Singer Lily Allen. Picture: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters/African News Agency (ANA)
London – Lily Allen has claimed her record label failed to act after she told bosses she was sexually assaulted by a senior industry figure.
The British pop star, 34, said she recently spoke to a top executive at Warner Music about the alleged incident in 2016 but that no action has been taken. The alleged perpetrator is believed to be still working at the record company.
Recalling the alleged assault, Miss Allen told the BBC’s The Next Episode podcast: “We got to my hotel. I couldn’t find my room keys. So he was like, “Well, why don’t you sleep in my bed while I go and get the keys or whatever.” So I passed out in his bed.’ She said she ‘woke up and he was in my bed naked slapping my bum’, before he tried to have sex with her.
“I recoiled and I got up out of the bed and I screamed. I’d never given any indication that I did want that,” she said. The singer added she didn’t report the attack to the police at the time as she ‘didn’t want to make a fuss”.
Details of the allegations came to light when her memoir My Thoughts Exactly was published last year. Miss Allen said that when she met a Warner Music boss later, he said he had had ‘no idea’ about the incident before reading about it.
Asked by podcast host Miquita Oliver if he said he would do anything about the accusations, Miss Allen replied: “No.”
She said she could “only guess” what the label had discussed as ‘no one is willing to have a conversation’.
She added that she believes the accused individual still works with young female artists and felt “responsibility just to let some people know that this incident happened”. “I would feel awful if I found out somebody much younger and more vulnerable had had a similar experience that could have been prevented,’ she said.
Last year, the singer said she didn’t expect her label to do anything about the allegations as the perpetrator had links to “priority acts”. She told the newspaper: “I know what will happen. They’ll say, “Let’s try and get rid of Lily because this person is worth more to us because he makes us lots of money”.”
A Warner Music spokesman said: “These allegations from 2016 are appalling. We take accusations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously and investigate claims that are raised with us.”
Miss Allen is expected to make one more album with the company, following rumours last month of being dropped.
Daily Mail
