"Sheezus" is a song by British singer-songwriter

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings publi ...

, released as a promotional single from her third studio album of the same name (2014). It was released alongside its music video on 23 April 2014 ahead of its planned release date of 28 April due to it being

leaked A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usuall ...

. Parlophone later announced that "Sheezus" would not be released as an official single.

Background

Allen released her second album, ''

It's Not Me, It's You ''It's Not Me, It's You'' is the second studio album by English singer Lily Allen, released on 4 February 2009 by Regal Recordings and Parlophone. It was produced and co-written by Greg Kurstin, with whom Allen had previously worked on her deb ...

'', in 2009, which saw a genre shift to

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

, rather than the

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

influences used on her debut album, ''

Alright, Still ''Alright, Still'' is the debut studio album by English singer Lily Allen, released on 13 July 2006 by Regal Recordings. After being rejected by several record labels, Allen signed to London Records, who eventually lost interest in her, leading ...

'' (2006). In 2009, Allen announced that she would be taking a hiatus from musical activities. The following year, she opened a fashion rental shop named Lucy in Disguise with her sister Sarah, followed by the 2011 launching of her own record label. In 2013, Allen revealed that she had begun working on her third studio album ''

Sheezus ''Sheezus'' is the third studio album by English singer Lily Allen. It was released on 2 May 2014 by Parlophone. The album is Allen's first work since her musical hiatus in 2009, after the release of her second studio album, '' It's Not Me, It' ...

''. On 20 June 2012, Allen tweeted that she was in the studio working with

Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs t ...

on new music. She changed her professional name from Lily Allen to Lily Rose Cooper. In August 2013 she changed her professional name back to Allen and tweeted new music would be arriving "soon". Allen initially said that her record label would not allow the release of "Sheezus" as an official single because the song was "not up-tempo enough" and contained the word "period". Allen continued to comment on the matter saying her label wanted to release radio friendly songs such as "

Air Balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...

", which Allen called "docile pop" and said they were chosen because labels and radio stations "won't play the better stuff". The song contains references to American singer-songwriters

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

, and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

, as well as Barbadian singer

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

, and New Zealand singer-songwriter

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

Critical reception

Upon release the song was met with polarized reviews from music critics. Jason Lipshutz of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' praised the song for being "anti-pop", continuing to call it an "sarcastic pop anthem." ''Time'' magazine praised the song and Allen for wanting "her ladies to unite in bringing their A-game." Radhika Sanghani of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' on the other hand said that " ultimately, Allen’s message itself is confused. It seems like she is trying to join Katy Perry and Queen B in jumping onto the feminist pop movement ..it’s just a shame that she’s doing it so obviously we can recognise it."

Release history

Charts

References

External links

Lily Allen "Sheezus" lyrics
{{Lily Allen 2014 singles 2014 songs Lily Allen songs Parlophone singles Songs with feminist themes Song recordings produced by Greg Kurstin Songs written by Greg Kurstin Songs written by Lily Allen