Photo: Courtesy of Parlophone Records.
Lily Allen came back like a bat out of you know what this past week, and, frankly, we weren't prepared. Her video for "Hard Out Here" has been the topic of many a thought piece and Internet-trolling for its apparently racist undertones. Wherever you stand on the subject, Allen wants you to know that it's this very discussion that makes it "hard out here for a bitch."
In an interview with
The Guardian's Observer, Allen says she aims to reclaim the word as something less derogatory and more empowering. She racks off a list of celebrities who are, according to her, bitches: Adele, Dolly Parton, Angela Merkel, her "mum." Rihanna's "an inspiring bitch" and Miley Cyrus is a "bitch rising" and Allen's hero. (Side note: The phrase "bitch rising" is kind of fantastic — one is not quite giving zero craps; they're a bitch-in-training.) Oh, and she's quick to say that "Kate Middleton is NOT a bitch." So, there's that.
Anyway, Allen continues to defend her vision for her first single, explaining that, from her start in 2006, she's always been the "mouthy" star. "In the music industry, women have always been controlled by male execs," she justifies, "told to do the Kate Moss thing. Keep your mouth shut, or people will laugh at you." So, really, we should've expected nothing less. Speaking to where pop music is today, Allen is both intimidated and thrilled that there are so many women dominating the charts. Although, she's quick to bash the lack of genuine writing. Needless to say, don't expect any "eh eh oh eh eh" choruses on what's going to be her "less-teenage" forthcoming album — unless, of course, it's an ironic use because that would just be so "mouthy" of her. (NME)