Violet Skies’ ‘wild 10 days’ co-writing West End Girl album

A singer-songwriter from Wales mentioned she spent “the wildest 10 days” co-writing six songs on Lily Allen’s new album.

Violet Skies, from Chepstow, Monmouthshire, mentioned that “in a crazy turn of events”, she co-wrote songs together with Madeline on the break-up album, which paperwork the end of Allen’s four-year marriage to actor David Harbour.

Skies mentioned: “It was truly a magical experience making this music with Lily. It felt like a fever dream.”

Skies has beforehand written songs for Diana Ross, Mabel and Zara Larsson.

Allen launched West End Girl, her first album in seven years, on 24 October.

It was written and recorded in Los Angeles over 10 days.

Skies, whose actual title in Hannah Berney, mentioned: “We wrote six songs in four days last December and hearing it now resonating with people out in the world is something I never expected. It’s surpassed all my expectations.

She added that people had been “calling my mam and pa, which is admittedly beautiful”.

Skies said on Instagram that she co-wrote the songs with Allen “and the most effective bloody crew of friends”.

“Lily gave us her absolute all and extra – only a few artists are so open, proficient, expert, sincere, self-aware, self-effacing and humorous.

“She was so open, so collaborative and turned up with all the titles written out in advance – a rare experience and truly a testament to her vision and artistry.”

She thanked co-executive producers, Blue May and Kito “for steering the ship and bringing us all together for the wildest 10 days”, including that they had reached out to her a number of weeks earlier than saying Allen was prepared to jot down.

“Making this album with friends I’ve known for years is a massive part of the reason I’m so proud of these songs. Please listen top to bottom,” she added.

Skies mentioned she had been out in Los Angeles “for a good few years now and I miss home a lot but making a very British album definitely cured some of my homesickness”.

Skies, who adopted her great-grandmother’s title, mentioned she co-wrote Madeline, Sleepwalking, Let You W/in, which she described as “my fave”, in addition to Dallas Major, Relapse and Beg For Me.

Let You W/in is without doubt one of the remaining two tracks on the album, the place Allen accepts the need to move on.

In an interview in regards to the album with the Sunday Times, Allen mentioned: “Nobody knew what was going on in my life. So I got into the studio, cried for two hours and then said ‘let’s make some music’.”

Allen informed Perfect Magazine a few of her songs had been written “in character”, explaining that the lyrics “could be considered autofiction”, a style combining autobiography and fiction.

She additionally mentioned she made the album along with her good friend and the musical director on her final tour, Blue May, who “put together a really strong team of different people – writers, producers, players – that would come and go from his studio in LA”.

Skies, who appeared on ITV’s The Voice in 2012, has launched quite a lot of albums and EPs, describing her music as “pop with teeth” and co-producing all of her music.

She additionally wrote a monitor, Meet Me in Paris for Netflix movie, The Wrong Paris, launched in September and is co-founder of the sheWrites writing camp programme.