British superstar, Lily Allen made her return to US television with an impressive ‘Saturday Night Live’ performance after not appearing on the show as a guest since 2007. The beloved pop star performed a new track from her recent album, ‘West End girl’.
The stellar two-song set perfectly embodies Allen’s growth as an artist, from a young shy girl she’s now blossomed into a confident woman, so sure of herself and everything she is saying within her devastating lyrics.
Accompanying her on the late-night set was none other than Dakota Johnson. Allen performed two tracks from her fifth studio album, ‘Madeline’ and ‘Sleepwalking’ , having Johnson embody the other women in ‘Madeline’. Johnson can be heard speaking to Allen from behind a curtain before walking out on stage and planting a kiss on Allen’s cheek. There is a great deal of speculation surrounding the fact that this album is supposedly about Allen’s former husband, Stranger Things star, David Harbour and his rumoured cheating antics. Johnson’s involvement in the performance emphasises an emotionally charged feeling of betrayal that lingers on the lit stage.
Johnson’s character states from behind a translucent curtain, “I hate that you’re in so much pain right now. I really don’t wanna be the cause of any upset. He told me that you were aware this was going on and that he had your full consent.” Throughout her performance Allen gazed harshly into the camera lens, it is evident she’s singing fully from her heart. Many fans also pointed out that the homely set featured on Saturday Night Live holds a strong resemblance to the home that harbour and Allen shared in Brooklyn. The pair lovingly shared their interior choices in a 2023 Architecture Digest video.
‘West End Girl’ is Allen’s first album release in 7 years, notably inspired by her recent divorce. The album was a surprise release on October 24, 2025, and is Allen’s first project following her departure from historic British record label, Parlophone. The material presented in the 14-track record is deeply personal and intimate in nature, allowing us to peer into Allen’s psyche.
The short performance has caused some bustling among fans as not long ago on October 30, Allen announced her first UK tour in seven years to celebrate the release of ‘West End Girl’. The tour is set to kickstart with intimate UK theatre shows in March 2026 before a larger scale run of Arena shows in the UK and Ireland set to begin June 2026. Allen then plans to go across the other side of the pond taking ‘West End Girl’ all the way to North America.
The response to the tour and new album has been nothing short of extraordinary, new, and old Allen fans have emerged from the shadows, sharing their love and condolences for her brilliant craft. Tickets flew out swiftly as fans now patiently wait to witness ‘West End Girl’ in all its full, heartbroken glory. Allen will forever be a household name, and it seems she just keeps pulling more tricks out of her sleeve.
