Jade Thirlwall is treating fans to another taste of her long-awaited debut solo album with the release of new song IT Girl.

Like her first single Angel Of My Dreams, the former Little Mix singer relays her own experiences of the music industry on the new track, as well as “the often ruthless and complex nature of fame”, according to a press release.

And in keeping with that, fans think they’ve spotted another dig at the X Factor winner’s former label chief Simon Cowell on the track.

“Sign on the line for me, baby, smile, but don’t show your teeth,” she chants in the first verse, before adding: “Say goodbye to autonomy, now your body belongs to me.”

The lyrics continue: “Put me on the pedestal, watch me dance, dance to the beat till I can’t stand.”

Jade then concludes the verse: “Clause in the contract, contract gone, gone is the girl that you could con.”

But it’s at the very end of the song where fans really think Jade sticks the boot in to her one-time boss, when she declares that “it’s a no from me”, putting a spin on a popular catchphrase from when The X Factor was at the peak of its popularity.

Jade’s first solo offering Angel Of My Dreams was also littered with not-so-subtle nods to Simon and The X Factor.

One lyric in particular – “sold my soul to a psycho” – was interpreted as a dig at Simon, whose now-defunct label, Syco Music, Little Mix were signed to for several years.

The man himself even responded, with a rep for his company insisting: “The entire team who worked incredibly hard behind the scenes with Little Mix to help make the group a success would, I’m sure, always continue to wish them solo success.”

An intimidating figure featured in the Angel Of My Dreams interpreted by many to represent the music mogul also appears briefly in the official IT Girl “visualiser”.