The incredible talent of Cher Lloyd, Swagger Jagger and Liam Payne on creating new music

The world first met Cher Lloyd in 2010, when she arrived on the X Factor stage at the age of 16 and wowed the audience with her version of Keri Hilson’s Turn My Swag On.

This ultimately led to Cher finishing fourth in the TV talent show, signing with Simon Cowell’s record label, releasing the number one single Swagger Jagger and two studio albums.

She’s been in and out of the spotlight since that initial success, and surprised fans earlier this year when she announced an upcoming single — her first since 2020.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat 15 years later, Cher says music is still “everything” to her and she’s “spilling the tea” on her new track Head Down.

“I was on such a big reality TV show and what I experienced was just a rollercoaster of emotions,” she says.

“I just felt like I needed to get a lot of stuff off my chest.

“For me, putting my head down was a way to do it without blowing everything out of proportion and without getting into trouble.”

Looking back, Cher says her time on The X Factor was a “shock to the system”.

“I had this illusion that the show would only be about singing and performing and I didn’t realize that 80 or 90% of it was reality TV.”

Cher got a hard time from the tabloid press during her time on the show – stories about “diva” behavior turned some viewers against the teenager.

She says it makes her feel “really sad” that she gained a reputation as the series’ villain.

“That was never my intention,” she says.

“I feel like it kind of overshadowed the reason I was there and that was because I love singing”.

When Cher was asked how she coped with the negative attention, she said she didn’t.

“That’s why you saw me spiral and make bad decisions,” she says.

However, one person who helped her was Liam Payne. The One Direction star died after falling from a hotel balcony last year.

“He was always a laid-back guy,” says Cher.

“He cared about everyone and had a nurturing energy. And the passion he had for performing was unmatched.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it like this before, but his talent was incredible.”

Cher is now a mother, and says that knowing there is more to life than performing is “the thing that keeps her sane”.

“The biggest and most important thing is to be a decent human being and treat people well.”

This has brought new challenges for her, and she would like to see working parents loosen up “a little more” in the music industry.

Cher says she is still “expected to do it all”.

“It’s just this vicious cycle and I’m still trying to get around it and figure it out,” she says.

Having children has changed her career in a way.

Cher’s musical style has also changed, but there is one track she can’t escape.

swagger Jagger.

She says that considering “the old me”, she did not perform her first single for years.

“As an artist, I have moved beyond that,” she says.

But there is no internet.

Swagger Jagger received a huge boost due to a viral video of two young girls recording a music video in their bedroom.

It begins with a saying: “I’m going to sing Cher Lloyd by Cher Lloyd”.

They get on the track, but are interrupted when a mother suddenly comes into the room and angrily asks: “Why doesn’t anyone know how to flush a toilet?”

Needless to say, Cher thinks it’s “hilarious.”

“Every time I see it, I’m in awe,” she says.

“And the fact that my name is associated with it is absolutely gold.”

“I would love nothing more than to make that video again… how fun would that be?”

When Cher performed the song at a concert last year, she says that seeing the crowd go crazy changed her own feelings about it.

“The feeling I got from it was just like…how can I not do this?”

“I know I’m not in line with Swagger Jagger anymore artistically, but it’s such a big part of my story… I just have to do it.”

But Cher is keen to show that she has more than one track, and says her new music is ready to go.

“I will keep releasing songs,” she says.

And Cher says coming back to making music makes her feel “worth it again”.

“I know it sounds really dark,” she says.

“But when you’re in a bad place, when you have that thing that makes you feel good again, you just have to hold on to it.”

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