by Better and worse than a regular interview in which a celebrity reflects on the highs and lows of his life
Paloma Faith is best known for singles including Picking up the pieces and One Love Can Hurt Like This. Growing up in Stoke Newington, London, she was invited to join Amy Winehouse’s backing band, but decided to continue writing her own music. Faith, 42, has also starred in films including St. Trinian’s and Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassusand recently he appeared as a judge and mentor on The voice. She lives in London with her two daughters.
Best song you’ve ever heard?
I think lyrically it’s my favorite song ever written Into My Arms by Nick Cave. There are very few songs whose lyrics have really affected me to such a degree. I love the darkness of it, as well as that undercurrent of romance.
Best song you’ve released yourself?
It depends what mood I’m in, but right now I’m feeling like God in a dressfrom my new album, The Voice of Sorrow, it’s up there. It empowers me, and that’s my mindset right now, that’s what I need.
Best celebrity you’ve ever met?
Sally Hawkins. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met, someone with the most amazing energy. She tends to embody those types of characters in the roles she plays. You know how magical she is The Shape of Water? She is just like that in real life, she is so magical. I think sometimes she doesn’t really act in those amazing roles she has. There is something very moving about her, she does nothing but kindness. I have met her a few times and she is always so lovely.
Best music venue?
There is so much in London that I love, London is iconic for music spots. I’ve just launched a music tour to London in association with GetYourGuide where I’ll be a tour guide for people, which I can’t wait for. That includes some of my favorite spots like the Wilton Music Hall, where I played with the Whoopee Club, who started the UK burlesque revival in the early 2000s, the Kit Kat Club, where cabaret run, and Flashback Records, which is one of the true original independent record stores.
Best childhood memory?
Being on the back of my stepfather’s motorbike when I was very young, maybe around five. In my mind we’re driving through Hackney, and because I was so small and light, he didn’t realize I wasn’t holding on. I held out my hands, the wind biting me. It felt so amazing, but thank God I didn’t fall off!
Best party you’ve ever been to?
The Punchdrunk theater company, who did No more sleep and The Burnt City, they did a one-off performance with Louis Vuitton to celebrate the opening of their new store in London. It was an immersive theater where you walk around and you were surrounded by all these performers. I had an argument with my boyfriend at the time so I went alone.
I was all dressed up and it was a unique experience. You have all these interactions with performers and you feel like you’ve gone down a rabbit hole. There was this pregnant performer, and she kept giving me dead bees. At the end there was dinner and I was sitting between Gemma Arterton and Anjelica Huston; it was crazy, i had just gone out by myself for a night out and i found myself next to these two iconic women, both of them really fun.
The best day of your life so far?
I want to say the birth of my children, but my first birth was just as awful, so I’ll have to say the birth of my second child. It was much nicer in comparison. I had planned a Caesarean, so I was able to put on a full make-up and I looked so beautiful in all the pictures from that day. During my first birth I looked like a swollen turkey, I was all wrapped up. In contrast, I remember the second birth and I felt like Beyoncé, I even did my hair in rollers.
Worst holiday you’ve ever had?
When I was 18, I went to Thomas Cook for £150 and said, ‘What can I get for a week’s holiday in the sun?’ They sent me to San Antonio in Ibiza to stay over a 24 hour off-licence without double glazing. I didn’t sleep for the whole week. That place was hell on earth for me, and to sleep less than usual? Terrible. The beach we were near was full of jellyfish, so we couldn’t even go and sit there. I got my money’s worth, I guess; £150 including flights for a week isn’t too bad, even if it was terrible.
Worst lie you ever told?
It’s hard to lie, so I’ll tell you the saddest lie, even though I don’t regret it. When I entered the music industry I lied about my age. I said I was four years younger than me. I think it’s tragic that I had to lie about that, because of the misogyny and patriarchal ideas that still dominate the music industry. The truth is that women are only seen as having value if they are young. So I lied and got a contract. I have no regrets.
Worst encounter you’ve ever had with a fan?
I had a terrible family crisis once and I was on the phone, so upset about it, panicking, wondering what I could do to help, and someone came and asked for a selfie. I said ‘Sorry, not right now, I’m in the middle of it’, and then they went on Twitter and wrote a million tweets about how much of an a*** I was. Through therapy, I’ve realized that most of the time people’s reactions to us are not ours, so I try not to let it bother me.
Worst celebrity you’ve ever met?
This is very bitchy and unlike me so I will not say the name. It was one of the years I was nominated for a Brit award, but I didn’t win. Another artist nominated that year as well Seriously they thought they had won and when they didn’t, they went backstage, threw their shoes, bag, coat, and everything at their manager in the corridor.
I called out weakly, ‘It’s okay, I didn’t win either, don’t worry about it’, and they turned around and screamed, ‘f*** off!’ Actually, it reminds me of that, when I was recording The voiceI was obsessed with it The Jeremy Kyle Show and I saw his dressing room and knocked on the door. He shouted “f*** off!” He didn’t realize it was me, so I slipped a note under the door – because I don’t let things go – and I wrote something like, ‘Hi Jeremy, it was Paloma Faith, I’m a big fan, yes I hope you are ok!’ He never got back to me.
The absolute worst
Netanyahu. He is committing genocide and everyone is watching and denying that it is genocide.
Online travel experience platform GetYourGuide has partnered with Paloma Faith to create a tour that ventures into London’s iconic music and theater scene. The singer will take travelers from her hometown in the east to her playground in the west. Enter the exclusive raffle for your chance to be present.
