The X Factor USA's Lillie McCloud wows us - with her afro

This year's X Factor hasn't exactly wowed us so far - the new format is clunky, the talent slightly lacking and as always there's such a focus on image that we're getting tired of One Direction and Little Mix clones popping up all over the place.

So it's fair to say that when the clip of Lillie McCloud stunning the X Factor USA judges reached our screens we more than sat up and took notice of what was happening over the pond.

But it's not just her Whitney-esque voice that gave us goosebumps. The 54-year-old - yes, you read that right - left us in awe thanks to her super cool image (and lack of wrinkles - we'd like to know her beauty secrets, stat).

The grandma of seven showed no signs of her age as she stepped out on stage in head to toe leathers, giant hoop earrings, a beaming smile and, best of all, a fantastically unruly afro.

In a time when we are as good as required to straighten and blow-dry and tong and twist and perfect our hair in every which way possible, we love that Lillie has gone for the natural look, exuding a cool 70s vibe and embracing her natural hair texture.

The oversized 'fro with its incredible fluffiness only adds to the singer's star quality and character; if her look was as polished as her voice, scraped back and tamed, there's no doubt it would have made a different, less long-lasting impression on Simon Cowell and his fellow judges. And us. We couldn't take our eyes off her.

Let Lillie be a lesson to us all; having your own style and knowing what suits you can be as much of a statement as following a trend - if not more. We're pretty sure the statement Lillie just made is 'I'm a star'. Watch above and see for yourself…