UK singer calls it quits, but not to check into rehab
By Courtney Lear

Lily to lay semi-low

LONDON, UK (Hollywood Today) 4/17/07 — The cheeky 21-year-old UK pop star, Lily Allen, whose sassy anthem “Smile” and debut album “Alright, Still” have earned international attention, has called off her US tour to take a break from the road and concentrate on a new album.The singer will still perform at Coachella this month and at the Bonaroo festival in Tennessee in June. She will also honor her L.A. and N.Y. commitments but the remainder of the cancelled dates are to be rescheduled for the end of the year.

Allen joked about the harsh realities of stardom on her MySpace blog, “I thought that being a pop star meant going out getting trashed with famous people and sleeping in all day. The fact that this is not true has come as a huge disappointment to me, and as a result I am throwing the towel in.”

In actuality, after touring with the album for over a year, Allen said she was tired and wasn’t performing her best. She said, “I have been getting really drunk because I’ve been so nervous about doing bad shows, and I don’t want people spending money on a going to see a show that isn’t the best it could be. I am not falling apart at the seams, I am not suffering with exhaustion, I am not pregnant, and I am not going to rehab.”

Despite previous reports that she was calling it quits due to “homesickness,” the UK singer will remain in the States promoting her current album and beginning work on her next.

The tour had already seen some controversy after she reportedly insulted George Bush and called southern Americans “backwards” while at the SXSW festival which she later dismissed saying “I must have been very drunk and showing off.”