What ethnicity is Jesy Nelson? Former ‘Little Mix’ member responds to ‘blackfishing’ allegations

Singer Jesy Nelson recently came under fire after fans accused her of alleged “blackfishing” and cultural appropriation. The term “blackfishing” is often used to describe white individuals attempting to appear as someone with an African-American heritage.

The accusations against the former Little Mix member came hours after she released her highly-anticipated solo debut Boyz featuring Nicki Minaj and P Diddy. The former found herself in the middle of a blackfishing controversy after donning dreadlocks and a tanned complexion in the music video.

Following massive criticism on social media, Jesy addressed the situation during an interview with Variety:

“The whole time I was in Little Mix I never got any of that. And then I came out of [the band] and people all of a sudden were saying it. I wasn’t on social media around that time, so I let my team [deal with it], because that was when I’d just left.”

The 30-year-old also defended herself and said that she is aware of her white British ethnicity:

“I mean, like, I love Black culture. I love Black music. That’s all I know; it’s what I grew up on. I’m very aware that I’m a white British woman; I’ve never said that I wasn’t.”

Jesy Nelson was born in England and belongs to a British ethnic group.

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Twitter slams Jesy Nelson for alleged blackfishing in new music video

Jesy Nelson has been criticized for alleged "blackfishing" (Image via Getty Images)

Jesy Nelson was born in Romford, East London to Janis and John Nelson. She rose to fame after appearing on the eighth season of The X Factor UK as part of the four-piece girl group titled Rhythmix.

The name of the group was later changed to Little Mix and the quartet became the first ever band to win the reality music show. The group went on to become one of the most successful international girl bands of all time.

Jesy announced her departure from the group last year, citing mental health issues. Earlier this week, the Black Magic hitmaker released her first solo single. The song peaked on the US and UK iTunes charts immediately upon release.

However, she left fans disappointed as many accused her of allegedly blackfishing in the music video. Several social media users took to Twitter to slam the performer for her actions:

The musician responded to the criticisms during an interview with Variety and defended herself by saying that she is well aware of her ethnicity. She also mentioned that viewers who accused her of blackfishing were blocked from her Instagram by her team members:

“I know comments relating to this had previously been deleted from my IG account, I only found out afterwards that a member of my management team had deleted comments. I’ve spent years being bullied online, so I limit the amount I go on socials. My management team have access to my account & they were trying to protect me & my mental health.”

The singer also mentioned that she never intended to appropriate African-American culture:

“I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that’s why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me.”

Jesy Nelson was previously called out for cultural appropriation after flaunting dreadlocks in a now-deleted 2018 Instagram photo. Earlier this year, she ended up on the Twitter trending page for alleged blackfishing.

Several users claimed they were unaware of the singer’s British ethnicity and mistook her as a woman of color for her appearance. It remains to be seen if the latest controversy will have a consequence on Jesy’s solo career.