Lily Allen has revealed that she was unable to release the single of her choice because it was too down-tempo, and had the word "period" in it.
The singer, who described singles 'Air Balloon' and 'L8 CMMR' as "docile pop", wanted to release 'Sheezus' as a single but was discouraged from doing so due to the nature of the lyrics.
"I would have liked to see 'Sheezus' as a single" said Allen in an interview with Rolling Stone, "but it's not up-tempo enough. It's also got the word 'period' in it, which is really offensive to people - even though half the world has to deal with it once a month."
When reminded of the distinct lack of such references in pop songs, the singer added: "It's groundbreaking! I'm proud of that. It's fucking awesome. I think that 'period' is going to be my 'surfboard' with Beyonce. People will wear sweatshirts to my concerts that are just going to say 'period'."
Allen initially retired from music following the release of her second album It's Not Me It's You in 2009, but returned to the scene last year with the TV advert song 'Somewhere Only We Know' and controversial feminist anthem 'Hard Out Here.'
Since then though, the singer has claimed to be "fucking frustrated" at the direction of her comeback, describing the record companies as "too scared to put themselves on the line in case someone gets offended."
Sheezus, Allen's third studio album, is due for release on 5 May.