Lily gets personal

Allen reveals all on new album

20 January 2009 - Lily Allen's second record features stories about unsatisfying relationships and her absent father, but the singer's not worried about giving away too much about her personal life:

"I don't know how else to write. I wish I could be more vague in what I write and then they'd get played in adverts, but they don't," Lily said.

It's Not Me It's You is out on February 9th, and closes with the song 'He Wasn't There' about her absent father Keith Allen, the actor who once formed part of novelty act Fat Les with artist Damien Hirst and Blur bassist Alex James.

"I was very aware of what was going on. He had a lot of fun in the nineties, and he wasn't around much. It's as simple as that," she says. Lily continued that she won't lose sleep over the public knowing a lot about her life: "A song is only two minutes of someone's life, and then they're thinking about something else. Things don't linger.""When I listen to that record I cringe"- Lily Allen on Alright, Still

Lily appeared on George Lamb's show on 6 Music this morning and played two tracks from her new album, It's Not Me It's You, 'The Fear' and 'He Wasn't There'.

But Lily admits she isn't keen to revisit her debut album Alright Still: "When I listen to that record I cringe. I am five years younger on that record. I can't bear listening to it."

Lily plays a one-off gig at London's Koko on 28th January before kicking off a UK tour in Glasgow on 14th March.

On the tour she'll be supported by the hotly tipped electro-pop Act La Roux, aka Elly Jackson, who was number five in this year's BBC Sound Of poll.

Rodrigo Davies