Jesy Nelson praised by domestic abuse charity for Bad Thing music video themes

Former Little Mix star’s new video features her playing a woman in an abusive relationship

Jesy Nelson has received positive feedback on her decision to highlight domestic abuse in her new music video.

The former Little Mix star is set to release the short film to accompany her single “Bad Thing” on Friday (14 April).

In a significant change from the stylings of Nelson’s 2021 debut solo track “Boyz”, “Bad Thing” is an emotional, jazz-infused ballad.

The lyrics detail a woman in a relationship with someone she knows she should leave, but struggles to.

“When I'm 'bout to say bye-bye / I forget about what I cried about last time / Only thing I'm seein' clearly is I'm love blind / I would trade all my sense for a good time,” Nelson sings.

In the music video, set in the Sixties, Nelson plays a barmaid who falls in love with a customer, before their relationship takes a dark turn and becomes physically abusive.

At the London screening of the video on Thursday (13 April), Nelson spoke out on her decision to include the abuse storyline in the visual accompaniment to the song.

“I just feel like so many women in my life have been through horrific experiences like this and I just really wanted to raise awareness about it,” Nelson explained, via Metro.

“I think it’s such an important topic that hardly anyone ever speaks about. There’s so many people that go through it and they’re too scared to talk about it and so I just think it’s really important.”

Jesy Nelson - Bad Thing (YouTube)

In response to the singer’s new video, Women’s Aid posted a tribute to Nelson’s work.

“We are proud to have worked with #JesyNelson on her new video #BadThing which provides a powerful snapshot of the reality of domestic abuse,” a message on the charity’s official Twitter account reads.

“Thank you for raising much-needed awareness and showing survivors they are not alone.”

The video for Jesy Nelson’s “Bad Thing” will launch on YouTube at 3pm on Friday 14 April.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, or visit their website here.