Matthew Stadlen

Paloma Faith interview: ‘If you do something enough times, it becomes you’

Sensitive and ballsy, shy and flamboyant – this is a pop star, proud of being hard to pin down

Paloma Faith: ‘I’m interested in perfect contradictions’ [Getty Images/Shutterstock/iStock/Alamy] 
issue 08 March 2014

Paloma Faith is an unusual pop star. Her flamboyant, retro appearance is upholstered by a deep-thinking mind and she articulates herself in an uncut East London accent. She hangs out with the author Hanif Kureishi and you can expect to find her at an art opening. When we meet in London’s Soho House, she is a cocktail of reds and oranges. Her hair, held back by a neon scrunchie, is white gold after the ‘gingerness’ washed out in the sea and she’s wearing a red-and-white checked gingham skirt with Chelsea boots.

Although she admits that by keeping slim she makes a concession to conformity, she otherwise seems to do things her own way. She told the head of the record label who eventually signed her to stop texting during her showcase — unthinkable for an aspirant artist in the cold world of the music industry. ‘I said if he had anything to do with my career I’d rather sing in pubs for the rest of my life and walked out.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in