Exactly on time at 2 o'clock, Lily Allen comes striding in through the doors of the restaurant where we've arranged to meet. Dressed in sleek black pants, a jewel-studded black jumper and neon-pink high heels, the woman standing before me is a far cry from the sneaker-and-maxi-dress sporting girl I interviewed back in 2006. On her expression, however, there has been no change in wardrobe - the same cheeky, eager grin plays across her face. Her eyes twinkle with enthusiasm and a certain childlike roguishness - the same defiant streak that propelled her to fame with her refreshingly candid lyrics, yet made her a prominent fixture in English tabloids (usually for not being able to "keep her mouth shut").
Gliding over the formalities, we begin discussing her latest album, Sheezus. The 29 year-old English singer recently returned to the music industry after a 5 year hiatus. In her own words, Allen says that "this wasn't a calculated return to the industry...I just started writing songs and realized I had enough of them to make a record." Indeed, Allen has always maintained that she writes whenever it feels "natural" and that her songs are mostly written by herself. This forthright authenticity forms the foundation of her fan base - especially in current pop culture where most songs are carefully crafted and produced solely for sales. In contrast, Allen presents lyrics that are refreshingly original and do not hesitate to question our society - placing greater importance on sincerity rather than commercial success.
The first single from Sheezus is a classic Lily Allen-esque example of using sarcasm to ridicule our society. 'Hard Out Here' is a feminist anthem that mockingly regurgitates the ridiculous expectations thrown at women by the entertainment industry, like "you should probably lose some weight, 'cos we can't see your bones, you should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own." The chorus further remarks that it's harder being a woman than a man, with "forget your balls and grow a pair of t*ts, it's hard out here for a b*tch" being the hook. Allen grins as she explains that this song is about "reclaiming the 'b' word for women". Much like how the word "n*gga" is acceptable when used between African Americans, the "b word" has different connotations when used by women amongst themselves. It is this crude use of language that forces people to sit up and listen - Allen has no qualms about swearing in public, often writing songs drizzled with cleverly placed expletives to drive her message home. In this case, the choice of the cruder "t*ts" over "breasts" is instrumental, as Allen points out, "we are comfortable with sexualizing women, but only to a certain extent. If I sexualize myself I am considered a slut, but no one makes a fuss when male artists talk about their sex lives in their songs".
Another problem Allen tackled was that of pop culture in her 2009 single 'The Fear' - a statement on how "the world is becoming less real...bad things are becoming more important." The song opens with a refrain she says "many of us think but don't say" : "I wanna be rich and I want lots of money, I don't care about clever I don't care about funny," and goes on to admit that "life's about film stars and less about mothers, it's all about ... cussing each other." This song alone bottles up many of our personal frustrations of society. Sitting opposite her now, 6 years later, she tells me that "things are still the same, or maybe even worse." Allen mentions that she is a big fan of "thought-provoking, impactful music". Indeed, her music has had a big impact on society, with many bloggers hailing her as "the only fashionable young person articulate about the world around them." Allen herself strongly encourages her audience to get involved in their futures, writing that "We are the youth, we can make coolness for our future, it's up to us. Go green and hate hate." Her strong opinions have also brought her negative publicity, although she laughs it off easily, "Any publicity is good publicity. I just say what other people are too scared to," she says. Opinions toward the singer are mixed, she herself snickers about how "I was nominated Twit of the Year AND Woman of the Year in the same year!" (the people here at R.S. want to point out that she did win Woman of the Year).
Like the revolutionary artist Tupac Shakur, Allen advocates change by drawing attention to our problems and by critiquing our society. She not only sings about big issues, but presents observations on our personal lives that are collective reflections upon our society's values, needs and wants as a whole. She has sung about society viewing the lives of unmarried women over 30 as over ('22'); about how we no longer turn off our phones to "reconnect like human beings" ('Our Time') and even about the shallowness of online bloggers in criticizing celebrities ('URL Badman', 'Sheezus'). Through all this, Allen's body of work has formed a cultural memoir detailing the problems we face, what we place value on and what we think about life and society. Of these achievements she remains humble, smiling as she tells me, "I just write the obvious about the world around me, they're just my reflections."
Like the strong Cockney accent with which she speaks and sings, Allen's diction in her songs is largely informal - and very English. Her frequent usage of colloquialisms, like "fags" to mean cigarettes and "don't mean jack" to mean "doesn't mean anything, as well as the bold accent authenticate her amongst English audiences. In addition to this, Allen has also been involved in English politics (a strong supporter of the Labour Party) and included references to London in many songs and music videos. She even laughs at the idea of moving to another country and asks why she would "possibly want to be anywhere but London".
Ending off the interview with a final question on what she feels the future for women in her industry holds, Allen replies with, "I'm not sure, but we're definitely not out of the woods yet. People in this day and age are still under the illusion that every woman who is successful in this in industry must be controlled by a man. I'm the boss." This unapologetic answer, delivered punctuated by laughter is playful yet has a serious undertone to it, like most of her interview. The singer is never afraid to laugh out loud or make fun of herself, admitting that "many of my songs are about laughing at ourselves."
With her scathing remarks and controversial songs, we doubt Allen will be able to remain out of the headlines for long. Nevertheless, Lily Allen is one to watch for compelling and hilariously precise - not to mention catchy - statements on our society.
The above interview was taken from the Rolling Stone.
The first single from Sheezus is a classic Lily Allen-esque example of using sarcasm to ridicule our society. 'Hard Out Here' is a feminist anthem that mockingly regurgitates the ridiculous expectations thrown at women by the entertainment industry, like "you should probably lose some weight, 'cos we can't see your bones, you should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own." The chorus further remarks that it's harder being a woman than a man, with "forget your balls and grow a pair of t*ts, it's hard out here for a b*tch" being the hook. Allen grins as she explains that this song is about "reclaiming the 'b' word for women". Much like how the word "n*gga" is acceptable when used between African Americans, the "b word" has different connotations when used by women amongst themselves. It is this crude use of language that forces people to sit up and listen - Allen has no qualms about swearing in public, often writing songs drizzled with cleverly placed expletives to drive her message home. In this case, the choice of the cruder "t*ts" over "breasts" is instrumental, as Allen points out, "we are comfortable with sexualizing women, but only to a certain extent. If I sexualize myself I am considered a slut, but no one makes a fuss when male artists talk about their sex lives in their songs".
Another problem Allen tackled was that of pop culture in her 2009 single 'The Fear' - a statement on how "the world is becoming less real...bad things are becoming more important." The song opens with a refrain she says "many of us think but don't say" : "I wanna be rich and I want lots of money, I don't care about clever I don't care about funny," and goes on to admit that "life's about film stars and less about mothers, it's all about ... cussing each other." This song alone bottles up many of our personal frustrations of society. Sitting opposite her now, 6 years later, she tells me that "things are still the same, or maybe even worse." Allen mentions that she is a big fan of "thought-provoking, impactful music". Indeed, her music has had a big impact on society, with many bloggers hailing her as "the only fashionable young person articulate about the world around them." Allen herself strongly encourages her audience to get involved in their futures, writing that "We are the youth, we can make coolness for our future, it's up to us. Go green and hate hate." Her strong opinions have also brought her negative publicity, although she laughs it off easily, "Any publicity is good publicity. I just say what other people are too scared to," she says. Opinions toward the singer are mixed, she herself snickers about how "I was nominated Twit of the Year AND Woman of the Year in the same year!" (the people here at R.S. want to point out that she did win Woman of the Year).
Like the revolutionary artist Tupac Shakur, Allen advocates change by drawing attention to our problems and by critiquing our society. She not only sings about big issues, but presents observations on our personal lives that are collective reflections upon our society's values, needs and wants as a whole. She has sung about society viewing the lives of unmarried women over 30 as over ('22'); about how we no longer turn off our phones to "reconnect like human beings" ('Our Time') and even about the shallowness of online bloggers in criticizing celebrities ('URL Badman', 'Sheezus'). Through all this, Allen's body of work has formed a cultural memoir detailing the problems we face, what we place value on and what we think about life and society. Of these achievements she remains humble, smiling as she tells me, "I just write the obvious about the world around me, they're just my reflections."
Like the strong Cockney accent with which she speaks and sings, Allen's diction in her songs is largely informal - and very English. Her frequent usage of colloquialisms, like "fags" to mean cigarettes and "don't mean jack" to mean "doesn't mean anything, as well as the bold accent authenticate her amongst English audiences. In addition to this, Allen has also been involved in English politics (a strong supporter of the Labour Party) and included references to London in many songs and music videos. She even laughs at the idea of moving to another country and asks why she would "possibly want to be anywhere but London".
Ending off the interview with a final question on what she feels the future for women in her industry holds, Allen replies with, "I'm not sure, but we're definitely not out of the woods yet. People in this day and age are still under the illusion that every woman who is successful in this in industry must be controlled by a man. I'm the boss." This unapologetic answer, delivered punctuated by laughter is playful yet has a serious undertone to it, like most of her interview. The singer is never afraid to laugh out loud or make fun of herself, admitting that "many of my songs are about laughing at ourselves."
With her scathing remarks and controversial songs, we doubt Allen will be able to remain out of the headlines for long. Nevertheless, Lily Allen is one to watch for compelling and hilariously precise - not to mention catchy - statements on our society.
The above interview was taken from the Rolling Stone.
I really like how you structured your blog post Athena. I also really liked the artist you chose. Her lyrics are really reflective of the current state of society. The way you described her music as thought-provoking and valid was also really good. Keep up the posts Athena! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing post, Athena. I love your writing style! I've heard much about Lily Allen and listened to some of her music. I feel as if you've perfectly captured her intentions in writing provocative lyrics.
ReplyDeleteI love how this post is written and you definitely made a great choice with your artist. Despite that she is rather controversial, her lyrics are very powerful and you discussed some very interesting ideas. I like the idea of "thought-provoking music", it shows us that music should still have a meaning rather than just be a sound. Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job Athena, I really enjoyed your approach and interpretation of the artist's lyrical work and impact on society!
ReplyDelete