You’ve never been a throwaway, fluffy pop act, but why do you think people have responded so enthusiastically to your musical and sartorial reinventions over the past six years?
I think people respond to honesty; I think if you try to be something you’re not, they’ll see straight through it. I don’t feel I’ve got much choice other than to stay true to who I am, and I suppose that appeals to people who feel an affinity with “outsiderness” – or maybe they want to be that way themselves but don’t have the confidence.
Do you still feel like you’re an outsider?
Absolutely. One hundred per cent. I don’t think I’ll ever feel any different. I can go to all those big events and stuff, but I’ll never feel “Oh, I’m meant to be here”. It’s always tough for me.
Yet you won Best British Female at the Brits earlier this year?
Yeah, but you know what? Every artist that I know who’s been at those things doesn’t know how to behave, or hates it, or feels uncomfortable.
Did you experience any of the craziness after Madonna had taken her infamous tumble at the Brits?
Well, I’d just won and I’d done my performance, and I’d gone off stage and I was sort of being dried off by about eight hairdryers when it happened. So I didn’t really hear anything about it until somebody popped their head in the door, taking the piss, and said: “Madonna just stole your headline!”
You worked with Pharrell and Plan B on your album ‘A Perfect Contradiction’ – who’s next on your collaborative wish list?
One of the greatest producers – and I still don’t think people have seen what he’s fully capable of – is Labrinth. I think he’s only scratched the surface, and I quite like the idea of doing something very British. I’d like to work with him.
There’s been a lot of speculation about your private life in the press over the years. Is that tough to deal with?
I think you can court that sort of stuff, or you can avoid it. Obviously people go around digging, but I’m quite lucky in that so far – touch wood – everyone that’s been asked about my past, even exes and stuff who’ve been approached by the press, have said no and contacted me to let me know that it happened. So, hopefully, I’ve made some good choices, although don’t speak too soon.
One of them could suddenly turn into a drug addict and be desperate for money – you never know.
You’ve been vocal about your views on female solidarity in the music industry. Do you feel that things are getting better or worse for female artists?
I think it’s stayed the same. There’s a very interesting habit that the press has of asking questions of what you think about other women. They might ask it innocently, but if you say anything negative, the editor, who’s usually male, will make a big deal about it. But if you say something about a man, nothing gets printed and it’s really not a big deal.
I remember being asked once, by a journalist who was quite intelligent, about what I thought of Taylor Swift copyrighting the phrase “that sick beat”. I didn’t answer the question as a woman talking about a woman; I answered it about that particular situation. I said “I’m sure she’s got big insecurities”, and then the press made a big deal out of me saying that she was ridiculous, and that I said she was insecure and all this stuff.
I don’t know the woman – how can I have made such a broad statement about her, having never met her? I’m sure she’s lovely. So it’s sort of annoying that I feel like I’ve got to watch what I say now, which is quite difficult for someone like me because I just say what I think all the time.
It was turned into a catfight and it shouldn’t have been, really.
What’s next for you?
I try and change quite a bit between albums, so I’m working on a new sound and stuff, which is exciting. I’ve been listening to a lot of 1970s psychedelic rock, like Jimi Hendrix and early Tina Turner and Ike Turner, so they’ll probably be an influence.
We have to ask about the recent headlines about the, ahem, “amorous” couple who were arrested during your set at Hyde Park last year for performing a public sex act . . .
In all honesty, my initial reaction was always “absolutely brilliant, love it”. But then I started thinking: “Oh, it’s probably not very good if there was kids around.” So on a comedy level among adults, absolutely fantastic. But in a public park with loads of kids around, absolutely terrible. But . . . there’s two sides to every story.
Your Dublin gig should (hopefully) be a lot more civilised . . .
Yeah, I’ve played the Iveagh Gardens before, and I loved it. Bring the sun in your heart – but I remember last time it rained a lot, so you must bring your umbrellas, too!
Paloma Faith plays the Iveagh Gardens on Thursday, July 2nd
