person doesn’t take any accountability,” she continued. “That boils my blood. I’m not blaming everything on you. I’m not saying she’s this f–king monster, and everything was her fault. But take some accountability for your actions and realize you were difficult. You did have difficult moments.”

She continued, “You can only pick somebody up so many f–king times before you lose track of your own sanity … I thought I’d tried anything. So to then sit there in further interviews and discuss it publicly and be like, ‘I wasn’t supported.’ You were, though.”

Edwards added that she’d previously hoped to rekindle a friendship with Nelson, but not anymore. “Part of me wanted to until the documentary, and then part of me withdrew again,” she added on the podcast. “I haven’t got a bad bone in my body, but I can cut you off. I can forgive, but I don’t want you in my space.”

Billboard has also reached out to Nelson’s reps for comment.

The documentary in question is titled Life After Little Mix, a six-part series that premiered on Prime Video in February. In addition to exploring Nelson’s difficult parenthood journey after becoming a mom to twin girls with spinal muscular atrophy in 2025, the doc includes the “Boyz” singer saying that she left Little Mix in December 2020 because she felt ignored and misunderstood by the other three members. Nelson also claimed that one of her bandmates had expressed wanting to leave the group before her.

After that, Edwards, Pinnock and Thirlwall continued group activities as a trio, releasing album Between Us in 2021. Edwards is now in the midst of a solo career, most recently releasing her single “Passenger Princess” in May.

Watch Edwards’ full interview on Great Company With Jamie Laing above.

Tyla is headed to the big screen. The South African singer announced to fans on Tuesday (June 9) that she has joined the Sub-Saharan voice cast of Pixar’s eagerly anticipated Toy Story 5. “Hey South Africa! It’s Tyla. Toy Story 5 is coming to cinemas on the 19th of June,” she told fans in a video in which Buzz Lightyear and Woody dolls hung out in the background.

“Come and watch with your whole family because your girl Tyla is in the movie as the inflatable flamingo,” the Grammy-winner added about her voice acting debut in which she will bring some South African flavor to the cast that includes returning stars Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Tony Hale (Forky) and Joan Cusack (Jessie), as well as Greta Lee (Lilypad), Conan O’Brien (Smarty Pants), Craig Robinson (Atlas), Keanu Reeves (Duke Caboom) and many more.

The 24-year-old singer will be featured as the pool toy who becomes friends with the gang in the film that finds the crew trying to figure out where they belong in a world where technology is rapidly pushing aside traditional children’s toys.

In a promo video, Tyla, an avowed Toy Story superfan, said when she was asked to join the cast she was so excited that, for the first time, she was bugging her management team every day for updates on the gig. “I just couldn’t believe that the offer was even presented to me,” she said, noting that the storyline in the film is “so fire,” and not just because she’s in it. “I just grew up watching Toy Story, it’s such a big movie in my family. My parents love it, my whole family loves it. We all love going to the cinema and watching every new one,” she said.

Not for nothing, back in 2023, Tyla tried to manifest a Disney/Pixar miracle when she posted on X, “Disney hmu when you free,” followed by a princess emoji. Last year, Tyla recorded the original track “Everything Goes With Blue” for the soundtrack to the Smurfs movie.

She also has plenty of A-list company in the TS5 universe, including from Taylor Swift, who attended Tuesday night’s premiere of the film in Los Angeles, where she performed her new soundtrack song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” and Bad Bunny, who has a cameo in the film as Pizza with Sunglasses.

This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries.

“When are we dropping the next hit?” Lucho Díaz asks Ryan Castro with a laugh, as they switch roles to interview each other for Billboard Colombia as the stars of Billboard‘s Global World Cup Series, in a special edition for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

More than an interview, it felt like a conversation between two friends whose bond was sealed with “EL RITMO QUE NOS UNE,” the anthem that accompanied Colombia’s national team during the 2024 Copa América. From Orlando, Florida — where La Tricolor was holding its training camp ahead of the 2026 World Cup — Ryan and Lucho reunited with hugs, inside jokes and music talk, especially around “La Promesa,” the champeta track that marked Lucho’s debut as a solo artist. 

This was no ordinary meeting. Sitting face-to-face were two of Colombia’s biggest names of the moment. On one side, Lucho Díaz, star of Colombia’s national team and the country’s all-time top scorer in Champions League history. On the other, Ryan Castro, one of the strongest voices in urban music and the artist with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Colombia Hot 100. 

While one represents Colombia from the soccer field and the other from the stage, both speak the same language: the language of the Ghetto. Ryan grew up in Pedregal, Medellín, dreaming of becoming a reggaetón artist while surviving through different jobs, including working as a waiter in Curaçao. Lucho, from Barrancas, La Guajira, played barefoot soccer among dust, vallenato music and financial struggles, dreaming of making it to the biggest leagues in the world.

Today, both of them bring stadiums to life, each in his own way: one by scoring goals and the other by singing. With the hope of continuing to celebrate goals in the Ghetto — and hopefully also in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final — they sat face-to-face to talk about music, soccer, dreams, and even a possible new musical collaboration. 

Lucho Díaz: I’ll go first so the pressure’s on you. As an artist, what do you admire most about athletes? 

Ryan Castro: Wow, I think what I admire most — and what’s the hardest part — is the discipline of training every day. 

Castro: As an athlete, what do you admire most about musicians?

Díaz: Being able to sing, bro. Having the talent to sing, create and write — that’s the hardest thing to me. 

Díaz: Do you think musicians and athletes have more in common than people think? 

Castro: Yeah, discipline and passion connect us. When we’re onstage and when you’re on the field, we’re not thinking about money — we genuinely enjoy it.

Díaz: That represents both of us. In soccer and in music … we wake up listening to music. We go to the stadium, train and leave listening to music, too. 

Díaz: Did you ever play any sports? 

Castro: Of course. Soccer my whole life. Basketball, tennis, ping-pong, too … but soccer always came first. 

Díaz: What position would you play?

Castro: Yours [left winger]. I score goals too … just a few less than you. (Laughs.)

Castro: If you hadn’t become a soccer player, would you have liked to be an artist? 

Lucho Díaz: Yeah. My family is very musical — my dad sings, too. When I was little, I played accordion, but I don’t remember much now. 

Castro: What do you listen to before a big match? 

Díaz: Reggaetón and trap… “Sanka,” “La Villa”… that song is a banger. It really motivates me. 

Castro: And when you miss Colombia? 

Díaz: Some vallenato. That instantly takes you back home.

Lucho Díaz: Before a concert, what do you listen to? 

Castro: Honestly, you won’t believe me … I listen to Rocío Dúrcal and Ana Gabriel. 

Díaz: Seriously? Damn, bro. 

Castro: Also reggaetón, Vicente [Fernández], Diomedes Díaz… 

Díaz: “EL RITMO QUE NOS UNE” brings together soccer, music and country. Why do you think it connected so much?

Castro: Because it felt real. It has so many Colombian rhythms and it came at a special moment during Copa América. People felt that connection between soccer and music. I felt like stadium fans needed a song they could truly sing together, and that’s why I think it’ll last forever.

Castro: What does it mean to represent Colombia around the world? 

Díaz: Pride. We want to be an example for young people. The most important thing is that when your career ends, people remember who you were, what you achieved and what kind of person you were. That’s legacy to me. 

Castro: And also the responsibility of setting a good example and representing your homeland the right way. 

Castro: What excites you most about the next World Cup? 

Díaz: Fulfilling the dream of playing my first World Cup. Representing Colombia at that level is indescribable. I dream of going very far with this team … God willing, we want to finish first. 

Castro: Playing in a World Cup is insane — my God! I believe in these guys.

Castro: If Colombia wins the World Cup, what’s the first thing you’d do?

Castro: I’d probably cry a little. (Laughs.) 

Díaz: Me too. You wouldn’t even know how to react. 

Castro: We’d do everything: cry, celebrate, scream, thank God … we’ve got to work hard to get to that day. 

Castro: So, when are we dropping the next hit? 

Díaz: I’m ready. We’ve already talked about it. 

Castro: (Singing.) “And the real combination, Lucho Díaz, Ryan Castro, El Cantante del Ghetto… Plo, plo, plo, plo!”