Lily Allen

4,537,259 plays
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468 fans

albums

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- It's Not Me, It's You (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2009

- Alright, Still
- Released 2006

- Alright, Still (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2007

- It's Not Me, It's You
- Released 2009

biography

With her omnivorous musical tastes and cheeky attitude, London-based pop singer/songwriter Lily Allen made a name for herself almost as soon as she released her demos on the Internet. The daughter of comedian Keith Allen, Lily spent most of her childhood bouncing from one school to another -- in fact, she attended 13 different schools between the ages of five and 15. This constant moving meant she didn't have much of a chance to make lasting friendships, so Allen entertained herself with books and, especially, music: she listened to everything from T. Rex, the Specials, and the Slits to the Happy Mondays and drum'n'bass, and even ran away to see the Glastonbury Festival when she was 14. After she left school a year later, she realized that music was the only career for her. Allen concentrated on her songwriting and singing, developing a style that was equally sweet and bratty; late in 2005, she set up a MySpace page and posted demos of her songs, as both individual tracks and as part of two limited-edition "mixtapes" that also featured tracks by Dizzee Rascal, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Ludacris. The critical acclaim for her work fueled Allen's publicity, leading to tens of thousands of friends on MySpace, airplay on BBC Radio One, and a record deal with Regal/Parlophone before the end of 2005.

Allen began working on her full-length album with producers such as Greg Kurstin, Mark Ronson (with whom she also collaborated on a cover of the Kaiser Chiefs' "Oh My God" that appeared on her second mixtape), and Futurecut, and released a limited-edition 7" of LDN as her debut single in spring 2006. Both LDN and Smile, which followed that summer, were chart successes, with the former reaching number seven on the U.K. chart and the latter hitting number one the week it debuted. Hot on the heels of Smile came Allen's first full-length, Alright, Still, which she supported with a slew of dates stretching out to the end of the year. Despite the speed of her success, Allen continued to update her MySpace page with amusing blog rants, including one about her June 2006 appearance on Top of the Pops that berated the lead singer of the Kooks for "wearing broken straw hats and dark sunglasses" indoors and Dirty Pretty Things for having "organic sliced bread on the rider." Allen rang in 2007 with more tour dates, including gigs in Japan, Australia, and the U.S., and the U.S. release of Alright, Still. She also earned nominations for British Breakthrough Act and British Female Solo for that year's Brit Awards, while "Smile" and Alright, Still were nominated for British Single and British Album, respectively.

Allen spent most of 2007 touring, but also collaborated with Dizzee Rascal on Maths and English's duet "Wanna Be" and provided vocals on Basement Jaxx's Crazy Itch Radio. Allen's personal life and side projects were nearly as prominent as her music career, with her relationship with Chemical Brother Ed Simons and her subsequent miscarriage making headlines in late 2007 and early 2008. In February 2008, Allen embarked on a talk show on BBC Three, Lily Allen and Friends, which lasted through that April. That month, Allen posted two new demos on her MySpace page, including "GWB," which was about President George Bush; for her second album, she worked with producer Greg Kurstin of the Bird and the Bee, and co-wrote several songs with him instead of just providing the lyrics. She also worked on songs with Jamie Reynolds of the Klaxons and wrote a song about comedian James Corden for the 2008 Shockwaves Awards. Another new song, "Everyone's at It," debuted that fall, and Allen courted controversy again with an unauthorized cover of Britney Spears' "Womanizer" that December. It's Not Me, It's You, which covered topics like drugs, fame, family, and society, arrived early in 2009, preceded by the single The Fear. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

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comments

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- - Rockin!
  - - By ScorpioKim
    - 9/18/2009 00:12:14
  - LILY ALLEN...One of the best! Love her :)
  - 2 out of 2 people
  - think this is useful

- - she is amazing
  - - By RA1636
    - 8/13/2009 22:11:00
  - lily rocks!
    i will go to see her next September 19 at Luna park in Buenos Aires, Arg.
  - 1 out of 1 people
  - think this is useful

- - amazing....
  - - By Raoul05
    - 4/18/2009 21:44:23
  - i went to her San Diego show this year in March....and all I can say is that it was amazing!!! You get everything you hear from her albums and that much more!!! I honestly didnt expect her to be that good!!! she sounds exactly the same. which means that she knows how to sing!!! and her cover of the Kaiser Chiefs song "Oh my god" is just really good! I'm glad i had the the chance to see her live! Katy Perry got nothing on Lily!!!!!
  - 2 out of 2 people
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- - Oh my...
  - - By McSyn
    - 3/18/2009 04:35:58
  - People like Katy Perry?
    Puh-lease. That bitch ain't got nothin' on Lily Allen. This girl can actually SING! I'd love to see her in concert some day. She's absolutely amazing. I hope this girl never stops, she's very talented. <3
  - 4 out of 4 people
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- - 10 out of 10
  - - By Nebazanezer
    - 3/10/2009 06:29:41
  - Lily is sweaping the United States with her pop spunk and retro style. Her new album 'It's Not Me, It's You' is a unique and fun pop sensation. A must for any retro-pop fan!
  - 2 out of 2 people
  - think this is useful