This is me
The first thing most people want to know about Cher Lloyd is, 'What does the music sound like?' Then it's 'What's she really like?' To kill the proverbial bird with the proverbial stone, it/ she is dynamic, determined, funny, outspoken, totally inimitable, incredibly astute and really very enjoyable to spend time with.
After the X Factor, Cher was soon snapped up by Simon Cowell's record label, Syco. But rather than propel her down an obvious pop route, they encouraged Cher to follow her musical instincts. It was a fascination with discovering new music that led Cher to her career path of choice.Tuning into stations like 1Xtra and Youtube phenomenon SB:TV, the Worcester born singer was instinctively interested in seeking out new sounds.
After surfing the net for hours checking out blogs, digital radio and Youtube, she stumbled across people doing their own versions of songs, which sparked her own innate interest in performing. Inspired by UK underground acts like JME, Wiley and Bashy as well as established Americans artists like Nicki Minaj, Gwen Stefani, Fergie and Lil Wayne, Cher decided that she wanted to be singer who also rapped and began practicing relentlessly at home in her bedroom.
Cher is undoubtedly the poster child for alternative urban pop this summer. Balancing the fine line between commercial and credible, the genre-baiting, tempo-twisting first single, "Swagger Jagger", with its nagging nursery rhyme motif, euphoric airhorns and playfully assertive wordplay, introduces Cher as someone who might have one eye on the charts but who is also unafraid to experiment.
Her debut album will reflect her multi-talented approach; as well as uptempo club tracks, you can also expect sung-through power pop ballads that perfectly showcase Cher's vocal ability. Creating an album that quite brilliantly yet succinctly defines her multi-faceted personality, the as-yet-untitled debut delivers on both upbeat pop smashes and punchy urban panache.
Cher has been involved in the creating of the album, co-writing on every track and attending sessions in the US, UK and Sweden. Despite working with huge hitmakers, she refused to be intimated, and was keen to ensure her ideas were put across. "At first I was scared by all these big producers, and going on my own to America was quite daunting. But now it's like 'Actually, I've got the chance to be here, so why be so afraid?'
"Each and every track is different; it's just a massive amount of variety," Cher decides. "It's like I've got a music box and there's wild things popping out all over the place. You could describe it as 'Swag Pop', but I'd also describe it as 'Grit-Ya-Teeth' as well," she laughs
Cher's debut single Swagger Jagger is available to download July 31St
