HISTORY OF LILY ALLEN
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is a English singer-songwriter best known for songs such as "Smile" and "LDN". She is the daughter of actor/musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Allen also hosts her own BBC Three talk show Lily Allen and Friends.[2]
Her single "Smile" reached number one on the UK singles charts in July 2006. In December 2006, her debut album Alright, Still was voted the third best album of the year by Mixmag.[3] In 2007, it was nominated for the award of Best British Album at the Brit Awards and for Best New Artist at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The album was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award in the category of "Best Alternative Music Album".[4]
Allen was born in Hammersmith, west
In 1988, Allen appeared on The Comic Strip Presents... episode "The Yob", which her father had co-written.[6] When Allen was four years old, her father left the family.[7] Allen claims to have grown up with her mother in a working class environment, living in a council house environment for most of her childhood.[8] This certainly seems at odds with the fact that she attended some of England's costliest public schools; Allen attended 13 schools in all, including Prince Charles's junior alma mater, Hill House School and Bedales School,[7] and was expelled from several of them for drinking, smoking and performing fellatio.[9]
Allen told Loveline that at age 11 she was singing an Oasis tune in the schoolyard when a teacher overheard her and told her she had talent and suggested she do something with it. She took singing lessons with the teacher. She sang at a school play and claimed that the audience was brought to tears at the sight of a troubled young girl doing something good. At that point Allen said she knew that music was something she needed to do either as a lifelong vocation or to get it out of her system. She became a member of the Groucho Club at the age of 17 and in her free time, she listened to artists such as The Specials, T.Rex, and Happy Mondays and read.[10][11]
Allen made an appearance as a lady-in-waiting in the 1998 film Elizabeth, produced by her mother.[12] She dropped out of school at age fifteen, not wanting to "spend a third of her life preparing to work for the next third of her life, to set herself up with a pension for the next third of her life."[13] After her family went to Ibiza on vacation, Allen told her mother that she was staying with friends but remained in Sant Antoni de Portmany instead. She earned money by working at a Plastic Fantastic record store and dealing in ecstasy.[13]
Allen's vocals appeared on the single "Who Invented Fish & Chips?" by Fat Les, in which her father was the lead singer of the band.
At age 15, Allen spent four weeks at The Priory clinic under 24 hour watch after the singer, distraught over a breakup with a boyfriend, took an overdose and tried to cut her wrists. Allen recently told The Sunday Times that "In my teens I did experiment with drugs” and “I don’t know anyone now who isn’t a drug-taker, in recovery from drugs, or on prescription drugs".[14]
In November 2007, the singer revealed that she has been diagnosed with a heart murmur. The singer sparked concern when she shed 19lbs (8.6kg) and dropped from a
Allen suffered a miscarriage on 16 January 2008 after returning from holiday with Ed Simons of The Chemical Brothers. The child would have been the first for both parties. The couple met in September, 2007. The pregnancy was said to have changed Allen’s entire outlook on life.[16][17][18] Allen returned to work on 23 January. The singer was said to be "incredibly low at the moment, but doesn't want to let her fans down".[19][20]
It has been reported that the couple have broken off their relationship after her miscarriage put a huge strain on it. Allen's spokesman is refusing comment on the issue[21].
Allen confirmed she has been the victim of identity theft. A stripper obtained her taxi cab account and ran up a £3,500 bill[22].
