Page 3 Profile: Lily Allen, singer - The b*tch is back

Lily Allen, singer

Hang on, I thought Lily Allen said she wouldn’t be making another album?

Yes, but that was way back in 2009. Since then she’s got married, had two kids and made her musical return providing the soundtrack to John Lewis’ latest “heart-wrenching” Christmas advert – a cover of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know”.

It’s making me well up just thinking about it. I may have to go and buy something to cheer up...

OK, I’ll give you five...

Moving on, I hear she’s got a new original song out?

Yep, the first single from her third album, titled “Hard Out Here”.

Hard for who?

A b*tch, apparently.

Wow, what is this sexist talk you’re coming out with?

No, that’s the chorus of the track.

I thought she said the album would have some “feminist vibes going on”.

It’s satire. Throughout the track Ms Allen is critiquing the music industry’s portrayal of woman using sarcastic statements such as, “don’t you want to have somebody who objectifies you”. Other lines include, “you’ll find me in the studio and not in the kitchen”, “don’t need to shake my arse for you because I’ve got a brain”, and just in case anyone has got confused: “If you can’t detect the sarcasm you’ve misunderstood.”

Oh OK, well that’s what I first thought when I heard it, but then I saw the video… While Lily is very covered up there’s scantily clad dancers “twerking”, spanking each other and pouring champagne over their breasts.

Well, that’s supposed to be parody and criticism too. But I get your point – while the lyrics do make sense, the two perhaps don’t quite work together. In the video an older male plays the role of a music exec who tells Ms Allen to get liposuction and twerk. Fair enough, she’s having a go at the directors of videos by Rihanna and Miley Cyrus, but the problem is she may asked the female dancers to do the exact same thing in her video.

Go on…

Well, I’m no expert on the matter, but although the very raunchy dancing and the complete objectification of young women in her video may be meant ironically, it is still happening and she’s the one responsible. It kind of seems like she thinks it’s OK for dancers to be doing it but not artists.

Sounds like she’s missed the point a little bit...

Certainly does to me.