Cher Lloyd has made her comeback with the new tune ‘Head Down’ and promised much more music is to come.
The 31-year-old singer shot to fame on ‘The X Factor’ in 2010 when she was just 16 and is best known for her chart-topping 2011 hit ‘Swagger Jagger’, and she’s back with her first release since 2021’s ‘Baddest’.
Cher admits she was in a “dark place” for many years after dealing with the pressures of being signed to a major label, having inked a deal with Simon Cowell’s now-defunct Syco Music in the UK and Epic Records in the US soon after ‘The X Factor’, before being dropped and signing to Universal Music Group in 2014.
After struggling with impostor syndrome, she has regained her confidence and has plans to unleash the big catalogue of music she had put to one side.
The pop star – who has two young children with her husband Craig Monk – told the Metro of her hiatus: “I took a long time off. I’ve got two children now, which is crazy to me.
“I was signed to a label before, and, as lots of people know, a lot comes along with working alongside a major record label.
“When I left that label, I just needed to refocus and find my confidence again. I feel like I was in a bit of a dark place with that.”
On ‘Head Down’, Cher speaks candidly about her experience of the music industry.
She went on: “I just had to retreat. I spent a few years just in writing sessions and trying to figure out what felt right.
“I remember the day I wrote Head Down; I just felt like a massive weight had been lifted off me. I’d wanted to say these things for so long, but I just didn’t know how to say them just by speaking; putting pen to paper instead was therapeutic to me.”
The singer is releasing her new music independently as that way she can stay true to herself.
She reflected: “Sometimes, there were too many cooks, and I felt like I was diluted in a sense.
Right now, being able to release music on my own terms… it feels so much better.
“Wouldn’t people rather see me for me than see a version that 15 men in suits have decided I should be?”
Cher admits she feels “nervous” going it alone, but the time is right because she finally feels like she has her “spark” back.
She said: “I still feel really nervous. I don’t know how this is all gonna play out, I’ve got no idea, none of us do, but it’s also really exciting to be in the position to be able to release music, especially independently.
“Everyone knows after you have babies, it can take you a little bit of time to find your spark again, but I feel like it’s definitely coming back.”
Promising fans they won’t have to wait long periods for new material, with an EP to follow this year, she said: “I have such a large catalogue that’s unreleased. For me, it’s about giving my fans as much content as possible.
“I don’t know how it’s gonna work yet; I’m still trying to figure that out, but all I know is that there won’t be large gaps of time anymore between new releases.
“I feel like, in years to come, I’ll look back on this time like, ‘Yeah, you could do it! You were more than capable of doing this by yourself.’”