Paloma Faith has just released a special edition album ahead of her visit to the Brighton Centre in November and Absolute got intimate with the flamboyant singer-songwriter
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aloma Faith doesn’t abide by the pop star stereotypes. Cloaked in retro attire as she articulates her profound ideas through her East London accent, she appears more comfortable singing with a jazz pianist than in the spotlight of the pop world. She has spoken before of her shyness as a child and how important acting in school plays was to helping her emerge from the introverted character she once was. Yet, despite the flamboyant style and immense voice, she still finds herself slipping back into old habits. “The last two weeks I’ve had quite a lot of depression and I didn’t realise why; it took me a while to process it but I feel really vulnerable and I felt like that introverted version of myself was rearing its head,” she admits. “I was becoming a bit agoraphobic and not answering the phone. So I see it’s still there but it’s buried. I have to get dressed up and go out and do this – it becomes me then.” Faith was brought up by her mother after her parents divorced when she was just two and, while she did know her Spanish father during her childhood, she has not spoken to him for six years. She refuses to go into details but loss and abandonment issue are still certainly prevalent in her music. They are themes that heavily influenced her second
album Fall To Grace, which she admits was recorded during a time of pain. “I was quite sad and a bit lost,” she explains. “Sometimes when you write sad songs you write them in a moment when it’s like therapy, but then when you’re singing them 18 months later it’s like picking off a scab.” However, Faith, whose first two albums both went double platinum selling more than 600,000 copies each in the UK, is now in a much better place and reflects this in her most recent album A Perfect Contradiction. “Now I’m a bit happier. I made this album while in love and I’m still happy in that relationship. I feel like it really influenced the music. There’s some heartache but it’s got a hopeful vibe to it. And I’ve returned to my soul roots, working with people I’ve admired for a long time,” she reflects. To celebrate the success of A Perfect Contradiction the former magician’s assistant is now releasing a special deluxe two-disc edition of the album featuring four new tracks along with a live recording of her headline night at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The special edition release will be available from November 10th under the same title and, she says, its evocative title was formed by a chance meeting. She says: “I mean ‘perfect contradiction’ in - IntervIew -
“For as long as I can remember I’ve had it drummed into me that presentation is important. My family is full of women who really make an effort.” NoveMber/DeceMber 2014
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