Paloma Faith

“the world keeps spinning and somehow you find your way”

Photography: Ram Shergill

Fashion Editor: Rachel Holland

Makeup: Lan Nguyen-grealis

Hair: Eammon

Nails: Cherrie Snow

Fashion Assistants: Ana Carnu & Hebe Fox

Words Miles Holder

Since the release of her debut album, Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? Paloma Faith unique vocal tone has been heard the world over. While working as a life model, Paloma’s goal was to be seen, as a Brit award-winning solo artist, Paloma’s goal was to be heard and seeming from her politically charged but optimistic upcoming album, The Architect, Paloma seeks to be a voice for the otherwise unheard. About to embark on a 17 date tour, we caught up with Paloma to discuss her career, the album and all her FAULTs.

 

Your album opens with a spoken word from Samuel L Jackson, how did you both come to be working together?

He has a charity called ‘One For The Boys’ and I did lots of work for them, and he once grabbed my arm and said ‘I owe you a favour and I’m not somebody who says that lightly.’ I was contemplating asking him to do my supermarket that week but decided to use it on something more valuable.

 

 

 

Owen Jones has a politically charged spoken word on the album, what was it about Owen that made his inclusion so significant to you?

I took him on tour with me at the end of my last campaign, and I think he’s fantastic. He’s a sign of hope for younger generations and speaks in a transparent way, which is lacking in politics today. People don’t understand what they hear a lot of the time, but with Owen, he gets through to people. He’s also an optimist and despite the fact that he’s fighting for something out of arms reach, he has an energy of hope which all the great speakers like JFK, Obama and Nelson Mandela had it. It felt important to not be like “the world is shit, and there’s nothing we can do about it” throughout the album.

 

Your song with John Legend is very uplifting, and the record isn’t all doom and gloom. Why was it essential for you to have a mixture of the two themes?

The main album that inspired me was Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On because that’s an album that about kindness and compassion which is missing from the world. It’s all very well looking at numbers and seeing what needs adjusting, but not enough thought is put into the people affected by those choices. I feel like this album is reaching out to be a voice for the unheard.

 

What’s been the hardest hurdle for you to climb in the music industry?

I tend to be someone who can’t do anything the easy way. I got my first job at 15 and I’ve never been surprised by the hurdles in my way because I’ve always expected there to be hurdles. I’ve accepted that, but I think the hardest thing to overcome in life as a whole would be childbirth! I’ve never had to lose weight, and I have a new respect for people who you see trying to change their life for the better because it can be hard. When you have a kid for the first time, no one has entirely told you how terrible it is, and you lay there thinking “I’ll never get my life back again”.

What is your FAULT?

I overthink things, but with FAULTs, in general, I think they manifest positively and negatively. You might go out with someone like in my case and say “he’s so bloody relaxed and it’s frustrating me so much” when I have to go to the airport, but then it’s a godsend when I go home from being stressed, and there’s air of calm throughout the whole house.

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