Paloma Faith has revealed the shocking moment a record executive refused to release her music video because the love interest was black.
Speaking on her Mad, Sad and Bad podcast, the Hackney-born singer, 43, told broadcaster Afua Hirsch about a time in her career when a record label invited her to America to ‘break’ the market.
The Picking Up The Pieces songstress said she was gearing up to release a music video for one of her hit songs – believed to be 2014’s Only Love Can Hurt Like This – and had hand-picked a ‘close friend’ and former refugee from Uganda to play her ‘boyfriend’ in the video.
Her excitement was soon derailed however, as upon arrival in the States, she said the ‘African American’ label head instructed her to reshoot the video because ‘we can’t have someone that white with someone that black’.
Paloma – whose ex-partner Leyman Lahcine was born to Algerian parents – said she ultimately declined, choosing to stand on her personal morals rather than acquiesce to the decision.
In a snippet shared to Instagram, she recalled: ‘I had a music video and I was invited to America to meet the head of a record label and one of my really close friends was the love interest in it.
‘He’s got an amazing story – he’s from Uganda and came out of an awful situation as a refugee. To me he’s like an inspiring person… I was like “he’s going to be my boyfriend in the video!”‘
She said the US-based record company booked and paid for a business class flight for the star to an unnamed state, where they were expected to discuss the trajectory of her career.
Paloma Faith has revealed the shocking moment a record executive refused to release a music video for the star because the love interest was black
‘I was asked “Do you want to break America with this song?”‘ she continued. ‘I was like “absolutely of course”.’
She said what came next seemed to make it heartbreakingly clear what she would have to do in order to achieve this success.
The star said the executive told her she would ‘have to reshoot the video’ as fans and viewers stateside were unlikely to accept the content due to the colour of both Paloma and her love interest’s skin.
Paloma said the label head then told her: ‘We can’t have someone that white with someone that black. America won’t…’
The singer’s voice trailed off as Afua interrupted her to express her disbelief over what she was hearing.
Paloma then looked intently at Afua as she said: ‘It was an African American music exec who said it.
The songstress said she was gearing up to release a music video for one of her hit songs – believed to be 2014’s Only Love Can Hurt Like This – and had hand-picked a ‘close friend’ and former refugee from Uganda to play her ‘boyfriend’ in the video (Pictured: Paloma Faith and the unnamed love interest get steamy in the music video for Only Love Can Hurt Like This)
‘I said “I can’t believe you’re an African American saying this to me” to which he frankly replied “this is business”.’
Paloma said she told the exec she wasn’t willing to do ‘this type of business’ which seemingly left him shocked.
‘Well what do you mean?’ he asked Paloma. ‘Between you and me we know what our views are but we want to make money,’ he continued.
Paloma said she stuck to her guns and refused to back down, following which she said the record label flew her back to Britain on an economy class flight.
Though in the short clip she avoided mentioning the name of the song she shot a video for, it is believed to be the Diane Warren-penned love song, Only Love Can Hurt Like This.
In the video, Paloma gets steamy in a bra and kickers as she flirts with an unnamed black man before they grope and hug each other in various scenes.
Paloma has stated that she doesn’t fear backlash from her actions or being ‘cancelled’ – crediting her upbringing for placing her ‘on the right side of ethics and morals’.
She often gets candid on her podcast, detailing in one episode how she was caught in the middle of a sex act while on a street in Spain.
Paloma said she chose to stand on her personal morals rather than acquiesce the exec’s decision
And the star remains convinced that her outspoken views and wild stories will not land her in hot water, explaining to The Sun how she steers clear of scandal.
She said: ‘I’m not worried about being cancelled at all. I am pretty cocky about my morals and my ethics.
‘I feel like my politics and everything I’ve done is OK. I was raised by a socialist in a multicultural environment, with gay, straight, trans, drag queens, everyone, all around me.’
The hitmaker delved further into her childhood and how the seminal moment she first saw a cross-dresser at the age of 10 had stuck with her.
‘Most people getting called out are straight white men, isn’t it? They deserve it. You can’t just go around grabbing people’s bums and dropping drugs in women’s drinks or f***ing shouting homophobic abuse at people and then not expect it to come back on you.’
Paloma also reflected on the first two months of her podcast, which have seen an eclectic mix of guests join her on the show including Alan Carr and Mel B.
She said that the first run of episodes had focused on conversations with her close friends but she expressed a desire to branch out once the series had built up a head of steam.
The hitmaker added that she occasionally re-listens to recordings to check that things she has said have come across in the right way.
The singer dated Leyman Lahcine (pictured) for nine years prior to their split in 2022 (Both pictured in London in 2015)
Paloma’s remarks come after she looked to get Mad, Sad & Bad off to a raucous start with a teaser on TikTok.
The Never Tear Us Apart singer revealed that the ‘baddest’ moment of her life took place when she was younger, saying: ‘When I was 21 I allowed someone to go down on me in the street in Seville.
‘And an old lady walked past and she looked at us. I made eye contact with her and she just went (shakes her head in disgust).’
Sharing her ‘maddest’ time, Paloma revealed it was when Transport for London released the Oyster travel card.
She said: ‘I spent three hours making a paper mache oyster shell so that I could take myself to the bus.
‘And when the bus doors opened I tapped it on the reader and the driver went, “What are you doing?”
‘And I was like, “It’s an Oyster!” He was like, “I’m not moving this bus until you’ve paid”.
‘That is a bit mad because it wasn’t for anybody’s kind of fun, it was just for my own amusement.’
Paloma’s ‘saddest’ moment was when she split up with the father of her two children and then wrote her latest album, The Glorification of Sadness. The singer dated Leyman Lahcine for nine years prior to their split in 2022.
Earlier this month, however, Paloma went public with her boyfriend Stevie Thomas, who she has been secretly dating for a year, at the Sony Music BRITs afterparty.
The star wrapped her arms around her beau, who is managing director of venue The JamHouse, as they partied it up after the star-studded music awards.
