Lily Allen Biography

Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper, known by her stage name Lily Allen, is a Grammy-nominated singer & songwriter. Additionally, she worked in the television industry. She became popular in 2006, due to her extremely successful song Smile. Since then she released three high-charting albums, including numerous hits like The Fear and Fuck You. 

Music Career

In 2005, Allen began posting demos on MySpace and gained thousands of followers. Eventually, she caught the eye of The Observer, which wrote an article about her. One year later she released her debut album, Alright, Still. The album was predominately pop, with ska, reggae and hip-hop influences. It spawned 5 singles, which appealed to the public due to their dark humor. Most successful were Smile and LDN, which also received music videos. The album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.

Allen’s next album, It’s Not Me, It’s You, came out in 2009. It reached several charts in Europe and the US. Furthermore, it was certified platinum in the UK. It also spawned popular songs, such as The Fear and Not Fair. After a break from music, Lily Allen released a third album, Sheezus (2014), which received mixed reviews.

Controversy

Due to the satirical nature of Allen’s songs she received various accusations of being offensive. Some of the songs contain subtle references to popular celebrities. Moreso, she was accused of assaulting a photographer. Also, due to her clip Hard out Here which contains only black dancers, in addition with a misinterpreted tweet, she was called racist by some publications.

Photo source: All Noise