Lily Allen announces via Twitter that she is recording new material

Three years after announcing her retirement from the music industry Lily Allen is plotting a comeback after revealing that she is recording new material.

The singer, who sold 8 million records, has reunited with Greg Kurstin, the American producer with whom she co-wrote the 2009 Ivor Novello award-winning chart-topper, The Fear.

Responding to a tweet from the Popjustice website about her lack of recent musical activity, Allen said: “you will be pleased to know that i am currently in the fucking studio with @GregKurstin.”

She later added that the sessions were “no big deal really, I’m just throwing shit at the wall and seeing if anything sticks.”

Allen is said to have become enthused about music once again after signing up to compose songs for the forthcoming Bridget Jones’ Diary stage musical. She was spotted in a north London recording studio and is said to be pursuing a mature, country-style musical direction for what would be her third album.

Allen, 27, shocked the music world when she announced that she was “retiring from writing, recording and touring under the name 'Lily Allen'.”

The singer, who landed her first number one single with Smile in 2006, said she was disillusioned with the music industry and blamed illegal file-sharing for making it impossible for new artists to earn a living.

Allen moved into fashion, opening a vintage clothing shop Lucy In Disguise with half-sister Sarah Owen, which is now based in Soho.

She married building company owner Sam Cooper last June and gave birth to the couple’s first child in November. Allen had previously suffered two miscarriages. The couple moved to a £3 million home in the Cotswolds, prompting Allen to write an article hymning her new life as a “housewife”.

She is a prolific tweeter, sending missives on topics ranging from The X Factor to the Leveson inquiry to her 3.5 million followers.

The return of one of the UK’s most popular artists will be welcome news for her record company, EMI. Allen’s vocals have been sampled by rap stars such as T-Pain in the absence of any new material.