Lily Allen is the UK Represent this week on Julie Adenuga’s show on Beats 1 (apple.co/julie). Two of Lily’s tracks, from her new album ‘No Shame’, premiered on today’s show - ‘Higher' (feat. Meridan Dan) and ‘Three’.
Below are some key quotes from the interview with Julie where she talks about her upcoming album ‘No Shame’, remarrying, working with Giggs, the state of the world, Twitter trolls and more.
Her thoughts on new album ‘No Shame’...
I’ve really held my cards close to my chest for this one and I haven’t really played it to many people and there are definite bonuses with that. I know that it’s the best album that I can make and there haven’t been any outside sources telling me what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s going to work for radio and what isn’t, so that’s really great. That also means when it comes out, it’s my fault.
I think a good way to describe it is you can almost say that the beginning of the album starts in the middle of a really bad night and it takes you all the way through that night, through the day and the next night is a bit better...I don’t think it’s [the new album] 10/10, I’m never going to think that. But I think when I first started this game a lot of things happened, a lot of outside forces shaped who I became in people’s minds. I take full responsibility for all of that. Also there are a lot of things I don’t have control over...With this record, I got so upset with all of those things I didn’t have control over, especially as a woman, you’re kind of sent out to.
On how she feels about her last album, ‘Sheezus'...
My last album didn’t really feel like that, I think I had an identity crisis as a result and it was a place I didn’t like being in at all. Pretty much everything [what she didn’t like] - I didn’t like the clothes I was wearing, the songs that made it as singles...like everything!
On the essence of ‘No Shame’...
It is what it is, it’s called ‘No Shame' because the songs are pretty self-explanatory. I’m not ashamed of those things, in fact, I feel like I need to talk about them, because I wouldn’t have talked about them and I’m a big believer in talking. I think that’s how we get to know each other, that’s how we work things out, that’s how we resolve differences, it’s by talking and sharing….There are some things in my life that have been hard, things that can help other people. It helps me, it’s not done to shock or for attention, it is what it is.
On why she worked with Giggs on ‘Trigger Bang’...
One he’s popping right now, quite happy to sit in that slip stream…That was at the height of my badness [when they worked together]. We’d been hanging out quite a lot, he’s just been really supportive in lots of other areas and really helpful and made me find my feet a little bit, I remember what I do this for.
On Giggs giving her confidence...
We were somewhere and somebody that worked with me in very close proximity was really rude to me. Giggs was the first person that said, 'you can’t talk to her like that, that’s disrespectful’….It was the first time when I was like, ‘Ha, yeah actually you cant talk to me like that! Giggs says’. It gave me a lot of confidence and self esteem and that actually filtered through into the music. I think I became a bit of a ‘yes' person to be honest, he was like 'no you’re good at what you do and your songs are good, I know this because I know all the words to them’.
He came into my dressing room at V Festival and literally recited all the words to this song, 'Everything is Just Wonderful’, which is the most candy pop song you could imagine. I was like 'what?, Ok! Giggs likes my stuff!' I went to his studio, just up the road actually, and pulled a ‘whitey’ and ended up going into the toilet and vomiting all over the place. I played a bunch of songs to him and he was like ‘this one is cold, I want to jump on this one’. I let him do his thing and then I pulled a whitey and I went into the toilet and vomited everywhere. Giggs came in to check on me. I remember being on the floor and his head coming around the corner and me kicking the door and his head getting stuck. I was like, 'I think I just kicked Giggs really hard in the head with the door!' I’m in a very different place now [laughs].
On being happy and the state of the world...
I am the happiest I’ve been in a long time. But we’re living in very weird times, I don’t know if anyone has noticed, things are feeling slightly strange. I struggle with what my boundaries are, how much I let what’s going on in the world in, but I’m interested in exploring those boundaries as well. I’m happy but I’m worried and concerned.
On Twitter…
I do pay attention to my own press and what people say on my Twitter feeds. A lot of the time, I ‘m saying things that really aren’t that bad, that get twisted to mean something really different, so no one can really take that away from me…a lot of the stuff that I get in my timeline are horrible and threatening stuff. These people are saying a lot of horrible things about me, my kids, my role as a mother, my work, is everyone one alright with that? Are we all cool with this? As human beings? Is this a cool environment for us to be hanging out in?
And highlighting injustices on Twitter…
A lot of it is highlighting what is out there, because I think people really like to ignore what’s happening and ignore the struggle of other people, If they can’t see it, it’s not happening, it’s fine...The goal for a lot of those trolls, bots and right-wing media arms is to shut the voices of descent down. The way of doing that most effectively is to bully them and I can see that. I’ve seen it because I’ve experienced it in the mainstream media anyway, but I also see it being replicated now on my timeline and in my mentions, and I don’t think cowering off into the corner is going to do anything. There aren’t that many people that are willing to do it and for some reason I find myself here.
On getting married again...
I kind of do [want to], but only for my boyfriend’s surname. His surname is London. If I was Lily London I would be a G. I don’t know if I’d get married again, it’s not really a priority for me to think about right now.
On being herself...
I think I always have tried to be unashamedly myself and not really anything…the thing that started to go wrong is when I have tried to blend in, to exist in whatever system and that really didn’t work for me. In fact it filled me with shame and dread and so yeah, I’m here, being unashamed.
