Miquita Oliver has spoken out about the emotional response to Lily Allen’s new album West End Girl, describing fans’ reaction as “visceral” following the release of the singer’s most personal work to date.
The TV presenter and longtime friend of Allen said the public’s deep connection to the record is partly because of the intimate storytelling that listeners have followed through their joint podcast Miss Me?
Speaking on a recent episode of the podcast, Oliver, 41, reflected on how difficult it had been to keep the details of Allen’s story private until now.
“I do think people have had a really visceral, emotional reaction,” she said.
Adding: “I think it is a lot to do with the fact they've been listening to Miss Me? for a year and a half so people were part of this story.
“And then suddenly they get told what went down, and I think that people feel like they are really part of it - and they are.”
Co-host Jordan Stephens agreed: “The fact that names were never mentioned in the course of this…” to which Oliver admitted, “Yeah, that was hard.”
Last Friday the Brit Award-winner, 40, released her first album in seven years, which is said to detail the alleged infidelity of her ex-husband, US actor David Harbour.
West End Girl, which contains a mix of “truth” and “fantasy”, according to Allen, sees the pop star sing about a sexual “arrangement” that was broken.
Stephens praised Allen’s creative approach, saying: “It was bizarre how people treat people in the public eye. They'll hold onto an idea of somebody from literally like 15 years ago. And she's said nothing.
“Do you know what I mean? And to just do that and go, no listen I'll tell you what... and I'll do it in a method that I find most suits me.
“And it's great that everyone's just been reminded that while she's telling this story, the melodies are unreal. The songwriting is genuinely unreal. It's dope.”
Allen and Oliver launched Miss Me? in spring 2024, quickly building a loyal following with their candid conversations about fame, friendship and womanhood.
Following her split from Harbour, Allen took time off from the podcast to check into a trauma clinic, with Stephens filling in as initially as a guest host.
She reportedly spent several weeks at a treatment centre after telling friends she was close to a nervous breakdown in the wake of her marriage collapse.
Elsewhere, Allen told Interview Magazine that she wrote and recorded the album across 10 days in December with a “guy called Blue” who was the musical director on her last tour in 2018.
She said: “I feel very differently about the whole situation now. We all go through breakups and it’s always fucking brutal. But I don’t think it’s that often that you feel inclined to write about it while you’re in it.”
It was at the end of December 2024 that reports surfaced of the singer’s split from Stranger Things star Harbour, 50, who she married in 2020.
Allen said: “At the time, I was really trying to process things and that’s great in terms of the album, but I don’t feel confused or angry now. I don’t need revenge.”
