Cher Lloyd is the latest British pop star to take America by storm.
Her hit debut single, “Want U Back,” introduced the US to the 19-year-old firecracker, and now Lloyd is ready to top the charts with her sophomore single, “Oath,” featuring Becky G. The British songstress recently released her debut album – Sticks + Stones – stateside, and with standout tracks like “Superhero,” “Swagger Jagger” and “Behind the Music,” the record is a necessity for any pop enthusiast.
Get to know the UK’s biggest “Brat,” below.
1. Just like fellow Brits One Direction and Olly Murs, she got her start on the UK’s “The X Factor.”
Before Cher Lloyd was a pop star, she was just another singer hoping to catch her big break on the UK’s hit reality series, The X Factor. For her audition, the nervous 16-year-old sang Keri Hilson’s version of “Turn My Swag On,” and she caught the attention of British superstar Cheryl Cole and music maestro Simon Cowell. Despite not winning the competition, Lloyd signed with Cowell’s Syco Music — and the rest is pop music history.
Watch her audition below.
2. She’s a “Brat.”
You may have noticed that X Factor judges Cowell and L.A. Reid often refer to Cher as a “brat” on Twitter — but they’re not doing it to be mean. Just as Justin Bieber has his Beliebers, One Direction has their Directioners, Rihanna has her Navy and Nicki Minaj has her Barbz — Cher has her Brats.
On Today, Cher referred to her Brats as her “friends,” and said that making new fans across the U.S. has made her a happier person. ”We’re forming a group,” she said about her bond with her Brats. “As a kid growing up, I was never in a group. I was always the strange girl in the corner. It’s nice to be able to include people.”
3. Cher is a huge fan of Nicki Minaj.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Nicki [Minaj]. She’s like number one for me,” Lloyd recently told PopCrush. “I really feel like Nicki brought that vibe in. No one was doing what she was doing, and then she came in and it was kind of one of those things where people were like, ‘Whoa. She just changed pop music’. And she did! There’s no denying it.”
She continued: “She is someone I definitely look up to. I admire how brave she is. She’s kind of got that attitude like, do what you feel like doing, be who you are. I love that, and I love how she incorporates that with her fans as well. I can appreciate that because I’m a fan, and it makes me think, ‘Well if Nicki says she can do it, I can do it’.”
4. Her debut US single, “Want U Back,” went platinum.
Cher made a smashing debut with her hit single, “Want U Back,” which went platinum in American market, selling over 1 million copies. The song peaked at No. 12 on the US Hot 100 chart. The UK version of the track also features guest vocals from Season 1 X Factor contestant Astro, who was mentored by L.A. Reid on the Fox reality series. The music mogul signed Lloyd to Epic Records in December 2011, hoping to jumpstart her career in America. With her latest single “Oath” racing up the charts, it looks like Cher Lloyd has quickly found stateside success.
5. She was a victim of cyber-bullying — and now she’s determined to draw attention to the cause.
In February 2012, Lloyd spoke out to BBC Radio on her consistent cyber-bullying and how she feared for her safety after becoming a victim of online abuse.
“I’m public property and there’s nothing I can do — I have got to deal with it,” she said. However, being a public figure in the UK has taken its tole on the pop star. “There have been many times when I have cried myself to sleep. I am very scared because I like to think people think I’m strong, because if they don’t, then they might not think I can do it… Some days I wish that people would leave me alone for a bit and for there to be a hole to suck me in.”
Now, the 19-year-old is fighting back against her tormenters — and she’s urging her Brats to do the same.
“The message that I have got for people is: I have always tried to act like the hard person, and that was just a front for me. It is about time now that I let people realize that I am a real person and if I can do it, with all these people that want a piece of me, then other victims can speak out as well.”
Watch Cher Lloyd’s latest music video for her new single “Oath” — featuring Becky G. — below.
In other news: X Factor judge Tulisa defends Cher Lloyd.
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