Lily Allen to release new album under married name

Lily Allen is to release her third album under a new name. The 27-year-old singer has announced that she is taking on her husband's surname, recording her next record as Lily Rose Cooper.

Allen's announcement comes about one year after her marriage to Sam Cooper, in Gloucestershire. The couple had a baby daughter in November and they are currently expecting a second child.

It was almost two years ago that Allen declared that she was stepping away from the music industry, either "retiring" or just taking a long break. "How I feel right now is just not to be writing music, and not to be going on the road," she said in November 2010. She went on to launch a fashion line and clothing rental shop, and then, last year, a record label.

In June, Allen revealed that she had gone back into studio with Greg Kurstin, the producer behind her first two albums. "You will be pleased to know that i am currently in the fucking studio with @GregKurstin," she tweeted. "No big deal really, im just throwing shit at the wall and seeing if anything sticks."

In this week's statement about her "professional name", Lily noted that she had "booked further studio time". "It's great to work at my own pace, with no commitments other than to make music," she said.

Lily Allen's last record, 2009's It's Not Me, It's You, debuted at No 1 in the UK album charts.