08 November 2009 (Music Interview)

Singer, actress, former magician's assistant, one-time 'ghost'; Paloma Faith's CV seems almost too bizarre to be true. Having acted in the recent St. Trinian's film, as well as working with Terry Gilliam and Heath Ledger on 'The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus', the glam Londoner is now focusing her attention on making it in the music business, releasing her debut album 'Do You Want the Truth, or Something Beautiful?' in September. We caught up with her bubbly self when she was on a recent flying visit to Dublin. | Words: Lauren Murphy

 
OK Paloma. All this press release spin - used to be a magician's assistant, etc, worked as a ghost on a ghost train, worked in Agent Provocateur - how much of it is actually true, how much is embellished by the record company?

It's all true! I'm a bit of a 'yes' person, and I think the things I'm into come to me, so I attract what I want anyway. I'm lucky.

How did the magician's assistant thing happen? It's not exactly the sort of job you see on the noticeboard down the job centre.

It was actually off the back of the Ghost Train, I designed one of the rooms in it. And to make my illusion actually happen, I worked with a couple of illusionists. I met them on that, and they both separately asked me if I would assist them.

So, you're one of those disgustingly talented all-rounder types - a singer, dancer, actress. Is it hard to balance that?

I think they're all performance-based, so I'd say I was just a performer. It is hard to balance some things… I mean, my music career and my acting career - if I want to do them to the extent that I eventually do want to get to, it's going to be a bit of a balancing act. But I'm hoping they'll just go hand in hand.

What's your first love, is it hard to chose?

No, I like them both.

You worked with Terry Gilliam on The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus - working with someone like that, who seems in tune with your theatrical, outlandish, imaginative style, you must have felt a real spark.

Yeah, I think he's definitely had an influence on me, since I was a kid. I used to watch The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, so it was amazing to meet and work with him, a real honour. And he's such a nice person, as well.

You've said before that you were raised by your mum in London - are you an only child, and how much of a bearing do you think that had on your strong femininity as an adult?

Definitely. My close family, there’s more of a dominance of women, the men are pretty quiet (laughs), and they're all really inspiring. You know, my mum's always encouraged me and never made my gender an issue, I guess. She brought me up to believe in equality, as opposed to feminism or sexism - so it just meant that my gender was not relevant to what I was capable of achieving. So I feel lucky, in that sense.

Especially in music, which is such a male-dominated industry.

Yeah. I'm definitely ballsy enough to give them what for, and I do that quite regularly. (laughs) I give them a run for their money.

This year has been so good for female artists in general, but how do you feel about coming onto the scene after the likes of La Roux, Little Boots, Florence have already kind of conquered it and established themselves? Is it intimidating?

The funny thing about it is that just because I wasn't getting the press, doesn't mean I didn't exist. I've been singing way before Amy Winehouse's first album, who was really the initiator of that movement, I think, and I've been continuing to do so all along. I've been singing before Florence and the Machine… y'know, we've played in similar venues, and she just cropped up and I've seen them all along the way. Adele, I'm good friends with, and Shingi from Noisettes… I don't feel like I've come in the middle of it. I feel like maybe I've come in late in the media sense, but I've been going for longer than some of them. But I'm not competitive, I don't think I should worry about it. There's room for everybody, and also, I think if women are doing really good stuff, we shouldn't start battling against each other, we should be like, saying 'great!'

All of these females are being pitted against each other, though - it's almost like you have to choose between one or the other, rather than like everything. Do you think that's healthy competition, or ultimately detrimental?

They love setting women on each other, don't they? (laughs) I'm not interested in being competitive. I'm just focused on what I'm doing, and hope that people like it.

I'm glad you brought up the Amy Winehouse thing - practically everything I've read about you so far has mentioned her, but I don't really get it. I can see how you might have the same influences, but you don't particularly have the same musical style, or vocal style. You're a lot poppier, I think. Is that disheartening so early in your career, when you want to make your own stamp on the scene?

It doesn't annoy me.. Cos I think the human mind is probably not always the most complex (giggles), so I think sometimes people choose to do that so they can understand it. But that's a mistake in life, because you should just accept that you can't understand everything. But no, I think it's a compliment - I think she's a brilliant singer and I'm pleased for her. But I don't see it myself, and I don't hear it either. But I think like you said, I listened to a lot of the same people as a kid and it's inevitable that that will filter in to the way I sing and the way she sings. But I think my music and my visual style, and the way I perform and all that is completely different. I'd compare myself maybe more to a sort of… I dunno, like a Janis Joplin or Annie Lennox type thing - I think I'm more dramatic.

One of the people I thought was…

Tina Turner?

Well, with those shoes [she's wearing eye-wateringly high heels] you could pull off the Tina Turner look! No, but Amanda Palmer from Dresden Dolls. From your photoshoots and style, you kind of seem more in line with her.

Another journalist said that to me the other day, too. This is gonna sound really bad, but I think the European journalists are much better at understanding it than the British ones (laughs).

That makes sense, because the UK press are obsessed with Amy Winehouse.

Yeah, they're like "She's our pride, we need another one!" (giggles)

Speaking of your live performances, they must be very theatrical, with lots of movement involved, considering your background.

Yeah, completely. I think it should be a sensory experience, and more like seeing a show than a band perform.

How did your deal with Epic come about?

I was gigging loads in London for a long time, and I was booking my own nights and selling out all these nights. I was doing one a month and I was promoting it all myself, and flyposting it all around London by myself, getting in trouble with police and God knows what. But yeah, so I did loads of that and I think labels started to prick their ears up a bit and say 'Hang on, this girl seems to be quite popular." Eventually, Epic invited me to do a showcase. I'd been gigging my own stuff for about four years, and I was in a covers band for two years before that. So they came to this showcase, and it was Jo Charrington, head of A&R and Nick Raphael, head of Epic. They sat there, and she was fine but he just sat on his phone text messaging throughout the whole showcase. I just stopped it and was like 'Right, stop'. I turned to him and said 'Look, if you're gonna sit there and text, I'll stop, and once you've finished, I'll carry on'. And he was like 'Oh!'. He was so taken aback that someone had done something like that, and he apologised. I said 'Right, when you're quite finished…' and carried on. Afterwards, he said some very kind of flippant record company statements to me, and I just said to him 'D'you know what, I'm really happy with my life. I sing in pubs, I make a couple of hundred quid a night doing it, and I'm comfortable. So if you've got anything to do with my career, I'd rather just sing for people in pubs forever." And then I just left (laughs) I think he was completely gobsmacked. I mean, I'm not that materialistic. I like nice clothes and that, but I don't spend lots of money on stuff. I'm not really into TV, I don't have an iPod, I've got a gramophone (laughs). I like the cinema, I like reading, but I'm not 'into' stuff, I don't need 'things'. So I think he was shocked by the fact that I'm not really bothered about earning lots of money and stuff. About eight months later, he wrote me a letter of apology that said 'I've seen loads of acts since you, and we can't get you out of our head. We just think can you give us another chance and come in for a meeting?'. So I did, and they were like 'We really want to sign you!', so it was good. And now I'm really pleased, and it's kind of become a running joke. And now I really respect the head of my label, because I see there are elements… and maybe the clash happened because we're really similar, both strong willed.. And both thought we were more important than the other (giggles).

Well, that kind of makes my next question redundant. It was 'How much control do you have to relinquish when you're signed to a major'? I guess the answer is none.

Well obviously I have to respect their opinion musically, because I don't think I'm as experienced as them on a musical level. But because all my training and background comes from theatre stuff - I did a degree in contemporary dance, and I did a master's degree in directing and designing for theatre - because of that, they respect a lot of my decisions visually. So the artwork, the logo, the way I dress, the way the stage is set - the structure of the performance and all that is totally my thing. When it comes to choosing what goes on the album and what might sell as a single, they've got a massive influence. But I'm writing them all, so there's an element of me in all of it. It'd be different if they gave me songs to sing.

Tell us about the album - do you have a favourite song?

I think my favourite song is the title track of the album. I think it sums me up a bit, on all levels - emotionally, workwise, everything. It's like I'm saying 'I'll offer you a myth or fantasy, or some transport out of reality, as opposed to the mundane or the real.' I'm pleased with that song, I wrote it with Ed Harcourt. He's just recorded his old new album, but he's been writing with other people. I loved working with him. Most of the album was being co-written and co-produced with writers who are all very different - so there's an eclectic thing going on, and then Stephen Fitzmaurice, who's an Irishman, actually - has mixed the album to give it a common thread, even though they're all produced by different people. He mixed Seal's 'Kiss from a Rose', the pride of Ireland. So I'm pleased with it, because I think it sort of represents me, in a way - I don't think I'm one-dimensional and I don't think the album is, either.

Do you put pressure on yourself about the album's success?

I think there's an element of that, sure. And I think the thing about signing to a major label is they throw what they can at the wall to see what sticks, and if it doesn't, they get rid of you. So I'm not so much concerned about making lots of money - what I'm more concerned about is whether I'll have the freedom to make the next album, and another after that, and another after that. Obviously, in this circumstance it is easier than doing it all yourself. And I don't have any rich parents to help me, or anything, like a lot of them do (giggles)

Did you expect [first single] 'Stone Cold Sober' to go Top 20?

I didn't know what to expect, really. I take everything with a pinch of salt, both negative and positive comments. Until it happens, you don't know. But I was really pleased, because when you're 10 years old, you never expect to have a Top 20 hit or have been in a film. So when I look at it from that respect, I feel really happy.

What's the weirdest description you've had of your music?

Somebody wrote on my YouTube that I looked like a diseased gopher? (laughs manically) I was like, 'Surely they should be listening to the song'…

Eek. But seriously, you've obviously got quite a classic movie star look - you must put a lot of thought into your image.

I think it's always been important to me. Ever since I was little, my mum used to choose an outfit for me and lay it on the bed so I'd know what I was wearing the next day. I never went to a uniformed school, so I always had an outfit - and I never really grew out of that, I don't think. All my family take a lot of care in the way they dress, so I've got to keep up with it, because otherwise they'd tell me their honest opinion. They'd be like 'You haven't made an effort', or my mum'd be like 'You look tired!' (laughs) I think it's more my grooming growing up is imbedded in me.

What's the one thing you're sick of being asked, that's cropped up in every interview you've done?

'What's it like to be a magician's assistant? Can you tell me how you do the tricks..'

I didn't ask that… but now I'm curious!

I couldn't tell you anyway, I'm sworn to secrecy. I'm in the circle.

I would've thought it was 'How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?'

No one asks me that… but it's about 30 minutes (laughs)

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Paloma Faith's 'Do You Want the Truth, or Something Beautiful?' is out now on Sony Music. She plays Dublin's Vicar Street on March 16th - tickets are on sale now. For more info, see www.palomafaith.com

 

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