Jade Thirlwall hates the ''weird stigma'' surrounding girl bands.

The Little Mix singer admits the girl group finds it difficult to be taken seriously as artists because of their gender.

She shared: ''I think for women in general, it's hard getting the recognition you deserve. And so for a group of women, or a girl band, it's incredibly hard. Because I feel like, for some reason, there's this weird stigma attached to being in a girl group, especially a pop band. It took us literally years to prove to everyone that we're credible, that we write our music and we actually stand up for things that we believe in. It did take us a long time to get to that point. Even with the Brit Awards, it's incredibly heard to even be nominated for the group category - I don't think a girl group has ever won Best Group at the Brit Awards which, for me, is mindblowing. So I think there's still a long way to go in terms of celebrating women. Properly. And appreciating what we're about.''

And the 'Break Up Song' hitmaker says the band - which also includes Leigh Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson and Perrie Edwards - feel like a bit of an ''underdog'' in the music industry.

Speaking to the Huffington Post, she added: ''That's not me complaining by any means, because we've had a lot of success, and we've been fortunate enough to win Brit Awards in the past, but there is that feeling of being a bit of an underdog. Even in the X Factor days, I don't think anyone expected us to do as well as we have done. But the proof is in the pudding, really.''