Cheryl new album: Amid Liam Payne split rumours, when will popstar return to music?

The record-breaking popstar has been absent from the charts for almost four years, having released her last album Only Human back in 2014.

She is a joint record-holder as the British female solo artist with the most No1s, tied with Jess Glynne; and she also scored huge success as one fifth of Girls Aloud between 2002 and 2013.

Since giving birth to her son Bear last year, Cheryl has been rumoured several times to be in the process of recording new music; and rumours were stirred again last month when she was seen with Naughty Boy and Nicola Roberts in a recording studio.

“I never say this but just for this one time – watch out,” Roberts captioned the snap.

Naughty Boy is a very distinguished hitmaker, having helmed the No1 smash La La La with Sam Smith, and the Top 5 hit Runnin’ with Beyonce.

He told Lorraine recently: “We have recently met and we have written a song for her new album and we are really happy.  

“She is her own entity and she is in a good place. People are wanting her to come back and hear what she can do next.”

Whilst promoting an appearance on The X Factor last year, Cheryl said she was “receiving songs” from producers, with a view to recording it.

“I’m thinking about it, but I just want more time with Bear at the moment,” she said in October.

“I do have plans and I am receiving songs and music and stuff.”

She added: “I’ve got luxury of being able to spend time with my newborn child and I want to take that for what it is. A lot of mothers have to rush back to work and I don’t think it’s really fair.”

For now, though, headlines are dominated by rumours of Cheryl and Liam’s split, which has not been confirmed by either party.

Liam mentioned her on Instagram on Valentine’s Day, but they have not been photographed together in public since late last year.

Rumours of a romance between them first blossomed in late 2015, when Cheryl was still an X Factor judge. They kept things under wraps for a while, before speculation began that they were expecting a child.

Liam is also busy with music: his latest single For You, a duet with Rita Ora, is selling steadily; and he’s presumed to be releasing an album at some point in 2018.