British pop star Lily Allen has made an honest confession about how being a mother “ruined” her career.
The singer, who is known for 2000s hits Smile, Not Fair and F*** You, reached international success with her first two albums, even receiving a Grammy nomination in 2008 for Best Alternative Music Album.
Allen went on to welcome two children, Ethel Mary, 12 and Marnie Rose, 11, whom she shares with her former husband, Sam Cooper.
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She admitted that after welcoming her children, she chose to “step back” from music due to her own experiences as the child of parents in the entertainment industry.
“I never really have a strategy when it comes to career, but yes, my children ruined my career. I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, totally ruined it,” Allen, 38, said on the Radio Times podcast.
Allen laughed as she said it, but added, “It really annoys me when people say you can have it all, because — quite frankly — you can’t.”
“Some people choose their career over their children and that’s their prerogative,” Allen said.
“My parents were quite absent when I was a kid, and I feel like that really left some nasty scars that I’m not willing to repeat on mine.
“I’m glad that I have done that because I think they’re pretty well-rounded people,” she said of her children.
Allen is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen, and the brother of Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen.
Also on the episode, the singer announced the launch of her own podcast, Miss Me?, which will premiere on Thursday.
Her most recent album, No Shame, was released in 2018.
In 2019, Allen said that she was working on an upcoming concept album, as well as “two musicals,” as per NME.
In 2020, she married Stranger Things actor David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper in the hit Netflix series.
The couple live together with her two children in New York City.
The singer also opened up about her decision to quit alcohol in July 2019.
“I was about two years sober, I’d just moved to New York,” she said elsewhere in the interview.
“A big part of sobriety is surrendering and letting God – in whatever way you want to believe in that – have a plan for you.
“I got a call from a casting director who was putting on a play (2:22 A Ghost Story) in the West End. I said: ‘No, I’m not an actress’.
“But then I was talking to David – I’d been feeling a bit directionless and didn’t really know what I was doing with my life, except for being a mum and setting up a new home in Brooklyn.
“He said, ‘maybe you should call them back’ and five weeks later I was in rehearsal.”
Allen’s performance in 2:22 A Ghost Story led to a Best Actress Olivier Award nomination in 2022.
– With NBC
