Paloma Faith

Known for a bold retro look and flamboyant stage persona, Paloma Faith’s music is a shining blend of soul and pop. The glamorous Hackney-born artist got her start in music by mimicking legendary soul singers like Etta James and Billie Holiday, whose songs hugely inspired her own work.

Paloma took the less travelled path to music superstardom, first landing jobs as a burlesque cabaret performer, a magician’s assistant and a life model. She even dabbled in acting, appearing in the remake of St Trinian’s in 2007, along with the horror flick Dread, fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in 2009 and Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth in 2015. When an opportunity to join Amy Winehouse’s band emerged, Paloma turned it down in order to write and perform her own songs.

Launching a singing career

In 2009, she launched her singing career with Stone Cold Sober, the lead single from her debut album Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? Featuring writing collaborations with Ed Harcourt and Steve Robson of Take That, it was packed with hits. Stone Cold Sober and New York both peaked on the UK top 20 singles list, while Upside Down, Smoke & Mirrors and the title track also climbed the charts. Paloma headed out on her first major tour in 2010 to support the album, travelling across the UK as well as to Europe and Australia, before receiving her first BRIT nomination for Best Female Solo Artist.

When her follow-up Fall To Grace came out in 2012, it immediately took the No.2 spot on the UK official albums chart. Led by Picking Up The Pieces, which reached No.7 on the singles chart, its unique cinematic mood saw her pick up two more BRIT award nominations for Best Album and Best Female Solo Artist.

Paloma’s third album, A Perfect Contradiction, came out in 2014 and continued the momentum, debuting at No.2 on the UK albums chart and spawning six singles. Can’t Rely On You, produced by Pharrell Williams, and Ready For The Good Life both broke the UK Top 10. A Perfect Contradiction went on to achieve double platinum status, with a special edition featuring a re-arranged version of Changing, a collaboration with drum and bass DJ Sigma. In 2015, Paloma finally took home a BRIT Award for Best Female Solo Artist.

The Voice

With her renowned mezzo-soprano voice, Paloma joined the judging panel on the fifth series of The Voice UK in 2016. Later that year, she became a mum for the first time.

More luminaries from the world of music and acting – such as Sia, Rag’n’Bone Man, John Legend and Samuel L Jackson – signed on to be part of Paloma’s fourth album, 2017’s The Architect. Whereas early albums saw her looking inward, this time she focused on social issues and examining the world. The Architect ultimately cemented her position in the top tier of British pop singer-songwriters, as along with Adele, Paloma was the only British female artist to have her last three albums go double platinum in the UK.

In early 2018, she teamed up with Sigala on the song Lullaby, which went on to become the sixth most-played track in the UK that year. After taking on a few more acting projects – playing a villain in Pennyworth and voicing a poodle on 101 Dalmatian Street – Paloma headed out on a UK arena tour and added two more BRIT Award nominations to her name in 2018 and 2019.

After four years away from the red chair, she returned in 2020 to do The Voice Kids spinoff, where she coached promising young vocal talents.

On 25 September 2020, on the heels of the single Better Than This, she announced her fifth studio album Infinite Things – a rumination on sickness and loss that includes collaborations with Ed Harcourt and songwriters Starsmith, Tre Jean Marie, MNEK and Josef Salvat.

After releasing the single ‘How You Leave A Man’ in October 2023, Faith announced spring & summer shows for 2024.