Upcoming London based singer-songwriter Paris Paloma recently made waves with the release of her debut single “Narcissus”.
Now, this gifted artist is set to follow up the success of her debut release with the brand new song “Ocean Baby” on the 19th November 2020.
Paris has kindly taken the time to speak with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution about her upcoming track, along with finding out more from the artist behind the music.
Hey Paris, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Can you start by telling the readers a little bit about yourself?
Paris: Of course! I’m a 20 year old singer-songwriter based in London, but I grew up in the UK countryside. I’m also a Visual Artist and Poet, studying Fine Art and History of Art at university right now alongside my music career, and I really enjoy tying these passions into my songwriting. For example the inspiration for the idea for my debut single “Narcissus,” was from studying artworks that were made depicting the Greek myth of Narcissus and Echo, and I was so taken with the narrative of that story I decided to incorporate that into a song.
When did you first discover your passion for music?
Paris: I remember singing from very young, not to perform at first, but almost as a self soothing thing – I was never not singing, just walking round the house or whenever I was alone. I started performing after the age of ten and threw myself into my poetry and songwriting in my early teens. Since then its just been an accelerating process as my music evolves alongside my emotional maturity so I’ve ended up writing songs that I am immensely proud of in the past few years.
How would you describe your musical style to someone unfamiliar with your music?
Paris: I’d describe it as sort of dark-pop or anti-pop, with folksy and poetic influences. People who are just discovering me often compare me to the styles of artists such as Lana del Ray or Billie Eilish – I think its something about having dreamy melodies that I tend to write alongside slightly grittier and very emotive lyrics, it gives my music a sort of poetic identity.
You are about to release the brand new single “Ocean Baby”. How did the idea to create this song come together?
Paris: “Ocean Baby,” is the only romantic love song I’ve ever written, so it’s important in that way. I felt so happy at the time of writing it to want to document my love for this one person. I’m very inspired by Pre-Raphaelite and Romantic painting, and I definitely see “Ocean Baby,” being heavily influenced by those genres of artwork as the song is a very romanticised ballad about one person and celebrating all their beautiful attributes both physical and otherwise. You can see these similarities if you look up paintings by John Singer Sargent or Dante Gabriel Rossetti, both artists’ work I adore; the paintings are always these very Romantic scenes heavily adorned in nature and the sublime, and I definitely see “Ocean Baby” as a celebration of the beauty you are able to see in one person when you love them. It is, in a traditional sense a love song, and I cherish it for that, as it sits apart from my other tracks that contain a lot of pain and grief. Ocean Baby is a nice rest bite for me.
How would you compare the creative process behind this song to your previous release “Narcissus”?
Paris: “Narcissus” was such a different experience to write. It’s a song about power and empowering yourself as a young woman, and it was fuelled by a lot of anger and a new-found sense of freedom that I hadn’t felt for long at the time. I wrote that song very quickly, whereas “Ocean Baby,” took a while, I think perhaps because I’m not used to writing love songs – as that then involves inspiration from someone else, someone you love, but “Narcissus,” was about my own taking control of my life after maltreatment and being walked over. In a way though, that song isn’t about me anymore as I’m thrilled with how many young people, especially young women, have felt represented by that track and identified with it. I think because the experience of writing “Narcissus” was so raw, it was almost easier to write. I didn’t need to think about it. “Ocean Baby,” was different, it has a certain fragility, perhaps because as I say – I’m not that used to writing love songs.
What does the song personally mean to you?
Paris: It has a different meaning now to what it did when it was written, definitely. I wrote it at a time where I was travelling a lot to far away places with someone I loved, someone who is now in my life less… but the song hasn’t lost any of its sweetness, I hope. It’s merely gained a little note of sadness and nostalgia, as I’m not in the relationship that it is about anymore.
If listeners could take away one message from this song, what would you like it to be?
Paris: I think that – just because something is over you don’t need to disregard all the happiness it brought you at the time. “Ocean Baby,” was written in a really prosperous period of growth in my life, I’m in a different one now, but I don’t regret it at all. I also would like people to take from it that its okay to romanticise your life, write poetry and songs about the people you love, even just in your head. Life is too short to not seek out the beauty and adventure in everything. I think that’s the main message I’d like people to read from it.
Are there any further releases planned that you are able to tell us about at the moment?
Paris: Ahh I’ve got some ideas and loose plans but I’m not sure I can talk about that yet! If anyone was listening this past week I did an acoustic set for BBC Radio Derby that was played every evening and there may or may not have been some hints there.
What are some of the things you enjoy outside of music?
Paris: As I said earlier I’m also a Fine Artist, so I do a lot of painting and sculpture. I’ve really been enjoying ceramics recently and making a lot of sculptures in clay, and taking the time to glaze them and fire them over and over until they’re finished. I find it really cathartic and I’ve made some weird sculptures but I love them! I’m very fortunate to be able to express myself in so many different forms of Art.
If you perform a duet with anyone on the planet, who would you choose & why?
Paris: My producer, Harry Charlton! He says he’s not a singer but I beg to differ and I’ve been trying to pin him down to duet with me so you may be seeing something like that soon.
Finally, is there a message that you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?
Paris: Make shit. I say this so often. If you don’t think you’re good at something don’t let that stop you from doing it. If you want to get better, sure, make shit at first and you can practice and get better if you want, that’s the best way to do it – but also Art doesn’t have to be good. Make stuff for yourself to enrich you – paintings, music, poetry. So much of Art is commodified and capitalised on now which I do think is a shame as I think we need to remember sometimes that Art began as storytelling songs around a fire and paintings on a cave wall – now capitalism has made it so it needs to be sellable, and to be sellable it needs to be “good.” Do away with that concept. Make Art for Arts sake, for yourself and don’t concern yourself with being “good.”
You can pre-save “Ocean Baby” by clicking the link here.
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