Pop sensation Cher Lloyd recently discussed the more negative aspects of the music industry, sharing an unsettling experience where industry executives advised her to date Justin Bieber in order to advance her career, sparking mixed reactions from fans.
Speaking on the “We Need to Talk” podcast, the singer recounted a disturbing encounter that occurred while she was promoting her album in the United States.
Lloyd, who refrained from naming the specific record label behind the suggestion, highlighted that the conversation transpired “years ago” when she was just a teenager.
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Cher Lloyd Claims Music Execs Pressured Her To Date Justin Bieber For Career Gain
In the recent interview, Lloyd recalled asking her label for a promotional budget while promoting her album in the U.S., only to be flat-out denied financial support despite the company having spent millions to produce the record. Instead of funding traditional marketing efforts, the label allegedly told her she needed to take a different approach, one that involved a high-profile romance.
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“I remember once, while I was living in the U.S. and I was promoting my album, I walked into the record label at the time, and they hadn’t given me a promotional budget,” the 31-year-old recalled. “We spent millions on this album, but there’s no budget to go get people to hear it? So, I walk in and I say, ‘Look, I really need some cash to try and push this record.’”
However, instead of financial support, Lloyd claimed she was met with a stunning suggestion from label executives.
“They basically told me ‘no’ and that what I ‘needed to do’ instead was hit some of the clubs and find out where Bieber is and try to get with him,” she alleged.
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Fans Furious After Cher Lloyd Reveals Label Pressured Her To Date Justin Bieber
Cher Lloyd’s shocking revelation that music executives pressured her to pursue Justin Bieber for career gain has sparked outrage among fans, who are calling out the industry’s exploitative tactics.
“Welp that’s disgusting. These poor young women,” one Reddit user said. “I’m glad she had it in her to say no way, but imagine how many people wouldn’t have that kind of spirit, since girls are socialized to do what other people want first and take care of themselves last.”
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“I remember how horribly the media treated Cher when she was first making waves,” another chimed in. “This doesn’t surprise me, especially hearing Halsey talk about how her label treats her. If the Halsey can get treated like that, there’s no hope for the up-and-coming young talent. Record labels have gotten manipulation and abuse down to a fine-honed art.”
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Cher Lloyd Was In A Committed Relationship While This Happened
Lloyd, who was a teenager at the time, was left stunned by the suggestion that she should manufacture a relationship with a more famous artist to increase her visibility.
“I was told to go hook up with someone mega-famous and basically leech off the back of someone else’s fame,” she said.
The “Swagger Jagger” singer expressed frustration, recalling how the incident left her feeling like she wasn’t “good enough to invest in” and that the label was more focused on manufactured publicity stunts than supporting her music.
More Outrage Erupts Amid Cher Lloyd’s Claims
“The entertainment industry is creative people being taken advantage of by power-hungry sociopaths,” a third said after hearing the interview.
As another social media user wrote, “This is honestly disgusting, not just for Cher but for Justin too. I’d imagine that this sort of thing has happened before and considering his bad experience with the industry, it just makes it worse.”
They added, “And they’re kids. Cher was a teenager here. The exploitation of this industry is really sick.”
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Justin Bieber’s Involvement
It remains unclear whether Bieber was aware that his name was allegedly being used to orchestrate a PR romance.
Bieber has been married to Hailey Bieber since 2018, and the couple welcomed their first child, Jack Blues Bieber, in August 2024.
As for Lloyd, she has been happily married to Monk since 2013, and her latest claims shine a light on the questionable tactics used in the music industry to manufacture fame.