Paloma began her music career by mimicking the sounds of Billy Holiday and Etta James, sounds that still influence her today. In 2007, Jamie Binns and Christian Wåhlberg of Lateral Management knew instantly they wanted to work with Paloma. She spent almost 6 months to a year building a relationship before officially signing with the two.
During a performance at a cabaret show, Faith was scouted by an A&R agent from Epic Records, who invited her to sing for the manager of the label. Twenty minutes into the audition, she asked the manager to turn his phone off. When he didn't, she walked out. Even after that, they offered her a contract, which she ended up declining. The contract included becoming a part of Amy Winehouse's band. She instead continued to write and perform her own music.
Check out her first recognized work, "It's Christmas (And I Hate You)" below!
[Paloma Faith via]