Cliff Notes – Paloma Faith warned she ‘wouldn’t crack America’ after kissing Black man in music video
- Paloma Faith revealed that a music executive advised her to reshoot her music video for "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" due to concerns about her kissing a Black man, stating it would hinder her success in the US.
- The comments, made by an African American team member, left Faith shocked, prompting her to refuse to alter the video, asserting she would not compromise her morals for commercial gain.
- Following her decision, Faith returned to the UK on an economy flight, receiving widespread support from fans who praised her for prioritising ethics over potential financial success.
Paloma Faith warned she ‘wouldn’t crack America’ after kissing Black man in music video
Paloma Faith has revealed the shocking comments made to her when she attempted to crack America.
A music executive warned her that she would not achieve success across the pond if she didn’t reshoot the video for Only Love Can Hurt Like This, in which she kisses a Black man.
Paloma, 43, was left stunned by the remarks, which were reportedly made by an African American team member.
Speaking on her Mad, Sad & Bad podcast, Paloma explained: ‘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 [the video].
‘He’s got an amazing story. He’s from Uganda, came out of an awful situation as a refugee and, to me, he’s an inspiring person, and I was like, “He’s gonna be my boyfriend in the video!”‘
Paloma continued: ‘I was flown to America on a business class flight and asked, “Do you want to break America with this song?” And I was like, “Absolutely, of course!”
Paloma Faith has claimed a music exec told her to reshoot a video in which she kissed a Black man (Picture: Anthony Harvey/REX/Shutterstock)
‘And they were like, “You’d have to reshoot the video because we can’t have someone that white with someone that Black and America won’t buy it”.’
On how she responded to the alleged instructions, Paloma, who shares two children with North African artist Leyman Lahcine, recalled: ‘I said, “I can’t believe you’re an African American saying this to me.”
‘And he said, “Yeah, but this is business”.’
The singer then claims she told the individual: ‘I’m not willing to do this type of business,’ to which he replied: ‘But you and me, between us, know what our views are, but we want to make money.’
The singer refused to change the scenes in her hit Only Love Can Hurt Like This (Picture: YouTube)
‘Not on those terms,’ she declared and was flown back to the UK shortly after on an economy flight in an act of ‘pettiness’.
After a clip of the conversation between Paloma and Afua Hirsch was shared on Instagram, it quickly garnered thousands of likes and comments.
The powerhouse vocalist was inundated with messages of support as fans praised her for having ‘morals’.
‘Thank you for showing strength and standing by your morals! Not many would! 🙏🏾💜💜💜’, wrote @raven_mandella.
Paloma declared she didn’t want to make money ‘on those terms’ (Picture: YouTube)
‘She could have made so much more money but she chose what was morally right, and that’s just one reason why Paloma will always be so admired ❤️❤️I’m sure a lot of other celebrities wouldn’t have made the same decision- showing Paloma really cares about her fans and not just getting money from them 🙌’, praised @palomafaith_fan_n.ireland.
‘Can’t believe I’ve found yet another reason to love Paloma’, commented @kellyydwi.
‘What a good heart she has 🙌 I’m glad she didn’t sell out her soul ❤️’, added @justanodoubtgirl.
Only Love Can Hurt Like This was released in 2014 as the second single from Paloma’s A Perfect Contradiction album.
The songwriter has been widely praised for her allyship after standing her ground (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
While she refused to alter the video to appease American label execs, the tune peaked at number six in the UK charts, making it Paloma’s highest-charting single as a solo artist in the country, and was later certified 3x Platinum.
The Hackney-born star has since acquired somewhat of a fanbase in the States, previously praising the country for understanding her artistic expression.
At the start of this month, the outspoken Lullaby hitmaker made a dig at US President Donald Trump and his Republican voters when appearing at the Brit Awards.
Before presenting the dance award to Charli XCX, Paloma couldn’t resist a cheeky unscripted quip: ‘At a time of uncertainty, the whole world’s gone mad; everything’s unpredictable; people don’t play by the rules at all… it feels like we’re living in a simulation.
‘Some people are getting it wrong—thank you to the voters of America—and some people are getting it absolutely bloody right, and that person is Charli XCX.’
Her savage dig earned her rapturous applause and cheers from the London crowd and heaps of praise on social media.
Paloma is famously vocal when it comes to politics and social issues. Also in March, she gave a heartfelt speech outside the Israeli Embassy in London.
The musician proudly stated she ‘won’t be silent until Palestine is free’ after Israel broke the ceasefire with Hamas and resumed attacks on Gaza.