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Lily Allen Clarifies 'Madeline' Is Fictional as She Releases 'West End Girl'

Her interviews connect the album’s confessional tone to shifting norms in intimacy shaped by dating apps.

Overview

  • Allen released West End Girl on October 24, a 14-track set that marks her first album in seven years.
  • In a new Sunday Times interview reported October 25, she says the character named Madeline is a fictional composite drawn from multiple people.
  • Allen describes the project as a deliberate blend of fact and invention that probes cheating, gaslighting, open relationships and sex addiction.
  • She argues that dating apps make people feel disposable and says many young women are less drawn to marriage or long-term relationships.
  • TheWrap reports the album’s lyrics reference agreed-upon boundaries within an open arrangement and suggest rules were broken, and it notes David Harbour has not publicly addressed the claims.