Lily Allen Marks One Year of 'West End Girl' Album
Singer reflects on her comeback record following divorce, discusses industry challenges for older women.
Singer Lily Allen marked the one-year anniversary of her comeback album, "West End Girl," on Friday. Allen, 41, shared her reflections on the album's release and her subsequent tour, describing the experience as a "dream."
Allen celebrated by posting new Instagram pictures in which she wore a gold mini-dress and debuted darker hair and a fringe. "1 year of west end girl.. thanks for loving this record, and for coming on this ride with me. What a dream it's been. X.," she wrote in the caption.
The album, "West End Girl," is an ode to Allen's marriage to actor David Harbour. The 14-track record details the breakdown of their relationship, which followed their meeting on the dating app Raya. They were married for four years.
Harbour commented on the album in June, telling Variety that while he respected Allen's use of her experience for art, "it wasn't my experience." Allen responded in an interview with The Cut, calling his opinion "generous" and praising his acting abilities. "If there's one thing I know about David Harbour, it's that he's an excellent actor," she said.
Recently, Allen had to cancel a show in Auckland, New Zealand, with less than 24 hours' notice due to a viral infection. "To my West End Girls in Auckland, I am so sorry to have to tell you that I have come down with a viral infection and am unable to perform tonight," she posted on Instagram. "I was really looking forward to seeing you all and am absolutely gutted to be letting you down."
Allen also spoke to The Times Magazine about her views on the music industry's approach to marketing women of a certain age. "The music industry doesn't know how to market women of a certain age, myself included," she stated. "You get to a point and you're like, 'OK, do people really want to hear about perimenopause and the school run and whatever we're going through?' We're scared of going there because there's not much evidence there's a market for it. But there probably is."
She added that "West End Girl" has been significant for women of a similar age, expressing hope that "talking about real things works."