The music world's straight-talking, no nonsense pop rebel Lily Allen is back – and she's taking no prisoners with her new track.
Lily hits out at gender inequality in Hard Out Here - which has already caused controversy with its explicit, expletive-laden lyrics, and provocative video.
It begins with Lily lying on an operating table undergoing liposuction. A record company executive, possibly her manager, asks: "How does somebody let themselves get like this?" to which she replies: "Erm, I had two babies".
The video then launches into a parody of hip hop videos in general, with references to Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines and much twerking, à la Miley Cyrus at the MTV awards.
"You'll find me in the studio, not in the kitchen," sings Lily by way of an introduction, before firing off a series of gender injustices and stating in the chorus that "it's hard out here" for females of the species in the music industry, and the world in general.
It's a typically bold move for the singer, who has thrilled fans with her first original track since 2009 following her self imposed "retirement" from the music business a year later.
Lily stepped back to focus on family. She married Sam Cooper, opened a fashion business with her sister Sarah Owen and welcomed daughters Ethel and Marnie .
The avid social media user – who took a break from Twitter during her time off – came back with a new online identity: Lily Rose Cooper. She has changed this back to Lily Allen for her music comeback, however.
Lily debuted her new track on her music page – getting fans to fill in clues via her Twitter account about women who have been mistreated through history.
She was overjoyed with the positive response the track and video received. "I am honestly on the verge of tears. So overwhelmed by your feedback. Thank you, thank you, thank you," she told her followers.
