Research into chosen music artist - Miss Georgiou

Research into chosen music artist

Paloma Faith

We decided to choose Paloma Faith as our music artist as she is a unique artist with her own style as there are not many artists around that are similar to her. Also as a group we all listen to and enjoy her music, therefore making her the perfect artist for us as a group to base our music video on. 

Paloma Faith Bloomfield (33) started her vocal career in 2007 and has also been featured in films such as St Trinians, Dread and Dogface. Faith was born in London, Hackney to a English mother and a Spanish father. Her parents then divorced when she was four years old and was raised by her mother in Stoke Newington. When Faith was a child she was encouraged to dance and took weekly ballet classes. She then  got a degree in contemporary dance at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, she then went on to study for an MA in theatre directing at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. She funded her studies through various part time jobs including sales assistant, singing in a burlesque cabaret, a life model and a magician's assistant. Faith is Mezzo-Soprano, she was also briefly married to New Zealand chef Rian Haynes in 2005 but they split after eight months and divorced four years later. She also told the media she was 4 years younger than she actually is and came out that she was actually born in 1981 claiming that 'age isn't important'.

Faith's first introduction into singing was when she impersonated soul artists such as Billie Holiday who she admires and has influenced her work. Faith first met her managers Jamie Binns and Christian Wahlber of Lateral Management in 2007. They then spent six months to a year helping Faith with the A&R process, setting up sessions and guiding and adversing her before she was officially signed to Lateral Management. During her time at college when she worked in a pub she was the lead singer for the band 'Paloma and the Penetrators'. Whilst she was singing in cabaret she was scouted by an A&R man from Epic Records. Recently Faith's music is often compared to artists such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy.

Faith released her debut single 'stone cold sober' in mid 2009 and it reached no.17 on the UK singles chart, her single 'new york' was released in september 2009 and made its peak position in early october peaking at no.15 on the UK singles chart. She then released her album 'do you want the truth or something beautiful?' on 28th september 2009 and recorded her album entirely in London. It soon became BBC Radio 2's album of the week from 19th september 2009. She then released her fourth single 'upside down' which peaked at number 55 in the UK, to promote the album Faith went on her first tour featuring dates in the UK, Germany and France.

On the 4th November 2009 Faith announced her first headlining tour of the UK and Ireland, 'The Times' described the tour as being "full of theatrical artifice, but based on the rock-solid foundation of Faith's sensational singing voice and a personality that sparkled like a rough diamond". in January 2011 Faith was nominated for 'British Female Solo Artist' at the 2011 BRIT awards. In January 2013 Paloma revealed she was be inning to write her third studio album during her time in the US. Faith has performed alongside artists such as Jake Bugg, Aluna George and Bastille whilst she was headlining the Evolution Festival. She has also featured in singles such as 'cant rely on you' and had singles such as 'only love can hurt like this' and became her most successful single to date reaching number 6 in the UK chart and number 1 in Australia. Faith's tour through her career are 'do you want the truth or something beautiful tour' (2010), 'fall to grace tour' (2012-13) and 'paloma faith autumn tour' (2014). Epic records have also signed artists such as Avril Lavigne, Olly Murs, Andre 3000, Michael Jackson and Ciara.

Paloma Faith - Picking Up The Pieces
The artist is represented to be very emotional and hurt from the video as the camera shots show her looking very emotional throughout the whole video. The video also portrays her as weak and subordinate compared to the man in the video as she seems to not have as much power compared to him. The artist is shown to be ordinary as she is seen to be in a relateable situation within a relationship meaning that many people would be able to relate to the situation and also shown to be extradordinary as she is impeciablly dressed which makes her seen as a product to audiences as they aspire to be like her.


Goodwin's theory is used within this music video as there are numerous close ups of the artists throughout the video. These are shown when she is sitting in the car and during other parts such as when she is in the location which appears to be a hotel. Another element of Goodwin's theory that is evident is the fact that there is aesthetically pleasing portrayals of the artist. This is shown throughout the video as Paloma is seen to be dressed up within the video, seen to be wearing dresses, heels and her hair and make up done nicely. This shows to the audience that she cares about her apperance and makes the video more interesting for the audience to watch as some audiences may be attracted to her and therefore find the video more engaging. Another element of Goodwin's theory that is evident is that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals, this is seen within the video as the artist is seen to be singing along to the lyrics throughout the majority of the video. This portrays to the audience that the song is meaningful to the artist and allows the audience to relate to the artist more as they can relate to their own past experiences with the artist, this also portrays the genre of the video which is soul - this is done as the artist is seen to be getting emotional with the lyrics and makes the song more meaningful for the audience.


The artist is represented in a vintage/1970's way as she is seen to be looking very feminine and elegant within the video looking impeccably dressed throughout. The artist is represented to be having little authority within the relationship, this is shown as she doesn't act in a way or says anything to the male in the video - instead she is seen to not voice an opinion and only stand there and look 'pretty'. This shows that the artist doesn't have much authority within her relationships and gets told what to do mostly. This shows that the artist is weak and emotionally vulnerable as she is singing about a past relationship and the effects it had on her.

The target audience for this music video are males and females who listen to soul music aged 16-40. This is the target audience as this audience would be able to relate to what the artist is talking about within the video. This is shown as most 16-40 year olds would relate to being in a relationship, therefore meaning they can relate to the artist more and engage in what is happening within the video. Within the music video it is evident that the song is aimed at a more mature/grown up audience as the setting and mise en scene are grown up and mature. This shows that the audience is not aimed at children or anyone over 40 as they wouldn't have an interest in the video.

The style of the music video is narrative as there is a storyline within the music video. This is shown within Paloma Faith's music video as she is seen to be going to a hotel in the countryside with her partner and it shows what she gets up to there. This is conventional to the soul genre as although it is a narrative based video the artist is still performing her song to the camera and singing the lyrics. This means that the audience is still entertained by the narrative but reminds them of the genre as she is singing her own song making it personal to her and therefore making the audience be able to relate to her more and past experiences.



The mise en scene is used within this video as she is seen to be at a very regal royal looking manor in the countryside. The setting here is used to portray to the audience that the song is going to be meaningful and emotional as the setting of wildlife and the countryside connotes people being in touch with their emotions. This shows to the audience that the video is going to be mature and grown up as the setting is in a rural place which may not appeal to younger audiences. Also the costume, hair and makeup within the music video is shown to be 70's dresses and very precise hair and makeup which shows that the artist is interested in the vintage style and portrays herself as old fashioned but still very precise and neat. 

Common camera shots used within the music video, for example there are close ups of the artist. These are seen throughout the video but mainly when she is sitting in the back of the car singing by herself. This shows to the audience the artists emotions and feelings about the song and also shows that the song is very personal to the artist which makes the audience feel they can relate to the artist more. This therefore means they feel more engaged in what is happening in the video as they can relate to what the artist is feeling and then relate to their own past life experiences. They may also feel they are gaining an insight into the artists life as they are seeing the artists true emotions on a one to one level as there is no one else in the shot.

Paloma Faith - Only Love Can Hurt Like This 

Dyer's theory is shown within the video as the music video represents the artist as emotional as within the video she is shown to be in a relationship and the whole video seems to be based around it. The artist is viewed as a product as the audiences aspire to be like the artist as the artist is shown to be confident and her hair and makeup looks appealing to the audience too. The artist is represented as ordinary and extraordinary as she is seen to be in a relateable situation within her relationship to the audience as they may be able to put themselves in her situation and extraordinary as she is performing her song.


 

Goodwin's theory is used within the video as there is aesthetically pleasing frequent portrayals of the female body. This is shown within the video as she is seen to be in her underwear the whole video and laying around in bed. This attracts different audiences as people would be attracted to her portrayal and therefore engage in the video. This would therefore mean there is a wider range of audiences for the video. Another element of Goodwin's theory that is evident within the video is the frequent close up shots of the artist. These are shown constantly throughout the video. The use of these shots allows the audience to recognise the artist and relate to her more as they can see her facial expressions which show her mood.

The artist is represented as very emotional and sexual within her video. This is shown as she is seen with a man throughout the majority of the video in her underwear and in bed, this shows that she is seen as sexual and the video portrays her in that way. She is represented as emotional as she is singing about a past relationship and how she got hurt and shows her getting emotional and upset about it as her facial expressions show her distressed. These representations allow the audience to engage more in the video as they feel the artist is more approachable and reachable as they feel they have an insight into what the artist is really like.

The target audience of this music video is both men and women aged 16-40. This is shown within the video as both males and females are evident in the video, this means that it attracts both genders to watch the video. Also the age group of 16-40 is the target audience as this is the age group that would most likely relate to what the artist is singing about and relate back to their own personal experiences. The target audience is portrayed as the video is quite grown up and mature as it is dealing with relationships and people getting hurt.

The stlye of the music video is narrative as within the video there is a story being told as shown by Paloma and the man in the video. Within the narrative video there is elements of performance, as the artist is performing the song and singing the lyrics to the camera. This keeps the audience involved in the video and interested as they have a narrative to watch but can also see that the artist is getting involved and showing her emotion by matching lyrics with visuals. The mise en scene within the video is used as the costume hair and makeup show that the artist looks after her apperance and as she is seen in her underwear it connotes the idea of love. The idea of love is also shown within the setting of the bedroom as beds are assosiated with love and relationships.

The camera shots used within the music video include close ups of the artist. These are shown throughout the music video when the artist is in bed and when she is singing. This allows the audience to engage with the artist and relate to her more as they can recognise the artist and feel more invovled in the video. Another common camera shot used within the music video are mid shots, these are shown when she is in bed and also when she is singing on the stairs. The use of this camera angle allows the audience to become familar with the artist and also the background and setting within the music video. This allows the audience to feel more involved in the video as they can see the whole setting.