In September 2006, "Smile" was made available on the United States version of Apple Inc.'s iTunes Music Store. As of December 2006, her music video for "Smile" has been played on various music channels as well as the song getting a little airplay. She has also done several promotional ads for MTV as their Discover and Download artist of the month for January.

On the week ending on January 28, 2007, British artists made chart history taking all Top 10 places in the Official UK Albums chart for the first time since the chart was established in 1956, according to British record labels trade association the BPI, the album "Alright, Still" was number nine that week.

Entertainment Weekly named "Alright, Still" as one of the top 10 albums of 2006 despite the fact that it had not yet been released in the U.S. The album was released in the United States on 30 January 2007, with "Smile" serviced to radio in January as the first single. The U.S. version contains three additional tracks: "Nan, You're A Window Shopper," "Blank Expression" (on the iTunes version) and a new remix of "Smile" by Mark Ronson.

In concert, Allen performed a parody of 50 Cent's "Window Shopper", called "Nan, You're a Window Shopper", which was commercially released as a B-side to "LDN", because approval was not given in time for the Alright, Still release. Nonetheless, the song appears on the U.S. version of Alright, Still.

Recent activity

Allen performing in June 2007.

Allen provided backing vocals on the Basement Jaxx song "Lights Go Down" (from Crazy Itch Radio) and appears on tracks on Robbie Williams's latest album, Rudebox on the Manu Chao-cover "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'Aime Plus" (produced by Mark Ronson ) and also on "Keep On". She also provides vocals on "Rawhide" by Jamie T and "Wanna Be" by Dizzee Rascal.

On 5 March 2007 "Alfie" was released. It reached #15 in the UK Singles-Chart. Her newest single "Oh My God", produced by Mark Ronson reached #12 in the UK (downloads only), in the second week it jumped up to #8.

Allen performed to positive reviews when Irving Plaza was rechristened as The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza on April 11, 2007. Her style of cocktail dresses and athletic shoes gained popularity, resulting in the May 2007 premiere of Lily Loves, a line of dresses, shoes, and accessories sold through New Look.

Allen is currently working with Future Cut on a second album but has avoided mentioning details about it, stating that "that's a mistake a lot of people make these days, when they have a successful first album, and then the record company pushes them into rushing a second one."

In June 2007, she hosted The Friday Night Project, in which she showed her co-hosts and the audience her third nipple.

Public persona

Allen has been the subject of many controversies, mainly because of her expressed opinions of other musicians. She went to private school with Luke Pritchard of The Kooks, made some disparaging comments about them, and then covered their song "Naïve" on Jo Whiley's Live Lounge to show there were "no hard feelings". She has also called Bob Geldof a "cunt" and a "sanctimonious prat", and has claimed that Kylie Minogue performing at the Glastonbury Festival would be the ultimate insult to the event. Her 2007 performance on the pyramid stage included negative lyrics directed towards Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole.

She also said that everyone who bought Paris Hilton's debut album should be killed off.

When asked by the NME how she would celebrate if her debut single, "Smile", got to Number 1 in the UK charts, she responded "gak" (a slang term for cocaine). She immediately said that she was joking, but the remark was widely quoted in the tabloid press. Allen has since apologized for the remark. She admitted in an NME interview that she worked as an ecstasy drug dealer at the age of 15 whilst living in Sant Antoni de Portmany, though she wasn't very good at it.

In June 2007 Allen was questioned by police over an alleged assault on a photographer outside a nightclub.

Reception

Allen has been the subject of both strong positive and negative reactions. She was included on the NME Cool List for 2006, but she complained in her blog that the treatment was "fucking patronising". She was voted the third coolest person of the year in NME Magazine. She ranked "Number One Reason to Love '07" and "Hottest Woman of Pop/R&B." in Blender magazine. On the other hand, she was also rated number 10 in BBC Three's Most Annoying Person of 2006.

Rapper Example has recorded a new version of "Smile" called "Vile", which is an answer song written from the perspective of the ex-boyfriend (although he was never actually Allen's boyfriend). Both songs were then parodied by Chris Moyles on his Radio 1 breakfast show in a song called "Piles". "LDN" has spawned an answer song by rapper Sway DaSafo and a remix by UK grime artist JME.

Award history

• BRIT Awards
  • 2007, Best British Single: "Smile" (Nominated)
  • 2007, Best British Album: Alright, Still (Nominated)
  • 2007, Best British Female (Nominated)
  • 2007, Best British Breakthrough Act: "Smile" (Nominated)

• NME Awards
  • 2007, Worst Dressed (Won)
  • 2007, Best Solo Artist (Nominated)
  • 2007, Sexiest Woman (Nominated)
  • 2007, Worst Album: Alright, Still (Nominated)

Discography

Albums

• Alright, Still
  • Released: 2006
  • Chart positions: 2 U.K., 6 IRE, 7 AUS, 20 U.S., 22 NZ, 47 FRA
  • Certifications: 2x Platinum U.K., Gold AUS, Silver FRA

Singles

Non-album songs

• "Truth" (from "My Second Mixtape")
• "Sunday Morning"/"U Killed It" ("Sunday Morning" produced prior to her record contract with Regal, and uploaded to her MySpace as it was being considered for the album. Released commercially as "U Killed It" on the B Side to Littlest Things.)
• "Friday Night (Remix)"/"You're Gonna Get Burned"
• "Blank Expression" (exclusive iTunes track 12 of Alright, Still album, a Specials cover)
• "Naïve" (cover of The Kooks track, played in Live Lounge)
• "Cheryl Tweedy" (Smile B Side)
• "Absolutely Nothing" (Smile B Side)
• "Heart of Glass" (Unreleased Blondie Cover)
• "Everybody's Changing" (Littlest Things B-side; Keane Cover)

Features/Collaborations

• "Rawhide with Jamie T
• "Wanna Be" with Dizzee Rascal
• "Oh My God" (Cover of Kaiser Chiefs track, from "My Second Mixtape". Commercially released, both as a Mark Ronson single, EP and on Mark Ronson's second album, Version
• "Drivin' Me Wild" with Common (Produced By Kanye West) on Finding Forever
• "Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'Aime Plus" with Robbie Williams, from the album Rudebox. Produced by Mark Ronson.
• "Keep On" with Robbie Williams, from the album Rudebox.

References

External links

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• Official website
• Lily Allen at MySpace
• Lily Allen at the Internet Movie Database
• Lily Allen at All Music Guide
• Lily Allen at Virb
• Lily Allen on MTV.com
• Lily Alen Live Performance on Sessions@AOL
• iVillage: Behind the Scenes with Lily Allen on TODAY
• AOL Session with Lily Allen and more
• Demand Lily in Spain

Interviews

• Interview with musicOMH.com
• Interview with SquirrelFood
• Interview with Slam X Hype
• Interview in Sydney at YouTube
• Interview in NPR's All Songs Considered
• Lily Allen on 'The Hour'
• See Lilly Allen on AOL Sessions Exclusive behind the scenes footage and interview
• Lily Allen on Sound Opinions
• Lily Allen on Loveline