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Nov 13, 2013 Lily Allen By Mike Hilleary

Taking time off from music for the past several years to raise a family, UK artist Lily Allen returned yesterday with her first piece of proper music since her 2009 album It’s Not Me, It’s You. The new single, “Hard Out Here,” premiered as a music video, delivering a lyrical and visual send-up of the music industry’s double standard for female artists, poking plenty of fun at artists like Miley Cyrus in the process.

Not long after the debut of the video Allen herself the subject of criticism by viewers that questioned her decision to use women of color as her twerk-prone back-up dancers. Responding via Twitter Allen wrote:

“Privilege, Superiority and Misconceptions

1. If anyone thinks for a second that I requested specific ethnicities for the video, they’re wrong.

2. If anyone thinks that after asking the girls to audition, I was going to send any of them away because of the colour of their skin, they’re wrong.

3. The message is clear. Whilst I don’t want to offend anyone. I do strive to provoke thought and conversation. The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture. It has nothing to do with race, at all.

4. If I could dance like the ladies can, it would have been my arse on your screens; I actually rehearsed for two weeks trying to perfect my twerk, but failed miserably. If I was a little braver, I would have been wearing a bikini too, but I do not and I have chronic cellulite, which nobody wants to see. What I’m trying to say is that me being covered up has nothing to do with me wanting to disassociate myself from the girls, it has more to do with my own insecurities and I just wanted to feel as comfortable as possible on the shoot day.

5. I’m not going to apologise because I think that would imply that I’m guilty of something, but I promise you this, in no way do I feel superior to anyone, except paedophiles, rapists murderers etc., and I would not only be surprised but deeply saddened if I thought anyone came away from that video feeling taken advantage of,or compromised in any way.”

Click below to watch the video.

(www.lilyallenmusic.com)