“Shout Out To My Ex” is a farewell message to all of the ex-boyfriends of Little Mix’s members. Each of them offers sarcastic thanks to the men for helping to make them who they are today—women who are totally over them and much healthier for it. The lyrics contain a lot of references to Perrie Edwards' ex, Zayn Malik.

The band announced on Twitter that the song would be released after they performed it for the first time on The X Factor. Following its release, the track reached the top of the Official UK Singles Chart, becoming their fourth number-one single in the UK.