X Factor star Cher Lloyd appears to hit out at Simon Cowell in her latest single, Head Down, in which she sings ‘You sold me the dream, I was just seventeen, chewed me up, spit me out’.

The 31-year-old is famed for first stepping on the X-Factor stage at 16 in 2010 and impressing Cheryl Cole, Simon Cowell, and Louis Walsh with her song, Turn My Swag On.

She went on to place fourth and signed with Cowell’s record label Syco Music but left three years later after the young singer revealed she and Cowell, 65, had disagreed about her career path and how she couldn’t handle that level of ‘control’.

More than 12 years later she wrote the following lyrics in her song, ‘You sold me the dream, I was just seventeen,’ which was the age the Swagger Jagger singer was when she was working with Cowell.

In a TikTok video promoting her new single, which is part of her upcoming third studio album, she said: ‘I wrote this song about when it feels like you’re the only one when it feels like you’ve hit a brick wall.

‘The music industry can be dark at times. Some of the stories may never be told but mine is yours to hear.’

X Factor star Cher Lloyd appears to hit out at Simon Cowell in her latest single, Head Down, in which she sings ‘You sold me the dream, I was just seventeen, chewed me up, spit me out’

The lyrics continue: ‘All the tears I cried, you wasted my time and I still pay the price, I used to play your game and nothin’ seems to change.’

The same year she left Cowell’s label, Cher married her boyfriend of less than two years, Craig Monk, and in May 2018 they welcomed their first daughter, Delilah-Rae.

Their second daughter, Eliza Violet was born in 2023.

Cher delighted her fans earlier this month when she announced plans to release new music – over a decade after the release of her last album.

Taking to Instagram, Cher shared a stunning selfie and wrote: ‘Happy new year! I think it’s time for some new music…. this is not a drill!!’

Cher, who found fame on The X Factor in 2010, released her debut album Sticks And Stones the following year which featured the number one single Swagger Jagger.

She released her second album Sorry I’m Late in 2014 which reached number 21 on the UK Albums Chart.

Fans were delighted to hear Cher plans on releasing new music and wrote: ‘You do not understand how excited we all are’.

Others added: ‘Girl don’t play with us’… ‘What? Really?!’  

‘So proud of you. we know how hard you’ve worked to get this music out to us. so so so grateful ♥️♥️ here’s to 2025 – the year of Cher Lloyd!’

Cher is the latest former X-Factor star to speak out against the head judge as Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall confirmed she made a dig at Cowell on her latest single.

The former Little Mix star, 32, started up her solo career in 2024 with the track Angel of My Dreams and followed that up with Fantasy.

With her debut single, she sang of ‘selling her soul to a psycho’ and was pressed on whether that was a reference to the former Syco record label manager.

During an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the host said: ‘Selling my soul to a psycho, they say I’m so lucky.

‘Syco happens to be the name of Simon Cowell’s company. ‘

Jade replied: ‘Coincidentally, yes. I mean, it’s written on the tin, isn’t it?’