It’s been an absolute pleasure to offer you our latest feature of Paris Paloma. A few of you may have heard of this rising folk artist from her viral hit, “labour,” or maybe you’ve read a few of our past reviews of her work. We joined her in San Francisco’s The Chapel, which happened to be her first night of her first ever United States tour, and wow, what a magical experience it was.
Read our full performance review below:
Just shortly before the release of debut album, Cacophany, we joined with Paris before her performance around sound check. The venue bathed in sunlight through the stained glass windows. All in all, it was a peaceful atmosphere as the night’s openers, The Army, The Navy, practiced playing in the background. Paris sat gracefully into the sofa with a mug of warm water in her hands while we talked about tour thus far. Her gown was splayed effortlessly around her. She fit neatly into the landscape around her.
The sad thing about touring is that you’re in each place so fleetingly…
Paris Paloma commented simply. I sensed a longing to explore more of the world.
We connected over our love for Lord of the Rings.
Paris commented about how her and her tour manager played the Hobbiton soundtrack to each other jokingly over the course of prepping thus far. Not much later I took note of the fairy necklace she was wearing.
I got it in a little shop in Derbyshire. It’s become a symbol for my fans as well, because they call themselves “the fairies.”
I asked her after we chatted more about Lord of the Rings about where she finds the quiet moments and where she romanticizes them most, especially around tour.
It’s often in places like this, with the warm light and the stained glass, and other little places I find quiet moments on tour. And luckily, with each new place, I’ve been able to find those moments and those spots.
We transitioned into her music thus far, starting with “labour.”
While an angrier track of hers, it also contrasts with a softness. Not just from her vocals, but the poetic nature of her work and the gentle comfort each word offers.
The reason I make those songs is because it’s catharsis for me, because I moved to make a song like that. I don’t set out to make an angry song. I kind of just feel it when I’m writing it. I think the term “feminine rage” or “female rage,” other than in small doses, I think it can be co-opted and become a fetishization of female anger and we stray from the fact that we, as women, shouldn’t have to be angry. There’s not a divine necessity to be angry in order to be a woman, because it’s not womanhood with the patriarchy…
So I think “labour” would also not be a song about womanhood, it’s about patriarchy. The experience of womanhood should not be an experience of oppression. I think sometimes feminine rage can err on the side of seeing womanhood as the injustices and anger and I don’t want to frame it like that.
We then broke transitioned into more of her work…
We refuse to allow the success of her viral hit overshadow the rest of her talents and intentions. Beneath the loudness of anger, we discussed… There’s a beauty in finding the softness after fighting against nature’s desire to harden us. We expressed that despite allowing each emotion to breathe in each of Paris’s songs, rather than becoming “harder” and building up walls, she embraced the softness while feeling each emotion fully.
It’s that constant grueling, toiling attempt to remain soft throughout. I think instead of celebrating women being angry, I love to see when women validate each other’s experience, like through my music. Because that’s what it’s about. It’s about catharsis and validation, and allowing women to take up that space when they’ve not been allowed to be angry. And that’s when it’s wonderful…
We talked about the album to come: Cacophany. It will be a hero’s journey of sorts through mental health struggles. Some songs will express the result of trauma. Some will be less related. All in all, the album is a map through the last few years of Paris’s life journey.
I feel like a lot of the songs will make sense in a greater context of why I wrote them when it’s within a whole album.
Watch the video in full at the link below:
As far as what Paris has for us next… a new album is in the works. She mentioned talks of a concept album, and an eagerness to play with a concept. We look forward to hearing whatever it has to offer for us. In the meantime, pre-save Cacophany by Paris Paloma here, out on August 30th. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates on this artist and what she has to offer next!