"I guess I knew from an early age that I could never do a job where I'd have to sit in an office all day long," says Lily Allen. It seems unlikely Allen will be confined to a cubicle any time soon. The 21-year-old artist, pronounced by NME as "the archetypal singer-songwriter for the iPod generation," took Britain by storm with her debut album 'Alright, Still' rocketing onto the U.K. Album chart at No.2 and her first U.K. single, 'Smile,' topping the U.K. Airplay chart for six weeks in a row.

Allen was born in Hammersmith, London, but moved around the capital almost all the time: "I went to 13 different schools so I never had time to make enduring friendships. Music became a lifeline to me. I listened to punk, ska and reggae, courtesy of my parents' record collections," she says, which explains why, in addition to numerous up-and-coming dance artists she counts The Specials, T. Rex, The Slits and Blondie as favorites.

"I got expelled from various schools and was sent to boarding



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lilyallenmusic.com
Music style:Pop / Ska
Record label:Parlophone
Year formed:2006
lilyallenmusic.com