Lily Allen

Solo Artist · The Myspace singer who wrote her way out

Photo: rom@nski photo · CC BY 2.0
Active 2005-present
Origin Hammersmith, England
Albums 5
Tracks 65
Most frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin · 25 tracks
Genres PopR&BReggae
Complete Artist
98%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 64 of 65 tracks

Does Lily Allen write her own songs?

Yes, with one exception in twenty years. She is credited on 64 of the 65 tracks across her five studio albums, and the one that is not hers is "Somewhere Only We Know", a Keane cover that gave her a UK Christmas number one in 2013. She has never released a song credited to her alone, though: every track carries a co-writer, most often the producer.

By the Numbers

5
Studio Albums
65
Tracks Credited
98%
Self-Written
21
Years Active
96
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 64 / 65 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 65 tracks: how many Lily Allen wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Lily Allen has a writing credit98%
98%
2%
Sole author0tracks0%
Co-written64tracks98%
Outside writers1tracks2%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Lily Allen's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 65 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)98%
Composer (music)98%
Producer23%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Lily Allen's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 98%
100%
100%
93%
100%
100%
2006Alright, Still
2009It's Not Me, It's You
2014Sheezus
2018No Shame
2025West End Girl
Early · 97% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2000s
Alright, Still, It's Not Me, It's You
96%
2010s
Sheezus, No Shame
100%
2020s
West End Girl

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Lily Allen sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Lily Allen
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Aaliyah0%
The Pussycat Dolls21%
Rihanna44%
Kelly Rowland53%
Selena Gomez71%
Ariana Grande80%
Jonas Brothers89%
98%Lily Allen
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Smile
Alright, Still
Written by Lily Allen, Iyiola Babalola, Darren Lewis, Jackie Mittoo, Coxsone Dodd, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen, Clement Dodd
Co-wrote
LDN
Alright, Still
Written by Lily Allen, Duke Reid, Iyiola Babalola, Darren Lewis, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen, Arthur "Duke" Reid
Co-wrote
Littlest Things
Alright, Still
Written by Lily Allen, Mark Ronson, Pierre Bachelet, Hervé Roy, Santi White, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
The Fear
It's Not Me, It's You
Written by Lily Allen, Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
Not Fair
It's Not Me, It's You
Written by Lily Allen, Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
22
It's Not Me, It's You
Written by Lily Allen, Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
Who'd Have Known
It's Not Me, It's You
Written by Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Steve Robson, Lily Allen, Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
Fuck You
It's Not Me, It's You
Written by Lily Allen, Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
Somewhere Only We Know
Sheezus
Written by Tom Chaplin, Richard Hughes, Tim Rice-Oxley
Outside writers
Air Balloon
Sheezus
Written by Lily Allen, Shellback, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
Hard Out Here
Sheezus
Written by Lily Allen, Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
Our Time
Sheezus
Written by Lily Allen, Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
URL Badman
Sheezus
Written by Lily Allen, Greg Kurstin, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Co-wrote
Madeline
West End Girl
Written by Lily Allen, Violet Skies, Lily Rose Beatrice Allen, Chaz Carter, Jeremy Malvin, Blue May
Co-wrote

Discography 5 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Lily Allen65 tracks
25Greg Kurstin, 25 tracks SC16Seb Chew, 16 tracks BM14Blue May, 14 tracks K14Kito, 14 tracks 12Morgan Nicholls, 12 tracks LC8Leroy Clampitt, 8 tracks MK8Maaike Kito Lebbing, 8 tracks LV7Leon Vynehall, 7 tracks CA7Chloe Angelides, 7 tracks F6Fryars, 6 tracks VS6Violet Skies, 6 tracks IB5Iyiola Babalola, 5 tracks DL5Darren Lewis, 5 tracks FC5Future Cut, 5 tracks OS5Oscar Scheller, 5 tracks MJ4Micah Jasper, 4 tracks MR3Mark Ronson, 3 tracks KP3Karen Poole, 3 tracks JM3Jeremy Malvin, 3 tracks CS3Chrome Sparks, 3 tracks TR2Tim Rice-Oxley, 2 tracks ER2Emre Ramazanoglu, 2 tracks P2P2J, 2 tracks SN2Show N Prove, 2 tracks ET2Ellis Taylor, 2 tracks HG2Hayley Gene Penner, 2 tracks AB2Alessandro Buccellati, 2 tracks CC2Chaz Carter, 2 tracks JM1Jackie Mittoo, 1 track CD1Coxsone Dodd, 1 track CD1Clement Dodd, 1 track EK1Earl King, 1 track DR1Duke Reid, 1 track A"1Arthur "Duke" Reid, 1 track PC1Pablo Cook, 1 track JB1Jonny Bull, 1 track BM1Blair MacKichan, 1 track PB1Pierre Bachelet, 1 track HR1Hervé Roy, 1 track SW1Santi White, 1 track OI1O'Kelly Isley, Jr., 1 track EI1Ernie Isley, 1 track RI1Rudolph Isley, 1 track RI1Ronald Isley, 1 track MI1Marvin Isley, 1 track CJ1Chris Jasper, 1 track EI1Ernest Isley, 1 track GB1Gary Barlow, 1 track JO1Jason Orange, 1 track MO1Mark Owen, 1 track HD1Howard Donald, 1 track SR1Steve Robson, 1 track DD1DJ Dahi, 1 track S1Shellback, 1 track BG1Benjamin Garrett, 1 track F(1Fryars (Garrett, 1 track TC1Tom Chaplin, 1 track RH1Richard Hughes, 1 track PB1Paul Beard, 1 track G1Giggs, 1 track NT1Nathaniel Thompson, 1 track DS1Dre Skull, 1 track LB1Liana Banks, 1 track W1Wildlife!, 1 track R"1Richard "P2J" Isong, 1 track BB1Burna Boy, 1 track AP1Ari PenSmith, 1 track AO1Alastair O'Donnell, 1 track MD1Meridian Dan, 1 track DL1Daniel London, 1 track S1Starsmith, 1 track GC1Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, 1 track GG1Greg Gonzalez, 1 track SD1Sam Duckworth, 1 track JN1Jack Nichols-Marcy, 1 track JA1Jenna Andrews, 1 track ED1Eliza Doolittle, 1 track EC1Eliza Caird, 1 track TD1Tim Deal, 1 track LC1Lady Chann, 1 track H1Hight, 1 track EK1Ezra Koenig, 1 track on Vampire Weekend's page B1BloodPop, 1 track MT1Michael Tucker, 1 track CL1Cass Lowe, 1 track BS1Billy Stewart, 1 track AH1Albert Hammond Jr, 1 track AH1Amos Herman, 1 track JE1Jason Evigan, 1 track LC1Lumidee Cedeño, 1 track SM1Steven Marsden, 1 track TM1Teddy Mendez, 1 track EP1Edwin Perez, 1 track MG1Micah Grossman, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. SC Seb Chew · BM Blue May · K Kito · LC Leroy Clampitt

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Allen is credited on 64 of the 65 tracks across her five albums, and the one she is not on is a cover: "Somewhere Only We Know", the Keane song she took to number one for Christmas 2013. Nothing else in the catalogue is anyone else's. What she does not do is write alone: not one track in twenty years carries her name by itself. Greg Kurstin is on nearly all of two albums, Future Cut on the debut, Fryars and Mark Ronson on No Shame. The songs are hers and the room is never empty.

Quick Facts

  • Discovered on MyspacePosted demos in 2005 and was signed to Regal off the back of them
  • First single"Smile" topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in 2006
  • AwardsBrit Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2010, with a Grammy nomination for Alright, Still
  • Main collaboratorGreg Kurstin, who produced and co-wrote most of two albums
  • Best sellerAlright, Still sold over 2.6 million copies worldwide
  • AuthorshipCredited on 64 of 65 tracks, and never as the only writer

Creative Fingerprint

A writer on everything except one cover, who has never released a song credited to her alone.

The Story

Lily Allen posted demos to Myspace in 2005, got signed to Regal on the strength of them, and had a UK number one with "Smile" the next summer. Five albums have followed across twenty years, from the ska-pop of Alright, Still to the Greg Kurstin electropop of It's Not Me, It's You and the 2025 return West End Girl. She has a Brit Award and a Grammy nomination.

Awards & Recognition

Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist at the 2010 Brit Awards
Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album for Alright, Still at the 50th Grammy Awards
Laurence Olivier Award nomination for her stage work

Frequently Asked Questions Lily Allen

Does Lily Allen write her own songs?
Yes, with one exception in twenty years. She is credited on 64 of the 65 tracks across her five studio albums, and the one that is not hers is "Somewhere Only We Know", a Keane cover that gave her a UK Christmas number one in 2013. She has never released a song credited to her alone, though: every track carries a co-writer, most often the producer.
How many albums has Lily Allen released?
Five studio albums: Alright, Still in 2006, It's Not Me, It's You in 2009, Sheezus in 2014, No Shame in 2018 and West End Girl in 2025.
Who wrote "Smile"?
Allen with Iyiola Babalola and Darren Lewis, who produce as Future Cut, plus Jackie Mittoo and Coxsone Dodd for the reggae record it samples. It was her first UK number one.
Who wrote "The Fear"?
Allen and Greg Kurstin, who produced it. It topped the UK Singles Chart in 2009.
Did she write "Somewhere Only We Know"?
No. It is a Keane song, written by Tom Chaplin, Richard Hughes and Tim Rice-Oxley, recorded for a John Lewis Christmas advert and later added to Sheezus. It is the only track in her catalogue she is not credited on.
Who does Lily Allen write with?
Greg Kurstin is the main one: he produced and co-wrote almost all of It's Not Me, It's You and most of Sheezus. Future Cut and Mark Ronson worked on the debut, Fryars and Ronson on No Shame, and a wider circle including Blue May and Leroy Clampitt on West End Girl.
Has Lily Allen won a Grammy?
No. Alright, Still was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 50th Grammy Awards. She won the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2010.
Which Lily Allen album sold the most?
Alright, Still, with over 2.6 million copies worldwide, though It's Not Me, It's You has sold slightly more in the United Kingdom.
Why do the chart peaks here come from the UK?
Allen's discography leads with UK positions and most of her singles never entered the Billboard Hot 100. The peaks shown are UK Singles Chart positions.
What is West End Girl about?
Her fifth album, released in October 2025 after a seven-year gap, deals with the end of her marriage. It reached number two in the UK and is her most acclaimed record since the second.

Sources

Wikipedia: Lily Allen Wikipedia: Lily Allen discography File:Lily Allen @ INmusic festival - Wikimedia Commons