In a traditional sense, being the supporting act for Florence and the Machine's upcoming UK and Europe tour, and describing yourself as someone who likes to be “in bed with a bowl of hummus by 9 pm” aren’t two things you’d expect to go together. Unless you’re Paloma Paris.
If you don’t recognise the name, or her multi-million-streamed song Labour and the Fruits, fear not, as the Brighton-based singer and songwriter, who describes her unique, genre-bending sounds as “world-building, storytelling, and very cathartic”, is set to be a household name in a matter of moments.
Like many of the globe's most notable names in music, Paris’s first creative medium didn’t involve a guitar or microphone; instead, she took to pen and paper, describing her love for creative writing from a young age as her original medium of creativity. “I remember writing a new novel almost every week and giving my English teacher a headache because I’d turn them in even when it wasn’t a homework assignment. It wasn’t until I was 13 that I discovered musical influence and began to write songs instead. That became a more fluid emotional output for me.”
"I thought it would be great if I could write a song that appeals to the men who are on the right side of allyship with women"
It’s that journal-like lyricism mixed with hints of dark, orchestral, and pop elements that have garnered her a die-hard fan base of hundreds of thousands, not to mention the overarching aesthetic that can only be described as ifSimone Rocha and Wednesday Addams had a baby - “Gothic, organic, and unravelled." Three adjectives which effortlessly shaped her newest music video and single, Good Boy, which is not only directed by BAFTA-winning Georgie Cowan-Turner and stars Tom Blyth, but also features an introduction from the ever-iconic Emma Thompson.
The video itself is a visual symphony for fans of fashion, with Paris playing the role of the grim-reaping patriarchy and the everywoman, in costumes designed by her all-time favourite designer, Bora Aksu. Having a designer of Bora’s significance and respect create a custom, one-of-one look just for you is, of course, every style obsessive's dream. When Paris and her stylist asked him to make a look inspired by the figure of death in the vintage horror film The Seventh Seal, he sent back a photo a week later of it fully made, and he'd expertly nailed the brief.
As for the track, “The inspiration is twofold, really. I was so frustrated at the state of the patriarchy that we're watching, while also thinking a lot about the branding of misogyny and being a male ally. I thought it would be great if I could write a song that appeals to the men who are on the right side of allyship with women, and it can be like something knowingly shared with them, whilst also just saying it as it is to the men who are the perpetrators of that culture.”
And the Emma Thompson cameo? That was a surprisingly organic collab and one which Paris describes as “the champion of the song message.” After working and becoming friends with Emma’s actress daughter, Paris had the idea to have a spoken word intro of Rebecca Shaw’s article, titled ‘I knew one day I'd have to watch Powerful Men Burn the World Down. I just didn't expect them to be such losers.’ “After meeting Emma, I couldn't stop thinking of her voice being the one to read the intro, and she was absolutely wonderful.”
"Even if someone claims to know more than you do, you need to learn, own it and be in the driver's seat.”
Paris has forever had a strong stance on feminism, using her platform to uplift and bring women together. When asked about what advice she’d give to young females wanting to make their mark just like her, she encourages them to “not outsource your power and decision making about your artwork. Even if someone claims to know more than you do, you need to learn, own it and be in the driver's seat.”
Read the full article in the December/January issue of H! Fashion, on sale now.