Who is Sophie Lloyd? Machine Gun Kelly guitarist slams 'meritless' cheating rumors.
Sophie Lloyd is shredding online speculation that she's the "other woman" amid Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox's relationship woes.
The British guitarist, 27, released a scathing statement through her rep calling the chatter "disrespectful," "meritless" and "untrue."
"Sophie Lloyd is a professional, accomplished musician who has been needlessly dragged into the media based off of meritless accusations made by social media," her rep said in a statement to Yahoo Entertainment. "Any suggestion that she has ever acted in an unprofessional manner or stepped out of her relationship are untrue. It’s disrespectful to her as a female artist and poor journalism & social commentary to be reporting anything else."
Kelly and Fox, who have been engaged since January 2022, got into a fight over Super Bowl weekend. The Transformers actress posted to Instagram lyrics from Beyoncé’s Lemonade track "Pray You Catch Me," including, "You can taste the dishonesty/ it's all over your breath," leading to speculation the rocker cheated. Fox herself fueled the flames by responding to one commenter's unfounded claim that Kelly "probably got with Sophie," replying, "Maybe I got with Sophie." Fox then deleted her Instagram. The "twin flames" are reportedly trying to work through the drama and were photographed together on Monday.
The next day, Lloyd used social media to post a tribute to her boyfriend, drummer Christopher Painter, for Valentine's Day, making her own statement — without a statement — about being dragged into the mess.
So who is Sophie Lloyd?
Well, she's an "internet guitar sensation," according to NME. She has her debut studio album, Imposter Syndrome, coming out this year and it's inspired by Slash's self-titled solo album. The first single, "Do or Die," with vocals from Nathan James, dropped last year. She previously released an instrumental EP, Delusions, in 2018.
Lloyd first gained notoriety through videos she posted to YouTube of herself doing guitar covers of rock and pop classics. She is what is called a "bedroom guitarist," or someone who practices on their own at home. In her case, she practiced 5 hours a day solo in her room, revealing that she did so in part because she struggled with performance anxiety.
Lloyd started playing guitar at age 10 after listening to "Led Zeppelin in the car with my dad," according to her website bio. "Because I was a bit of an outcast, I had a lot of time to practice and this gave me an escape from reality, helped me overcome my anxieties and really gave me a sense of fulfillment." She started writing her own music at 15.
In 2018, she graduated from BIMM Institute, independent colleges which specialize in music education and the arts — after studying popular music performance.
“I definitely haven't followed the normal path most musicians take," she told NME. "I uploaded videos onto the internet instead of playing live in pubs and I always just felt like because of that, I wasn’t good enough. I started feeling anxious, and that held me back." She said her album "has been me working through those things.”
The MGK connection
Lloyd also worked through it touring with Machine Gun Kelly (real name: Colson Baker) as part of his live band for his Mainstream Sellout Tour, which began in June and ended in October.
"MGK literally just messaged me on Instagram one day, after seeing some of my videos," she told NME. "We Facetimed, we seemed to vibe really well and before I knew it, I had my visa and was flying from London to L.A. for rehearsals."
In May, Kelly announced that he hired Lloyd, sharing a video of her rehearsing with the group, and writing, "Adding a new friend to the band."
The band bonded on the tour, she said. "It was like one big family, and I felt so comfortable and safe from the get go. I also love how he uses his music to tell a story and portray a message." Lloyd also attended the premiere of Kelly's Hulu doc, Machine Gun Kelly's Life in Pink.
Lloyd and the band were present for the "Emo Girl" singer's Super Bowl weekend shows in Scottsdale, Arizona. On Friday, they played at the Coors Light Birds Nest festival. On Saturday, they performed again at Sports Illustrated's The Party. By the second night, Kelly and Fox reportedly had their fight and she left Arizona.
Lloyd's 5-year romance
The guitar player has been with her boyfriend Painter for 5 years, he shared last month in an Instagram tribute.
"Today marks a very special day. It was the day I asked you to be my partner in crime. And 5 years later that is still very accurate," he wrote on Jan. 20. "Thank you for everything you do. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, kindness, generosity, care, silliness and your love. You get me like no one else does and have been my rock for 5 solid years. Here’s to many more, partner. ??"
She's also shared photos of them together through the years.
The latest on Kelly and Fox
After Fox and Kelly were spotted together on Monday, reportedly going to therapy, a source told Entertainment Tonight, "Megan and MGK have had ups and downs throughout their relationship, but at the end of the day, they have a lot of love for each other and a deep connection.... They are working together with the goal of trying to mend things and move forward together."
A source told People magazine that "they are speaking and trying to work things out... There are trust issues and this causes conflicts right now. Megan is taking one day at a time." That said, Fox, who was previously married to Brian Austin Green, with whom she shares three children, "was never one to casually date. She is with him because she believes it's a long-term relationship. She isn't just gonna give up."
Kelly, who has a daughter from a past relationship, met Fox on the set of Midnight in the Switchgrass in March 2020 after her marriage to Green ended. She said when she found out he was cast, she said, "Uh oh. Because I knew. I could feel that some wild s*** was going to happen." And the connection was immediate, "The second I was in a room with him and said hello to him and looked into his eyes, I knew right away that he was what I call a twin flame... We're actually two halves of the same soul, I think. And I said that to him almost immediately, because I felt it right away."
