Lily Allen has candidly described her latest musical offering, West End Girl, as a “really angry record,” admitting she was “terrified” of the public’s reaction to the deeply personal work.
The singer-songwriter revealed in an interview with Elle UK that the album was penned in the tumultuous aftermath of her marriage breakdown to US actor David Harbour.
“I was processing things that were happening at quite a traumatic period of time,” Allen told the magazine.
She elaborated on the album’s raw nature, stating, “I don’t think that it’s a particularly self-aware record. It’s a really angry record. And it’s a lot more about rage directed towards other people. It’s not really about self-reflection.”
However, the ‘Madeline’ singer has since come to appreciate the catharsis of expressing such intense emotions. “I think that if I’ve learnt anything about myself from it, it’s that rage is powerful and necessary, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing to express,” she reflected.
“In fact, repressed rage is arguably more damaging.” The positive reception to her fifth studio album has also provided a welcome boost, though she quipped, “I don’t know if it’s great for the soul, but it’s good for the ego.”
Allen is set to embark on a tour next month, where she will perform West End Girl in its entirety each night. She envisions the shows as a unique experience, explaining they will “feel more like a Broadway-esque one-woman show, with really interesting set design.” Notably, she added, “There’ll be no band and no dancers.”
The mother-of-two, who graces the cover of Elle UK, also shared how her music has resonated with others experiencing similar struggles. “In my Instagram DMs, I get loads of women telling me really graphic stuff,” she revealed. “All I can do is write some music that hopefully they identify with and makes them feel less alone.”
Allen also spoke of the support from her daughters’ friends’ parents, who witnessed her difficult period. “They were there when I was in a really tough spot – they could see how drawn I was and how withdrawn I became and how skinny I got and how sad I was,” she recounted. “They’d come and pick up their kids from play dates and I wouldn’t come downstairs. I’d be in my bedroom crying.”
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The March issue of Elle UK is available from 5 February.
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