Lily Allen’s off-duty censor

last updated 8 January 2015

Lily Allen keeps saying things she shouldn’t, says Melena Ryzik in The New York Times. The British pop singer, though just 23, has already left a long trail of drunken public appearances, sexual indiscretions, and outrageous comments. At one awards show, she told Elton John to “f--- off” when he joked about her obvious inebriation. She was once cited by the police for assaulting a photographer. Last year she got very publicly pregnant and had a very public miscarriage. Allen is now trying to tone down her public image. “I’m learning how not to be in that world,” she says, but admits it’s a struggle. “My insecurities are a big part of me. I’m drawn toward wanting acceptance. I’m not a particularly private person. On tour, I’m in an odd world of drugs and alcohol and a different city each day. Interviews with strangers. The lines of reality get confused.” Because British tabloids are obsessed with her, her private relationships are very public. “It’s ironic because I’m not very good at them,” she says. “I’m good at having sex.” Her singing career, she admits, is just another way of getting attention. “I don’t really have anything I’m passionate about. It’s not music, which is a shame, because it would be good if it was.” She sighs. “I don’t protect myself. If someone asks me a question, I’m going to answer it.”