YOU’VEGOTTA HAVEFAITHWith a fifth studio album, InfiniteThings, out and a UK headlinetour planned for 2021, taking insome spectacular Yorkshire venues,Neill Barston caught up with thesuper stylish and pitch-perfectPaloma pre-tour.From gaining number one albumsuccess, through to battlingher way to becoming a mother,Paloma Faith’s remarkable careercontinues in setting her sights ona return to the charts with herambitious new album.Amid a global pandemic, this yearhas been one to forget for many, butas Paloma Faith reveals, she feelsnotably blessed by news of her secondchild’s imminent arrival. After a hugelytesting trial of repeated rounds of IVFtreatment, the Brit Award winningsinger announced the latest additionto her family happily coincides withher latest musical baby in the form ofher fifth studio album.Since her last release, The Architect,achieved coveted number one status,Paloma has featured as a coach on ITV’sThe Voice Kids, seen herself nominatedfor a clutch of industry accolades, aswell as exploring new territory as anactor in the Batman prequel spin-off,Pennyworth. So, as the coronavirus crisisgrimly took hold around the world, theenforced downtime offered her a rarechance to take stock after an intenseperiod of work.As she admits, inhabiting her line ofwork can often make you ‘whimsicalin going with the flow,’ yet revealsthat having a toddler to take care ofhas, by necessity, required greatertime management. “It’s made mego for the jugular more,” she notesin having to be far more focused.Consequently, being ever creativelyrestless, material soon flowed whileat home completing her latest album,led by its lyrically powerful leadsingle, Better Than This, a reflectionon the fractured state of the worldand hopes for the next generation.It stands proudly paving the way forwhat is a bold, uncompromising recordbrimming full of confidence and selfassurance,taking on everything fromher trademark soulful pop, through tosweeping orchestral ballads that stemfrom an artist who is at the top of hercreative game.“We live in a very volatile world thatnow seems as if we only get onechance, so I have been lucky that I’vebeen able to put releases out thereand put myself on the map,” she saysof her latest recording.However, it’s been a far fromstraightforward journey for the half-Spanish East-London born singer,who holds a degree in contemporarydance, and an MA in theatre directingthat saw her initially consider otherartistic directions. But after early stintsin cabaret, bar tending and modelling,she gravitated to singing, and hasbeen doing things her own way eversince. There have been pressures alongthe route, including offering a ‘showbizage’ several years younger than heractual years for fear of not being givena recording contract, yet she remainsvery much true to herself.Despite such moments, her debutalbum provided plenty of vindicationin reaching the top 10 in 2009, settingthe tone for a career to date packedwith notable milestones. There havebeen plenty of highlights beyond theicing on the cake of multi-platinumsales, including her friendship with thelate Amy Winehouse, to whom shehas been widely compared, who shepenned a tribute to on her last album.To her credit, she has stood firm onother key issues, notably on one ofher biggest hits to date, Only LoveCan Hurt Like this, which featured avideo with an interracial love scene.When US executives asked her toreshoot it on the grounds it ‘wouldn’tsell’, she refused, and never spoke tothem again, even if it might cost her astateside breakthrough. She says she’drather have success very much on herown terms. As she concedes, her latestrecordings, which were self-produced40yorkshire.com
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