Paloma Faith given sad ultimatum from music boss after kissing Black man in video

Singing sensation Paloma Faith revealed a shocking encounter with a music executive during her efforts to break into the U. S. market

Paloma Faith has opened up about a disturbing encounter she had while trying to break into the U.S. music scene, revealing the insensitive remarks made by an industry executive. The executive, who was African American, reportedly told her she would never find success in America unless she re-shot her music video for Only Love Can Hurt Like This, because it showed her kissing a Black man.

Paloma, 43, recounted the experience on her Mad, Sad &amp, Bad podcast, explaining that the love interest in the video was a close friend from Uganda who had an inspiring story of overcoming adversity as a refugee.

She shared how the opportunity to meet with a top record executive in America seemed like a huge career moment. “I was flown over in business class and asked, ‘ Do you want to break America with this song? ‘ Of course, I said yes”, she recalled.

However, things took a troubling turn when she was told the video needed to be reshot due to the racial dynamic in the romantic scene. “They said, ‘ You can’t have someone that white with someone that Black – America won’t buy it, ‘” Paloma revealed. Shocked by these comments, she responded, “I can’t believe you’re saying this to me, especially as an African American”.

Despite the executive’s insistence that “this is business”, Paloma stood her ground. “I told him, ‘ I’m not willing to do this kind of business, ‘” she shared. The situation ended with Paloma being sent back to the UK on a standard flight in what she described as an act of “pettiness” on their part.

The story was shared on social media, quickly gaining traction, with fans flooding Paloma with messages of support for standing by her principles. Her hit Only Love Can Hurt Like This was released in 2014 as part of her A Perfect Contradiction album, and despite refusing to change the video, the song became her highest-charting single in the UK, peaking at number six and later being certified 3x Platinum.

Paloma, a Hackney native, has since built a loyal following in the U.S., where her artistic integrity has been embraced. Recently, she made headlines again with a pointed remark at the 2025 Brit Awards about U.S. politics, taking a jab at Donald Trump and his supporters.

“Some people are getting it wrong—thank you to the voters of America”, she said. “And some people are getting it absolutely bloody right, and that person is Charli XCX”. Her witty and bold comment earned cheers and applause from the London crowd and further solidified her reputation for speaking her mind.

Source: Mirror