The Malvern girl who’s one of the most talked about contestants in this year’s X Factor has encouraged aspiring singers to enter Worcester’s latest talent contest.

Cher Lloyd dazzled X Factor judges with her confident performance at the Birmingham auditions for the ITV show.

Just a few months earlier she was wowing crowds in Worcester at Text Factor, held at Sin Bar, New Street.

And now as the county waits to find out whether she is one of the finalists selected to go to the judge’s houses, she has encouraged others to get up on stage as much as possible – and this autumn’s Worcester’s Got Talent, also at Sin Bar, is the perfect opportunity.

“I think things like Text Factor are great,” she said. “I think any time you get on the stage it can boost you up.

“Everything counts, so I would encourage people to enter anything and everything.”

It was using every opportunity to get up on stage which gave the 17-year-old the confidence to get up and belt out Soulja Boy’s Turn My Swag On in front of thousands earlier this summer.

Cher, of Malvern Link, has entered the X Factor once before – not twice as was wrongly reported in some national newspapers – but admits she wasn’t ready.

“I actually tried when I was 14 but back then I did not have the confidence,” the former Dyson Perrins student said. “I didn’t get past the first round.”

Paul Todd, manager of Sin, knows how important it is to get your confidence up and get used to performing in front of a crowd.

“Doing competitions like these puts your foot on the first rung of the ladder,” he said. “We had 700 people at the final of Text Factor, and Cher will have performed on probably about seven occasions across the competition. It’s all a positive step.”

Mr Todd said although Cher only came second in the competition, her performance of Beyonce and Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” was the best of the contest.

And now Mr Todd is looking for the next star.

“Six months ago Cher was singing on stage in Worcester,” he pointed out.

To enter Worcester’s Got Talent fill out the application form printed on this page, download it from worcesternews.co.uk or pick one up from Sin in New Street or Bushwackers in the Trinity in Worcester. Send applications to Bushwackers, Trinity Street, Worcester,WR12PW. E-mail toddysin@googlemail.com or call Paul Todd direct on 07919 363737.

l Former X Factor contestant Jamie Archer is in Worcester tonight. The singer, dubbed Jamie 'Afro' during the 2009 series , will perform at Tramps in Angel Place.