Little Mix has cancelled their upcoming tour in Australia and New Zealand, sparking outrage among fans.

The girl band, who won The X Factor in 2011, announced the news on Twitter on Wednesday night, explaining they need to work on new music.

A statement read: "We are really sad to announce we have to cancel upcoming Australia and New Zealand tour dates.

"We are so sorry to disappoint our fans who are coming to the shows.

"This is not a decision we have taken lightly but we have to use this time to focus on recording new music. Please contact your point of purchase for a full refund on tickets."


The Woman Like Me singers were due to perform in Perth on 7 December, Adelaide on 10 December, Melbourne on 13 December, Sydney on 14 December, Brisbane on 16 December and Auckland on 19 December.

The tour dates were initially cancelled in June and rearranged due to promotion for the band's new single Bounce Back.

Fans were left angry and frustrated by the news in response to the statement.

One wrote: "huh? To record new music? I'd understand if there was an error with scheduling or someone was unable to physically perform but to record new music??? Don't y'all have all the time in the world to do that? I wasn't going to any of these shows and I'm not complaining, just confused."

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Another tweeted: "I love you girls, but this is really unfair for the Australian and New Zealand fans... Especially since their original dates were postponed bc of "promo"."

A third user wrote: "That makes me sad and a bit mad. I'm not from Australia neither New Zealand but cancel for make music? i love you girls but how disrespectful to the fans... people spent money on tickets, hotel, flights... that's so so messed up."

Image: Little Mix performing in Sydney in 2016

The band, made up of Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, only began their LM5 tour on Monday in the Spanish capital Madrid.

They will then head to Vienna to perform as well as Germany, Belgium and France before travelling back to the UK.

The group recently revealed they are hosting a new BBC talent show called The Search next year, where they will be looking for singers to form different groups.

The winner of the show, made by ModestTV, will get to perform with Little Mix during their 2020 summer tour.