On the same day she revealed new single “It’s All Good,” a collaboration with Ne-Yo inspired by Unilever’s Fruttare ice cream bars, U.K. pop princess Cher Lloyd revealed that she is prepping her second album for a tentative release later this year.
The as-yet-untitled album will be a follow-up to her debut “Sticks + Stones,” released in her native U.K. in November 2011 and in the States last October. Lloyd recorded that album over two years ago, following her stint as a fourth-place runner up on UK’s “X Factor” in 2010, and told Billboard the new record will reflect the events of the last three years. She is currently aiming for a September release, and was gearing up to play new tracks for her label boss, Epic’s L.A. Reid, on Wednesday in Manhattan.
“I feel like I’ve grown up as a person, learned a lot about myself as an artist,” the 19-year-old Lloyd said during an interview with Ne-Yo at New York’s London Hotel. “And my fans need it — they really do. They may not forgive me for not releasing any new material, like, ‘Is she just going away?’ I feel very positive about this year and I feel like it’s the new me and a lot more confident too.”
Though the US edition of “Sticks + Stones” featured guest vocals from Busta Rhymes, Mike Posner, Carolina Liar, and Becky G, Lloyd currently has “zero” collaborators lined up for the new project. “I’ve been so focused on doing completely me and what I want,” she says. “I wouldn’t say I’ve been aggressive, but very forward to the fact that this is me doing this now. The past three years have had some difficulties for me on actually being able to do exactly what I want to do. I’m very stubborn. If I don’t get to do what I want to do I can get upset and angry. This album is completely me and doing stuff I never thought I’d be able to do.”
Lloyd has nevertheless kept busy with a guest vocal on Demi Lovato’s “Really Don’t Care,” which debuted at No. 98 on the Hot 100.
“My big thing was just to collaborate with you,” she said, pointing to Ne-Yo, “But I also thought this is a great opportunity for fans. I think that’s what made them eager to Instagram this or tweet this and take it seriously. It’s great to see the younger generation can use social media for something that’s actually creative for once.”