Singer Cher Lloyd has made some shocking revelations about her early struggles while trying to get a foothold in the music industry.

The singer, in a shocking new podcast, has alleged that her record label once suggested that she should "seduce" Justin Bieber in a bid to gain fame and promote her music.

The singer, who shot to fame with the reality show The X Factor UK , opened up about the alleged incident on Paul Brunson's We Need to Talk podcast . Recalling her experience, Cher revealed that the suggestion was made when she approached her label for financial support to promote her new album.

"I walked in and said, ‘Look, I really need some cash to try and push this record,’ and I was basically told no," she shared and then went on to share the 'advice' she was given. She claimed that the label advised her to 'hit some of the clubs and find out where Bieber is and I should go try and get with him'.

"I was a teenager, and I was very much with my husband at the time. He was even stood in that office while I was told they weren't going to spend any money on the album," she revealed. She added that the people who called the shots, preferred that she would just "hook up with someone mega-famous" and leech off their fame, rather than invest in her talent.

The singer also alleged that her team actively discouraged her marriage to her boyfriend of two years, Craig Monk, whom she went on to wed in 2013. "I was told by people on my team, 'Do not let the label know because they will do anything to stop this marriage,’" she claimed.