Back in 2008, a hot new artist pricked up our ears; with a soul/jazz sound and eye-catching style, this girl certainly set herself apart from other female artists doing the rounds at the time.
Her debut release a year later, ‘Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful’, if we’re honest, didn’t quite live up to our possibly too lofty expectations, but it did well enough in the charts and exuded just the right amount of ‘cool’ to warrant a second long player. Thankfully, her theatrical new album ‘Fall To Grace’ is tickling our musical bones rather wonderfully, so it was time to meet the edgy lady herself.
A quirky pop princess like Paloma Faith requires a suitably offbeat interview setting, and gathering a gaggle of journalists in a sumptuous cake shop in Soho whilst serving up an array of mouthwatering pastries should do the trick. Then, for ultimate kicks, why not sit rival magazines together in groups of four whilst the star in question manoeuvres around each one in ten minute slots, like some bizarre pop star speed dating event? Brilliant!
The wonderful eccentricity that Paloma exudes both in her style and music is certainly not industry-created. With tumbling red locks, bold outfits and a cheeky sense of humour, Ms Faith was having the time of her life doing an interview on her terms in one of her favourite venues (Maison Bertaux, Soho) and was eager to chat about her new album.
“I felt the pressure more than ever before this release. When the first album came out I had nothing to lose, but this time I’ve got everything to lose but so much to gain.” The new batch of songs are incredibly personal, with dramatic titles such as ‘Agony’, ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ and ‘Let Me Down Easy’. “I think everything I write is personal but I feel like I’m more exposed on this,” she remarks.
“When I wrote the first album I was signed with songs that I’d written five years before. A lot of things change in five years, especially you as a person, so I didn’t feel as emotionally invested. Whereas now I’ve only had a year and a half between albums, everything feels more raw and emotional to perform. Obviously there are elements of romantic love in there and relationships with friends and family members and things that I’ve experienced.”
A comment about relationships has some of the journalists from those female fashiony/celeb gossip magazines jumping on it like vultures. You know the mags we mean, the ones that show women clothes they can’t afford or fit into, or highlighting celebrity cellulite in a ‘circle of shame’ whilst generally making women feel crap about themselves.
We gleefully watch as Paloma responds to the question, “Are you seeing anyone at the moment?” with a quick and simple “always”. She shoots down a particularly haughty female hack with “I really don’t want to talk about my personal relationships, thank you”, and we watch as their gossip hungry faces fall, as much as the botox will allow them to. But she does admit she doesn’t like dating people who are also in the music industry.
This leaves us to slide in with a question from the complete opposite end of the spectrum – her upcoming performance at G-A-Y, and her face lights up. “I can’t wait to perform there, I’ve never been asked before!” she enthuses. “I heard Azaelia Banks handed out presents to fans who come to her gig, so I may go down armed with some goodies for everyone,” she says with a giggle.
Whilst guarded about her personal life, Paloma will happily elaborate on the meaning of some of her new material, and one particular song that shows how her life, and how people perceive her has changed in a very short amount of time.
“There are people who believe in God’s and demons and those who believe in nothing at all, but regardless, we all get desperate sometimes. I really feel caught between the class divide now. I’ve experienced what it’s like to be treated like shit by rich people whilst working in the service industry and now I sit with people who now ignore the service staff. On the other side to that, there are people who say to me, ‘It’s all right for you moaning about how much you have to do, but I work this many hours…’ Well, actually I’ve done that as well in another life and I can certainly see things from both sides now.”
If Paloma’s music, performances and personality indicate anything, it’s that she does everything her way. Fair play, gurl.
• Catch Paloma Faith live at G-A-Y (Heaven, under the Arches, Villiers Street, Charing Cross, WC2) this Saturday 26th May.
