
Lily Allen's new album has reignited both her career and her feud with ex-husband David Harbour.
The 40-year-old singer's fifth album, West End Girl, is topping charts and stirring controversy, with insiders claiming it doubles as a calculated strike against the "Stranger Things" actor months after their bitter split.
The album, packed with songs about infidelity, heartbreak, and revenge, arrived as Harbour prepares for his biggest professional moment, the final season of Netflix's Stranger Things. Industry sources told Radar Online that the timing was intentional.
"David's on the brink of a major career moment, but instead of celebrating, he's dealing with headlines about Lily's songs," one insider said. "It's landed at the worst possible time for him."
A Calculated Comeback
West End Girl marks Allen's first album since 2018's No Shame. It immediately topped iTunes in the UK and has surpassed eight million streams in days.
In the track "Madeline," she sings, "Be discreet and don't be blatant... But you're not a stranger, Madeline." Fans quickly linked the song to Harbour's rumored relationship with costume designer Natalie Tippett, who worked with him on the 2021 Netflix film We Have a Ghost.
Tippett later confirmed to the Daily Mail, "Of course I've heard the song. But I have a family and things to protect. It's a little bit scary for me."
A source close to Allen said the album reflects her effort to reclaim control of her story.
"After keeping her head down for so long, she wanted to tell her version before David stepped into the spotlight," the insider said. "It's her way of making sure he knows she's not to be underestimated."
Allen herself acknowledged the emotional toll behind the album's creation.
"Nobody knew what was going on in my life," she said. "So I went into the studio, cried for two hours, and said, 'Let's make some music.' I don't think I could say it's all true, but yes, there are definitely things I experienced within my relationship that ended up on this album."
david harbour and lily allen’s brooklyn townhouse is so pretty, im obsessed pic.twitter.com/bDBOQ3YZ1S
— lis (@simplytomh) February 1, 2023
Musical Fallout and Public Feud
Harbour, 50, has gone silent since the album's release. He's restricted social media comments and skipped recent events. Sources close to the "Stranger Things" team told Radar that Netflix executives are "nervous" about his upcoming press tour, fearing questions about Allen's lyrics.
The track "Pussy Palace" describes finding "a shoebox full of handwritten letters from broken-hearted women wishing you could have been better."
Another song, "Ruminating," poses the line, "Did you kiss her on the lips and look in her eyes?" Both have been interpreted as direct references to the marriage's collapse.
A longtime friend of Harbour told the outlet, "David knows he's made mistakes, but he didn't expect her to go for him like this. He feels she's deliberately trying to damage his name just as his career is taking off again."
Lily's Image Under Fire
While Allen's supporters see West End Girl as a powerful artistic statement, others accuse her of exploiting her private life for profit.
A source told the Daily Mail, "Lily's hardly an angel. She gave David a totally false idea of what and who she is. She wanted the big house and the lifestyle, and then she hated it."
The same source added, "She was advised that if she wanted to sell albums, she'd have to sing about David, and now she's cashing in."
Reports also claim the album's release was deliberately scheduled to coincide with Stranger Things' final season, making Harbour's press obligations "an utter embarrassment." He's reportedly unable to participate in promotional appearances because of the personal turmoil.
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