Biography
Who is Lily Allen?
Early life
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen was born on May 2, 1985, in Hammersmith, west London. Her father is the actor Keith Allen and her mother is the film producer Alison Owen. She grew up with siblings including her brother Alfie Allen. During her childhood, the family lived in a council estate before settling in Islington.
Lily attended numerous schools, including Bedales School and Hill House School. She was expelled from several schools for smoking and drinking. At age eleven, a music student overheard her singing and gave her lunchtime lessons. She eventually dropped out of school at age fifteen to pursue music.
Music career beginnings
Lily started posting her vocal recordings on Myspace in 2005. Her demos gained thousands of listeners and led to airplay on BBC Radio 1. She signed with Regal Recordings and released her debut commercial single, Smile, in July 2006. The track reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and received double Platinum certification.
Her debut studio album, Alright, Still, was released in 2006. It peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and sold over 2.6 million copies worldwide. The record earned positive reviews and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.
Albums and achievements
Lily released her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You, in 2009. The album debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts. It featured popular singles such as The Fear, Not Fair, and Fuck You. This success earned her the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2010.
She continued releasing music with her third album, Sheezus, in 2014, and her fourth album, No Shame, in 2018. Her fifth album, West End Girl, was released in 2025 and reached number two with broad critical acclaim.
Acting and other ventures
Lily hosted her own television talk show, Lily Allen and Friends, on BBC Three in 2008. She also launched her own record label named In the Name Of in 2011. In 2018, she released an autobiographical book titled My Thoughts Exactly.
As an actress, she appeared in the 2019 film How to Build a Girl. In 2021, she made her West End stage debut in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story. Her performance earned her a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress.
Birthday and age
Lily Allen was born on May 2, 1985, which makes Lily 41 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Lily shares the date with 47 other famous people.
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