Career Timeline of Lily Allen: Major Achievements and Milestones
Discover the career path of Lily Allen, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Lily Allen is an English singer, songwriter, and actress known for her distinctive voice and candid lyrics. She gained prominence in the mid-2000s with hits like "Smile" and "LDN," blending ska, pop, and electronic music. Beyond music, Allen has ventured into acting, appearing in stage productions and films. She has received critical acclaim and commercial success, earning awards and nominations, including a Brit Award and Grammy nomination.
1998: Appearance in Fat Les' Music Video
In 1998, Lily Allen appeared in the music video for the Fat Les song "Vindaloo".
1998: Appearance in Elizabeth
In 1998, Lily Allen made an appearance as a lady-in-waiting in the film Elizabeth, which was co-produced by her mother.
2001: Recording Vocals for 'On Me Head Not Off Me Head'
In 2001, Lily Allen first recorded the vocals for "On Me Head Not Off Me Head", which was written by her father for Mike Bassett: England Manager.
2002: Featured in Fat Les' 'Who Invented Fish and Chips'
In 2002, Lily Allen was featured in the song "Who Invented Fish and Chips" by her father's group Fat Les.
2004: Collaboration with Future Cut
In 2004, Lily Allen began writing songs and collaborating with production duo Future Cut.
November 2005: Recording Demos and Posting on Myspace
In November 2005, Lily Allen recorded demos and began posting them on Myspace after being signed to Regal Recordings. These demos attracted thousands of listeners.
March 2006: Attention from The Observer Music Monthly
In March 2006, The Observer Music Monthly (OMM) showed interest in Lily Allen as she accumulated tens of thousands of Myspace friends.
July 2006: Release of 'Alright, Still'
In July 2006, Lily Allen's debut album, Alright, Still, was released. Most of the tracks, including the singles "Smile", "LDN", "Knock 'Em Out", and "Alfie", had been previewed on her Myspace page.
December 2006: Music Video Airplay
By December 2006, the music video for Lily Allen's "Smile" was played on various music channels.
2006: Debut Single and Album Release
In 2006, Lily Allen released her debut commercial single, "Smile", which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart by July and received double Platinum certification by the BPI. Her debut album, Alright, Still, was positively received, peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, and sold over 2.6 million copies worldwide. The album also earned a Grammy nomination and spawned the singles "LDN" and "Alfie".
January 2007: US Album Release
On January 30, 2007, Lily Allen's album, Alright, Still, was released in the US, debuting at number 20 on the Billboard 200.
July 2007: Glastonbury Festival and Concert for Diana
In July 2007, Lily Allen played at the Glastonbury Festival on the newly launched Park Stage and appeared at the Concert for Diana held at Wembley Stadium, London, where she sang "LDN" and "Smile".
October 2007: Covering 'Don't Get Me Wrong'
In October 2007, Lily Allen contributed a cover of The Pretenders' "Don't Get Me Wrong" for the compilation album Radio 1: Established 1967.
2008: Hosting 'Lily Allen and Friends'
In 2008, Lily Allen hosted her own television talk show called Lily Allen and Friends on BBC Three.
January 2009: Album Sales Update
By January 2009, Lily Allen's album Alright, Still had sold 960,000 copies in the UK and 520,000 copies in the US.
February 2009: 'The Game' Viral Marketing Success
By February 18, 2009, the online game 'Escape the Fear', part of the viral marketing campaign for Lily Allen's album, had been played over two million times.
February 2009: Allen stops addressing controversies on blog
By February 2009, Lily Allen stopped addressing controversies about herself on her blog, finding it "boring when people just pick stuff up and write about it. People get hurt, people get upset."
September 2009: Considering Acting and No Plans for New Record
In September 2009, Lily Allen announced that she was considering a career in acting, that she would not renew her record contract, and that she had "no plans" to make another record.
September 2009: Face of National Portrait Gallery and Chanel campaign
In September 2009, Lily Allen was named the face of the National Portrait Gallery and was hired by Karl Lagerfeld for a Chanel handbag campaign.
October 2009: Allen releases digital musical petition and shuts down social media
In October 2009, Lily Allen and other musicians released a digital musical petition to pressure world leaders at the Copenhagen climate change summit in December 2009, including a cover of "Beds Are Burning". Allen also deleted her social media accounts, declaring herself a "neo-luddite".
October 2009: Allen deletes social media accounts
In October 2009, after building her career on Myspace, Lily Allen deleted her social media accounts and announced "I am now a neo-luddite. Goodbye."
December 2009: Climate change summit in Copenhagen
In December 2009, world leaders attended the climate change summit in Copenhagen, pressured by a digital musical petition that was released in October 2009 by Allen and several other musicians.
2009: Reunion of The Specials
In 2007, Lily Allen reunited two members of The Specials at the Glastonbury Festival, an act that guitarist Lynval Golding claimed played a "massive part" in the group's 2009 reunion.
2009: Cancellation of second season of Lily Allen and Friends
In 2009, BBC Three controller Danny Cohen announced that the second season of Lily Allen and Friends would not air in the spring as originally scheduled due to Lily Allen's music commitments.
2009: Release of 'It's Not Me, It's You'
In 2009, Lily Allen's second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You, debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts, producing the singles "The Fear", "Not Fair" and "Fuck You".
February 2010: Allen reactivates social media accounts
In February 2010, Lily Allen reactivated her social media accounts after deleting them in October 2009.
June 2010: Featured on 'Just Be Good to Green'
In June 2010, Lily Allen was featured on the UK top five single, "Just Be Good to Green" by Professor Green.
September 2010: End of 'It's Not Me, It's You World Tour'
In September 2010, Lily Allen concluded her It's Not Me, It's You World Tour, which had started in March 2009.
September 2010: Last Performance Before Hiatus
In September 2010, Lily Allen gave her last performance for two and a half years, supporting Muse at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
September 2010: Opening of clothing store Lucy in Disguise
On September 15, 2010, Lily Allen and her sister opened their own clothing store, titled "Lucy in Disguise".
2010: Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist
In 2010, Lily Allen received the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards. Allen and Amy Winehouse were credited with starting a process that led to the "year of the women" media label in 2009 that saw five female artists making music of "experimentalism and fearlessness" nominated for the Mercury Prize.
January 2011: Launched record label In the Name Of
In January 2011, Lily Allen launched her own record label, In the Name Of, with financial backing from Sony Music.
September 2011: T-Pain's '5 O'Clock' Success
In September 2011, T-Pain used a verse from Lily Allen's "Who'd Have Known" as the chorus to his song "5 O'Clock", which also features Wiz Khalifa. It reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Allen's first Top 10 single in the United States.
2011: Launching 'In the Name Of' Record Label
In 2011, Lily Allen launched her own record label called In the Name Of.
June 2012: Working with Greg Kurstin
In June 2012, Lily Allen confirmed that she was in the studio working with Greg Kurstin on new music.
September 2012: Featured on Pink's album
In September 2012, Lily Allen, then known as Lily Rose Cooper, appeared on the track "True Love" on Pink's sixth studio album, The Truth About Love.
2012: Writing Songs for 'Bridget Jones's Diary' Musical
In 2011, Lily Allen started writing songs for the musical version of Bridget Jones's Diary, which was scheduled to open in London's West End in 2012.
February 2013: Performance at Paris fashion show
In February 2013, Lily Allen performed live at a Paris fashion show produced by Mark Ronson, foreshadowing the release of a new album inspired by her experiences of motherhood by the end of 2013.
May 2013: Warner Music Group acquired Parlophone
In May 2013 Warner Music Group acquired Parlophone from Universal Music Group.
August 2013: Name change back to Lily Allen
In August 2013, Lily Allen changed her professional name back from Lily Rose Cooper to Lily Allen and announced on Twitter that new music would be arriving "soon".
November 2013: Cover of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" and release of "Hard Out Here"
In November 2013, Lily Allen recorded a cover of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" for the John Lewis Christmas advert. Also, in November 2013, she premiered the video for her new song "Hard Out Here" on her official website, with the song released as a download the following week.
December 2013: Signed to Warner Bros. Records
In December 2013, Lily Allen was announced as one of the newest signees at Warner Bros. Records after Warner Music Group acquired Parlophone from Universal Music Group in May 2013.
May 2014: Release of Sheezus album
On May 5, 2014, Lily Allen's third studio album, Sheezus, was released.
2014: Closure of In the Name Of label
In 2014, Lily Allen's record label, In the Name Of, closed down.
2014: Release of 'Sheezus'
In 2014, Lily Allen's third album, Sheezus, peaked at the top of the UK Albums Chart.
April 2016: Allen announces support for Women's Equality Party
During the London elections in April 2016, Lily Allen announced that she would split her vote, supporting the Women's Equality Party on the London-wide Assembly list but Labour elsewhere.
May 2016: Launch of Bank Holiday Records
In May 2016, Lily Allen announced the launch of her second record label, Bank Holiday Records.
June 2016: Allen supports Jeremy Corbyn
In June 2016, Lily Allen publicly supported Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn via tweets and at protests, amidst mass resignations from his cabinet and a leadership challenge.
2017: Original short film Dreamland aired
In 2017 the original short film Dreamland starring Morgana Robinson aired, which was later developed into a comedy-drama starring Lily Allen in April 2023.
2017: Uploaded songs online in preparation for new album
In late 2017, Lily Allen uploaded numerous songs online, including the track titled "Family Man", in preparation for her new album No Shame.
January 2018: Announcement of No Shame album
On January 24, 2018, Lily Allen announced that her new album would be called No Shame.
June 2018: Release of No Shame album
On June 8, 2018, Lily Allen released her album No Shame, which was later nominated for a Mercury Prize.
September 2018: Allen discusses paying for sex and addresses press coverage
In September 2018, Lily Allen posted on Instagram about paying for sex with female escorts in 2014 during her marriage and tour for Sheezus. She preempted a Daily Mail article and linked these events to postnatal depression and her marriage breakdown, criticizing the press portrayal. She discussed the events on The Jonathan Ross Show, saying that the sex was not "cheating" as the escorts were women.
September 2018: Publication of memoir My Thoughts Exactly
On September 20, 2018, Lily Allen published her memoir My Thoughts Exactly with Blink Publishing, which received nominations and was listed among the best celebrity memoirs of 2018.
2018: Release of Autobiographical Book
In 2018, Lily Allen released her autobiographical book, My Thoughts Exactly.
2018: Release of 'No Shame'
In 2018, Lily Allen's fourth album, No Shame, peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart.
April 2019: Working on concept album
In April 2019, Lily Allen revealed on Beats 1 radio that she was working on her next record, which would be a concept album.
July 2019: Appearance in How to Build a Girl
In July 2019, Lily Allen appeared as Elizabeth Taylor in How to Build a Girl, alongside her brother Alfie.
November 2019: Allen declares support for Labour Party
In November 2019, during the UK general election campaign, Lily Allen declared that the Labour Party manifesto was "the best I've ever seen" and posted a picture of her polling card with the caption: "Tories OUT."
2019: Acting Debut in 'How to Build a Girl'
In 2019, Lily Allen appeared in the film How to Build a Girl as an actress.
March 2020: New album features "odd mentions" of past addictions
In March 2020, Lily Allen said that her new album only features "odd mentions" of her past addictions, indicating a shift in her lyrical content.
October 2020: Collaboration with Womanizer
In October 2020, Lily Allen partnered with the sex tech company Womanizer to create her own sex toy, Liberty, and became the chief liberation officer, leading their #IMasturbate campaign.
June 2021: Announced lead role in West End play
In June 2021, Lily Allen announced that she would be playing the lead role of Jenny in the West End play 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Noël Coward Theatre from August 3, 2021.
August 2021: Debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story
In August 2021, Lily Allen debuted in the West End play 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Noël Coward Theatre.
2021: West End Debut in '2:22 A Ghost Story'
In 2021, Lily Allen made her West End debut in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story, for which she received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress.
2022: Olivier Award nomination and WhatsOnStage Award
In 2022, Lily Allen received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress and also won a WhatsOnStage Award for her performance in 2:22 A Ghost Story.
2022: Booked five weeks in a music studio
In late 2022, Lily Allen booked five weeks in a music studio, but felt the music was not ready to be released.
April 2023: Starred in Dreamland
In April 2023, Lily Allen starred alongside Freema Agyeman in Sharon Horgan's comedy-drama Dreamland for Sky Max.
2023: Starred in The Pillowman
In 2023, Lily Allen starred as Katurian in a revival of Martin McDonagh's play The Pillowman at the Duke of York's Theatre, London.
2024: Started Miss Me? podcast and OnlyFans account
In 2024, Lily Allen began hosting a podcast, Miss Me?, with Miquita Oliver and opened an OnlyFans account to sell pictures and videos of her feet, earning more than from Spotify.
2024: Recorded around 50 songs for next music project
In 2024, Lily Allen said she had recorded around 50 songs for her next music project, which she was still working on.
July 2025: To star in Hedda
In July 2025, Lily Allen will star as Hedda Gabler in Hedda, a new re-imagining of Henrik Ibsen's play adapted and directed by Matthew Dunster for the Ustinov Studio, Bath, Somerset.
October 2025: Allen's Album Partially Based on Relationship 'Demise'
Following the release of her studio album West End Girl in October 2025, Lily Allen stated that the album was partially based on the "demise" of her relationship with Harbour.
October 2025: Announcement of West End Girl album
On October 20, 2025, Lily Allen announced that her fifth studio album West End Girl would be released four days later, which received widespread critical acclaim.
2025: Release of 'West End Girl'
In 2025, Lily Allen's fifth and most recent album, West End Girl, peaked at number two and was met with broad critical acclaim.
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