As an artist, Lily Allen firmly believes that a broken heart can be a gift. After all, it helped create her latest album, West End Girl.
“You know, when I wrote it, I wasn't sure it would see the light of day,” Allen told CBS News special correspondent Anthony Mason in an interview on “CBS Mornings” that aired Thursday, calling the music “an act of desperation.” The studio album, released in late October, was written during the end of her nearly four-year marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour.
The theme of what has been called Allen's epic “breakup album” centers around stories of a cheating partner, which the singer says are based partly on truth and partly on fantasy.
Harbor has not directly addressed his split from Allen or commented on her album West End Girl. But in interview with Esquire UKpublished ahead of the album's release, Harbor discussed the importance of admitting to one's mistakes. “I would change everything or nothing. If you accept your past, you will accept it fully, even the pain, the mistakes… It's all part of the journey, the growth, the wisdom, the empathy and the connection, and if you change one thing, you change everything,” he told the magazine at the time, adding that his job is to be honest.
New album has 'everything I needed to say'
But Allen said storing the album was a “nightmare” and it slowed her recovery. She felt relief and peace when she was finally able to share her words with the world.
“Ever since I released this, I have felt a complete and utter release. It was hell to see that in the background,” Allen said. “I don't know. I just feel like I can't – it says everything I need to say. And I felt like I didn’t like to go on with my life until I said it.”
Her newly released music quickly set social media on fire, with fans reacting to it on TikTok.
Allen wrote most of the record in 10 days late last year. She was excited to complete the album, but at the same time her personal life was falling apart.
After spending Christmas with her two daughters, whom she shares with ex-husband Sam Cooper, Allen decided to check into a treatment facility.
“I knew my feelings were too strong,” Allen explained of her decision to seek professional help after her breakup. Allen, a recovering alcoholic, said she's not afraid to work on herself and knows she needs some peace.
Cathartic release
The Brooklyn townhouse that Allen and Harbor gave Architectural Digest a tour of in 2023 is now listed for sale for approximately $8 million. The couple bought the house in early 2021, shortly after their wedding.
Allen said her music was cathartic—for herself and her children.
“All the pain that, you know, I've been through over the last year, they've been through too,” Allen said. “But you know, I wanted to show my kids that you can use that pain and harness it and turn it into something else. And I think I did it.”
Allen is now gearing up for her 2026 tour, her first since getting sober in 2019.
The singer said she plans her tour schedule around her girls' holidays so they can come and bring their friends.
“I can’t wait for them to be there. It's like it's going to be… It's just as important to them as it is to me,” Allen said, adding that after a year of healing, she feels like she's living her best life.
