Life According To… Singer, Paloma Faith

Singer Paloma Faith opens up about long-lasting love, motherhood, and her lockdown album.

You self-recorded your new album in your basement – what was that process like?

Well, being at home meant I was completely uninhibited with wild abandon, in a way I’m not when sound engineers are looking at me. Also, I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes land in places that are wonderful, and I wouldn’t make them if someone else was there. So, I feel like there’s more intimacy in this record, and that there’s more truth in the way I’m singing.

What’s the album’s themes?

It’s a commentary on society, issues raised by living in the pandemic, and also knowing people who have lost loved ones. It’s also about enduring love, as we’re most used to hearing about the initial parts of a relationship on that first spark, so it’s an area under-represented. There’s a big cultural hole there I’m aiming to address.

What was it like spending time at home during the pandemic?

It is so great being a mum and I feel very lucky, as the lockdown meant we’ve spent a lot of time together as a family, which has been a positive. Usually, it had just been one or the other of us looking after our daughter, who has now started really learning about family.

What can you tell us about the title track, Infinite Things?

It’s about seeing things through my daughter’s eyes and about becoming a parent, and how it’s all about continuing humanity. You experience the worst heartache with it.

You recently announced you were pregnant with your second child, following six rounds of IVF. How do you feel?

I’d pretty much resigned myself to giving up with this latest treatment, and I thought it just wasn’t going to happen. It felt like it was the last chance saloon and I was thinking to myself, where am I going with this? With IVF, I think it’s sad men don’t really talk about it in public, and it’s one of those things where society always assumes it is a female issue. It’s something that can be hard on relationships.

How important is it to you to be an ambassador for Oxfam and Greenpeace?

Being an ambassador is fantastic, as I feel when you’re in my industry it’s easy to lose sight of the reality about the world. The truth is, there are a lot more pressing things going on out there than singing a pop song, so if I can use my platform for the greater good then I absolutely should and intend to. I also find it’s something I get a lot of enjoyment from and not for superficial reasons that I’ve pursued this career.

Paloma Faith’s new album, Infinite Things, is out on Friday