Lily Allen has revealed she feels a sense of fear about her longform conversations being picked apart.
The Smile frontwoman recently told The Cut that she has held back from giving many interviews about her West End Girl project because she feels constrained about what she can publicly share about the breakup record and worries about the headlines these discussions might generate.
“In-depth chats where people pick apart my words are something I find truly painful,” the 41-year-old explained. “I’m incredibly sensitive. I don’t enjoy exposing myself because I dislike the backlash that follows. I also have no filter. I’m not trained for the media, and I’ve never figured out how to bluff my way through questions.”
She added that she would like to participate in more podcasts and talk-show appearances to stay in the cultural conversation, but she ultimately feels “just too scared” to do so.
Lily’s fifth studio album, West End Girl, arrived last October. It was written and recorded within ten days after the end of her marriage to Stranger Things star David Harbour, following allegations that he had cheated on her.
The singer noted that she “doesn’t mind” people speculating about her private life because of the album’s candid nature, yet it saddens her when people “really get it wrong” and spread “plainly untrue” rumours that she cannot respond to.
“But those are the consequences too, right? I have to live with what I’ve said and done before,” she stated. “And I think the mystery has its own appeal. If I spoke about it too much, it would become boring a lot quicker.”
The Fear hitmaker admitted that she loves fame and attention but needs to establish boundaries to safeguard her mental health.
“I’m simply too sensitive for it. There are aspects of fame I genuinely enjoy, and I want to keep pursuing them, but not if it comes at the expense of my mental health and sanity,” she said.
Lily will conclude her West End Girl tour with a stop in Australia in November.
