Cher Lloyd, you're looking pretty awesome there...

Cher Lloyd always had that distinct essence of cool distilled down to a T. But with her radical new hairstyle unveiled in a photoshoot for Wonderland magazine, she takes it to a whole new level.

It's here that we finally see her casting off the vestiges of the X Factor and blossoming into the beginnings of a complete artist. With her album lined up for an August release, things are all getting rather exciting very quickly indeed.

Going with a more pale make-up and a more vivid shade of red, it's a striking look young Miss Lloyd has gone for in the photos, but it really works. It's very English rose, all dainty styling and precision. She's showing she's more than just the X Factor rapper with a fair bit to say, here she's making her first footsteps into what could potentially be a highly successful career. With Cher, a singer that has so far been all about image, it's these very images that highlight how there is so much more for her to give.

In some of the pictures there's even a kind of transmutation between old and new. There's the hyper-modern cyber-punk hairstyle contrasted with Victorian-esque white blouses. But then again, you get the impression that's the kind of artist Cher wants to be - one who is aware of the best elements of the past, and is able to channel them into her own personality and image.

In a recent interview, she spoke a little about how she feels; 'Well, I’m just a normal 17-year-old girl and I do have major feelings.' It's an almost shocking reminder of how young Cher really is. In this age of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, young popstars are ten-a-penny, but somehow Cher's youth is more tangible. She's raw, untamed. Throughout X Factor you got the sense she was on the verge of either cheering from sheer joy or breaking down into floods of tears. She wore her emotions close to the surface and it served as a softening touch to a young lady who injected her performances with such fire and passion.

'Sometimes things that people say do really affect me, whether it’s about the way I look, or the way that I’m acting. It can get me really stressed out,' she continued. 'And it’s like, give me a little break. A week of somebody being nice to me would be lovely.'

That really made me thing. Bless her. The internet has been rife with hate for Cher; but then, attractive female popstars always attract comments like that. It's inevitable. But to see it cut so close to the bone with Cher, to see her admit to it messing with her head, it again humanises her immensely. Stress is something we all deal with daily, it comes in a seemingly endless stream of shapes and forms; and for Cher, this is her stress. Will she be able to deal with it? I have no doubt she will. And this new photoshoot? The first step in what looks set to be an extremely exciting journey for Cher.