Lily Allen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lily Allen
Allen in 2018
Born	Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (1985-05-02) 2 May 1985 (age 40) Hammersmith, London, England
Occupation	Singer songwriter actress
Spouse(s)	Sam Cooper ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2018)​ David Harbour ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	2
Parents	Keith Allen (father) Alison Owen (mother)
Relatives	Alfie Allen (brother) Kevin Allen (uncle)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop electropop R&B
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1998–present
Labels	London Regal Capitol Warner Bros. In the Name Of

Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. She has won many awards, including a Brit Award. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivier Award.

Lily Allen's music career began in 2005. She signed with Regal Recordings and shared her songs on Myspace. Her songs became very popular and were played on BBC Radio 1. In 2006, her first single, "Smile", became number one in the UK. It sold over two million copies. Her first album, Alright, Still (2006), was liked by critics. It reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and sold over 2.6 million copies worldwide. This album was also nominated for a Grammy Award. Other popular songs from it included "LDN" and "Alfie".

Her second album, It's Not Me, It's You (2009), went straight to number one in the UK and Australia. It featured hit songs like "The Fear", "Not Fair" and "... You". Because of this success, she won the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2010. Her third album, Sheezus (2014), also reached number one in the UK. Her fourth album, No Shame (2018), reached number eight.

Lily Allen has also tried other careers. In 2008, she hosted her own TV talk show called Lily Allen and Friends on BBC Three. In 2011, she started her own record label, In the Name Of. She released her book, My Thoughts Exactly, in 2018. As an actress, she appeared in the 2019 film How to Build a Girl. In 2021, she performed in a play called 2:22 A Ghost Story in London's West End. For this role, she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Lily Allen was born on 2 May 1985 in Hammersmith, west London. Her father is Keith Allen, an actor, and her mother is Alison Owen, a film producer. She has an older sister, Sarah, and a younger brother, Alfie. Alfie is an actor and is the subject of her song "Alfie". She also has a younger sister named Rebecca.

When Lily was three, she appeared in a TV show called The Comic Strip Presents.... Her father helped write the episode. When she was four, her father left the family. Lily lived with her family in different places, including a council estate and later in Islington. For a time, her family lived with comedian Harry Enfield. The Clash singer Joe Strummer was also a close friend of her family.

Lily Allen went to 13 different schools. She was asked to leave some of them. When she was eleven, a music student named Rachel Santesso heard her singing "Wonderwall" by Oasis. Rachel was impressed and started giving Lily singing lessons. This led to Lily singing "Baby Mine" from Disney's Dumbo at a school concert.

Lily said that the audience was very moved by her performance. At that moment, she knew that music was something she wanted to do. She learned to play the piano and reached a high level in singing. She also played the violin, guitar, and trumpet. She was part of a choir. In 1998, Lily appeared in the music video for the song "Vindaloo". She left school at fifteen.

Music Career Journey

Early Steps in Music (2001–2005)

Lily Allen started her music journey by working with producers. She recorded a demo, but several record labels turned her down. She eventually signed with London Records in 2002. However, the person who signed her left the label, and they lost interest in her music. She then left the label without releasing any songs. After this, she thought about becoming a florist. But she changed her mind and returned to music. In 2004, her manager introduced her to a production team called Future Cut. They worked together in a small studio.

In 2005, Lily signed with Regal Recordings. They gave her money to make an album. Lily then created an account on Myspace. She started posting her demo songs there in November 2005. Thousands of people listened to her music. A small number of vinyl records of her song "LDN" were quickly released. These records sold for a lot of money. She also made two mixtapes to share her music. As she gained many friends on Myspace, a magazine called The Observer Music Monthly became interested in her in March 2006. She appeared on the magazine's cover two months later.

Alright, Still and Growing Fame (2006–2008)

The success on Myspace convinced her record label to give her more control over her album. Lily decided to work with producers Greg Kurstin and Mark Ronson. She finished her first album, Alright, Still, in just two weeks. The album was released in July 2006. Many of the songs had already been shared on her Myspace page. These included the singles "Smile", "LDN", and "Alfie". In September 2006, "Smile" became available in the US. By December 2006, her music video for "Smile" was played on many music channels. Entertainment Weekly named Alright, Still as one of the top 10 albums of 2006. The album was released in the US on 30 January 2007. It reached number 20 on the Billboard 200 chart. By January 2009, the album had sold 960,000 copies in the UK and 520,000 copies in the US.

In 2007, she performed at the Glastonbury Festival. She also sang on the top ten song, "Oh My God", a cover by Mark Ronson. On 1 July 2007, Lily Allen performed at the Concert for Diana in London. She sang "LDN" and "Smile". Her song "Littlest Things" helped Mark Ronson win a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2008. She also sang background vocals for some songs on the Kaiser Chiefs' album in 2008. Lily Allen won a songwriting award for "Smile" in 2008.

She also performed at a concert to help War Child, an organization that protects children affected by war. She sang "Smile" and "Everybody's Changing" with the band Keane.

It's Not Me, It's You and a Break from Music (2008–2011)

Allen performing at the Sziget Festival in August 2009

After her first album, Lily Allen changed her management company. She also started working with Greg Kurstin again for her second album. Kurstin had written three songs for her first album. Lily said she wanted to make "bigger sounding, more ethereal songs". She wanted to work with one person to make the album feel complete. She felt she had grown up and hoped the music would show that. She posted new song demos on her Myspace page.

Lily Allen had to cancel an appearance at the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival. She said her album was behind schedule. Her appearance at the 2008 Glamour Awards also received attention. On 29 June 2008, Lily performed at the Glastonbury Festival with Mark Ronson. She dedicated her song "Littlest Things" to her grandmother, who had passed away the night before. Her second album, It's Not Me, It's You, was planned for early 2008. However, personal events and creative issues delayed its release. An online game called Escape the Fear was created to promote the album. The game was played over two million times. Lily Allen and the Clash guitarist Mick Jones performed a song for the charity Heroes.

Allen performing at the INmusic festival in Zagreb, Croatia, 24 June 2009

It's Not Me, It's You was released in February 2009. It reached number one in the UK, Canada, and Australia. It also reached number five in the United States. The album sold very well in the United Kingdom. The first song from the album, "The Fear", was number one in the UK for four weeks. The second song, "Not Fair", reached number nine. She started her It's Not Me, It's You World Tour in March 2009. She toured for the next two years until September 2010. Her work on this album with Greg Kurstin earned her the Songwriters of the Year award in 2010. She also won awards for "The Fear". In October 2010, Lily Allen won another award for her song "The Fear" for its radio play in the United States.

In September 2009, Lily Allen said she was thinking about acting. She also said she had no plans to make another record. In September 2010, she performed her last show for two and a half years. She sang with Professor Green on his song "Just Be Good to Green" in June 2010. The next month, she started writing songs for a musical version of Bridget Jones's Diary. In 2011, T-Pain used a part of Lily Allen's song "Who'd Have Known" for his song "5 O'Clock". This song became a top ten hit in the United States.

New Music and Albums (2012–2018)

In June 2012, Lily Allen confirmed she was working on new music with Greg Kurstin. She also changed her professional name to Lily Rose Cooper for a short time. She appeared on the song "True Love" on Pink's album, The Truth About Love, released in September 2012. In February 2013, she performed live at a fashion show in Paris. She said a new album, inspired by her experiences as a mother, would be released by the end of 2013. In August 2013, she changed her professional name back to Lily Allen.

In November 2013, Lily Allen recorded a cover of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know". This song was for a Christmas advertisement. Part of the money from the song's sales went to help children affected by a typhoon in the Philippines. The song became number one in the UK singles chart on 24 November. On 12 November 2013, Lily Allen released the video for her new song "Hard Out Here". The song was released the next week and entered the UK singles chart at number nine. This gave Lily two songs in the top ten at the same time. In November 2013, her video for "Hard out Here" was discussed for its use of dancers. Lily said the video was a lighthearted look at how women are sometimes shown in pop music. In November 2016, she apologized for the video. In December 2013, Lily Allen signed with Warner Bros. Records. On 13 January 2014, the song "Air Balloon" was played on BBC Radio 1. It was released on 2 March 2014, as the second song from her third album, Sheezus. The album was released on 5 May 2014. Lily Allen performed at the Glastonbury Festival 2014.

Allen performing in March 2018

After Sheezus (2014), Lily Allen felt unsure about her musical direction. She felt that people in the music industry were trying to control her choices. Lily mentioned that she was working on a new album. This album would be about her life, her children, and her marriage. She worked with Mark Ronson on this album. In late 2017, Lily uploaded many songs online for the album, including "Family Man". She wanted to use music to work through her challenges. She felt that people are often influenced by others when they try to express themselves. She wanted to explore this when making No Shame.

In December 2017, a song called "Trigger Bang" was released. It featured rapper Giggs. On 24 January 2018, Lily Allen announced her new album would be called No Shame. The album was released on 8 June 2018. No Shame was nominated for a Mercury Prize. The album was an electropop album. It was influenced by dancehall and reggae. The songs had honest lyrics about her marriage and friendships. It also touched on social and political topics. When it was released, No Shame received good reviews from music critics. They liked the mature lyrics and themes. The album reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart. It also reached the top 40 in New Zealand and Ireland. It was her fourth album in a row to reach the top 10 in Australia. To promote the album, Lily Allen went on her worldwide No Shame Tour.

Recent Music and Activities (2019–Present)

In April 2019, Lily Allen shared on Beats 1 radio that she was working on her next album. She said it would be a concept album. In March 2020, she mentioned that her new album would only have "odd mentions" of her past challenges. She felt she had moved on a lot mentally.

At the Glastonbury Festival 2022, Lily Allen joined Olivia Rodrigo on stage. They performed the song "... You". This was a protest against a court ruling in the United States. The Guardian newspaper called it a "thrilling, furious" moment. Lily Allen later said she was unsure if she could perform on such a big stage while being sober.

In late 2022, Lily Allen spent five weeks in a music studio. However, she felt the music was not ready to be released. In 2024, she said she had recorded about 50 songs for her next music project. She is still working on it.

Musical Style and Influences

Lily Allen's early songs featured her singing with a retro sound. Her songs also had other influences, like the ska sound in "LDN". She was known for using strong words in her lyrics. Lily Allen has said she feels a bit embarrassed listening to her early songs now. She said it reminds her of being a "sort of over-excitable teenager who desperately wanted attention". She wanted to move away from the retro sound. So, for her second album, It's Not Me, It's You, she tried a new sound and different lyrics. "The Fear", the first song from that album, is an electro-pop song that talks about consumerism. Critics praised her new musical direction and her willingness to write about less common subjects.

Lily Allen's song "Who'd Have Known" was used in T-Pain's song "5 O'Clock" because of her accent. Joe Strummer, a close friend of her father, used to play mixtapes of Brazilian music and Jamaican reggae and ska when she was young. Lily Allen said she has "always been into very black music" like ska, reggae, and hip hop music. Since she did not know how to rap, she used reggae as an inspiration for Alright, Still. The album's music mixes ska and reggae with pop melodies. Lily Allen's melodies are influenced by jazz improvisation techniques. The album's beats are influenced by different styles like jazz and grime. Singers like Lady Gaga, Tegan and Sara, Bridgit Mendler, Jullie and Victoria Justice have all been influenced by Lily Allen.

Acting Career Highlights

On Stage

In June 2021, Lily Allen announced she would play the main role of Jenny in the West End play 2:22 A Ghost Story. The play opened at the Noël Coward Theatre on 3 August 2021. The play was directed by Matthew Dunster and written by Danny Robins. Critics praised Allen's performance. In 2022, she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress. She also won a WhatsOnStage Award for her role.

In 2023, Lily Allen starred as Katurian in a new version of Martin McDonagh's play The Pillowman. This play was at the Duke of York's Theatre in London. She acted alongside Steve Pemberton, Paul Kaye and Matthew Tennyson. It was also directed by Matthew Dunster. In July 2025, Lily Allen will star as Hedda Gabler in Hedda. This is a new version of Henrik Ibsen's play. It will be at the Ustinov Studio in Bath, Somerset.

On Screen

Lily Allen appeared as a lady-in-waiting in the 1998 film Elizabeth. Her mother helped produce this film. She later played Elizabeth Taylor in How to Build a Girl in July 2019. Her brother Alfie also appeared in this film. In April 2023, Lily Allen starred with Freema Agyeman in the comedy-drama Dreamland for Sky Max. In 2025, she will play Mary Datchet in the film Night and Day.

Other Activities and Interests

Allen at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, in 2018

Lily Allen signed a contract to host her own BBC Three TV show. It was called Lily Allen and Friends. The show was based on the social networking site Myspace, which helped her music career. Guests on the show included Mark Ronson and James Corden. The show attracted a good number of viewers. BBC Three decided to renew Lily Allen and Friends for a second season. However, the show did not air as planned because of her music commitments.

In 2009, Lily Allen became the face of the National Portrait Gallery's marketing campaign. Her picture was taken by Nadav Kander. Karl Lagerfeld, the head designer for Chanel, personally hired Lily Allen. He photographed her for a campaign to promote a luxury line of handbags. Lily Allen and her sister opened their own clothing store called "Lucy in Disguise" on 15 September 2010. Lily Allen did not completely stop music during this time. She focused on starting her family. In January 2011, she launched her own record label, In the Name Of. It had financial support from Sony Music. The label released the first album of Tom Odell, but it closed in 2014. In May 2016, Lily Allen announced she was starting her second record label, Bank Holiday Records.

On 20 September 2018, Lily Allen published her book My Thoughts Exactly. It was nominated for an award. The book was chosen by the Evening Standard as one of the "best celebrity memoirs of 2018". It was also listed by The Guardian as one of the best books of 2018 in the "Showbusiness" category.

In 2024, Lily Allen started hosting a podcast called Miss Me? with her friend Miquita Oliver.

Awards and Recognition

Lily Allen has received many awards and nominations for her music. She has been nominated for nine BRIT Awards and won one. She was nominated for one Grammy Award. She won three Ivor Novello Awards. She was also nominated for a Mercury Prize and twelve NME Awards, winning three of them. For her acting, she has been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award.

Personal Life and Family

In November 2010, Lily Allen took legal action against Associated Newspapers. This company owns the Daily Mail newspaper. She took action after the newspaper published photos of her home. Lily Allen said it was an invasion of privacy and copyright infringement.

Lily Allen is a fan of cricket. She has appeared on Test Match Special, a radio show about cricket.

Relationships and Children

Lily Allen started dating musician Ed Simons in September 2007. In December, she announced they were expecting a child. Sadly, Lily experienced a sad loss in January 2008. After five months, her relationship with Simons ended. Lily Allen has shared that she faced challenges with her mental well-being during this time.

In July 2009, Lily Allen began dating Sam Cooper, a builder. On 5 August 2010, Lily Allen announced she was expecting her first child with Cooper. In late October, she experienced the loss of her baby. On 6 November, Lily Allen was admitted to a hospital for treatment. In February 2017, Lily Allen explained that she was diagnosed with a stress-related condition after the loss.

Lily Allen and Sam Cooper got engaged in December 2010. They got married on 11 June 2011 in England. Lily gave birth to her daughter, Ethel Mary, in 2011. She gave birth to her second daughter, Marnie Rose, in 2013. After Marnie's birth, she experienced periods of sadness.

In mid-2015, Lily Allen and Sam Cooper separated. In June 2018, it was announced that their divorce was finalized. They decided to share custody of their children.

Lily Allen began a relationship with actor David Harbour in 2019. They appeared together at the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. They got married on 7 September 2020 in Las Vegas. An Elvis impersonator officiated their wedding. The couple lives in Brooklyn. Lily Allen said in 2024 that she has put her children first, choosing to prioritize them over her career.

Mental Well-being

Lily Allen has often spoken about her body image throughout her career. She mentioned that she used to struggle with eating habits in her 20s. She felt that her relationship with her body was "not great". When asked about pressure from the music industry to look a certain way, she said she was often criticized for not fitting in. In February 2017, Lily Allen shared that she had been diagnosed with a mood disorder. In 2023, she was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Public Views and Activism

Lily Allen considers herself a socialist. She supports the Labour Party. She was involved in a discussion about energy policy. She wrote to members of parliament to support a plan for renewable energy. She later confirmed her support for the Labour Party.

After the British government planned a policy for file sharing copyright, Lily Allen supported disconnecting repeat offenders. She created a blog called "It's Not Alright" against file sharing. However, it was found that she had copied text from another website without saying where it came from. This led to discussions about her own use of copyrighted material in her early mixtapes. A group of file-sharing supporters launched an attack that temporarily shut down Lily Allen's website.

On 1 October 2009, Lily Allen and other musicians released a digital musical petition. It aimed to encourage world leaders at the 2009 climate change summit to take action. The petition included a cover of the song "Beds Are Burning".

During the London elections in April 2016, Lily Allen said she would support the Women's Equality Party with half her vote. She would vote for them on one list but vote Labour elsewhere.

In June 2016, Lily Allen posted on Twitter and attended protests to support Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

On 15 June 2017, Lily Allen appeared on Channel 4 News to discuss the Grenfell Tower fire. She said that the number of deaths was being downplayed. The official death toll is now 72.

In November 2019, during the 2019 UK general election campaign, Lily Allen said the Labour Party manifesto was "the best I've ever seen". She shared a picture of her voting card with the message: "Tories OUT."

Stalking Experience

Lily Allen has spoken publicly about a difficult experience she had with a stalker for seven years. Her stalker, Alex Gray, first contacted her in 2008 through Twitter. He sent her threatening letters to her home, shop, and manager's office. In October 2015, he spent nights in her garden and broke into her bedroom while she was sleeping. This caused Lily Allen to move house. Lily Allen has criticized the Metropolitan Police for their slow response. In April 2016, Gray was found guilty of breaking into her home and harassment. In June, he was given a hospital order and a restraining order. He is not allowed to enter certain areas of London.

Lily Allen said that she felt isolated after the stalking incidents. She felt that "nobody was taking me seriously because the police weren't taking me seriously". This happened at the same time as her divorce. She said her album No Shame became a way for her to express her feelings about these challenges.

Discography

• Alright, Still (2006)
• It's Not Me, It's You (2009)
• Sheezus (2014)
• No Shame (2018)

Tours

Filmography

External links

See also

In Spanish: Lily Allen para niños