A few months ago, Nieves González received a cryptic message on Instagram from a woman named Leith Clark. Clark wanted to know if González, a Spanish artist, was interested in doing a commission. Intrigued, González agreed to a call. When she got on, Clark was on the other end—as was Lily Allen.

Their conversation that day resulted in an idea that became a physical thing: an oil painting of the British singer in a Miu Miu puffer, a lace teddy, and Valentino boots, which she then used as the cover for her latest album, West End Girl.

It would be a disservice to Allen to say West End Girl made a splash. The album, written by Allen in 10 days and released on October 24, was a contest-winning cannonball: Its 14 tracks provided a brutally honest look into Allen’s marriage to Stranger

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