Lily Allen teases 50 songs written for new album

Lily Allen has teased that she has written around 50 new songs for her upcoming album.

• READ MORE: ‘Dreamland’ review: Lily Allen splashes down in Margate for top TV debut

Last night (January 31), the singer-actor took to social media to reply to a fan who wrote: “My Roman Empire is to think how Lily Recorded around 40 songs for her 5th project and NONE was released…” In response, Allen cheekily quipped that the number of songs written is “more like 50 now”.

It’s more like 50 now 😉 https://t.co/TsdB6jHH2Z

— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) January 31, 2024

Following her reply, a fan asked where ‘Party Line’ – an unreleased song that Lily Allen debuted live in 2018 – was. Allen responded: “IN A DROPBOX OR A WETRANSFER THAT I CANT REMEMBER THE USERNAME LET ALONE THE PASSWORDS FOR”. It is currently unclear if Allen’s X post means the song has been lost forever, or if it will be released in the future once it has been recovered.

IN A DROPBOX OR A WETRANSFER THAT I CANT REMEMBER THE USERNAME LET ALONE THE PASSWORDS FOR. https://t.co/y1tgbJF1Te

— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) January 31, 2024

Lily Allen’s teasing of a wealth of new music comes after she revealed that she had returned to the studio following her special guest performance at Olivia Rodrigo’s Glastonbury 2022 set. After the blockbuster performance – she and Rodrigo duetted ‘Fuck You’ – she hinted that she might not be retiring from music just yet.

Speaking about returning to the studio, Allen accredited the performance with Rodrigo for “sparking something” in her that rekindled her yearning to write and record new music. Before this, Allen said in 2020 that she had finished working on a new album and was writing for three musicals at the time, though that supposed album has never been released.

Elsewhere on X earlier this week (February 29), Lily Allen shared that despite being a decade removed from the Bridget Jones’ Diary musical – which she wrote music for – being put on ice, she “believes” that it has to happen “one day” because the music was “so good”.

Ugh these songs are so good. I have to believe that it will happen one day. https://t.co/oaLumCyOCh

— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) January 29, 2024

The Bridget Jones’ Diary musical had been in the works since 2009 and was originally set for a 2012 debut with Allen and Greg Kurstin writing original music for the show. However, the musical’s debut was delayed and Allen revealed in 2014 that she was no longer part of the project. The musical still has yet to premiere.

Besides music, Allen has also forged a name for herself in acting – both onstage and on screen. She made her theatre debut in the 2021 play 2:22 A Ghost Story, followed by last year’s The Pillowman. On screen, she has appeared as Elizabeth Taylor in the 2019 film How To Build A Girl and as Mel in the 2023 comedy series Dreamland.

Dreamland scored a four-star review, with Nick Levine writing for NME: “By the time the six-episode series concludes with plenty of unfinished business – Mel isn’t the only family member with a selective approach to honesty – you’ll be itching for a return trip. This is a warm, well-observed show with characters you’ll care about because their flaws and foibles are all too human.”