Entertainment

Paloma Faith explains ‘fake laugh’ at the Brits

She said she was drawing attention to the sexist practice of pitting women against each other.
She said she was drawing attention to the sexist practice of pitting women against each other. She said she was drawing attention to the sexist practice of pitting women against each other.

Paloma Faith has said she was upset by claims she was bitter at losing out to Dua Lipa at the Brit Awards, saying only women are pitted against each other in such away.

The singer appeared to look despondent before she was seen throwing back her head laughing after she was told there was a camera on her after the winner of best British female was announced at the ceremony last week.

Speaking backstage at the Global Awards, she told the Press Association: “I still feel really sad.

“When I was at the Brit Awards recently the camera was on me on the female category and everyone was analysing my reaction to Dua Lipa’s win and I feel like they don’t do that to men.

“I feel like they don’t stick a camera in the loser’s faces and say ‘oh look at them’ and it’s all this weird culture of trying to pit women against each other and I don’t like it.”

Brit Awards 2018 – Arrivals – London
Brit Awards 2018 – Arrivals – London Paloma Faith attending the Brit Awards (Ian West/PA)

She added: “It’s an embedded thing and no-one thinks about it until you mention it and then they go ‘actually you’re right, they don’t do that, asking ‘Do they get on, let’s analyse every expression”. It’s not fair.

“I knew they were going to do that, put the camera on me and that is why I did a fake laugh, because I was sort of trying to draw attention to it but it sort of backfired and just kind of put a line under what I was drawing attention to in the first place.”

Addressing the decision to carry white roses at the ceremony in support of the Time’s Up movement for gender equality, she said: “I do think it’s important but I feel like it goes beyond just doing one thing.

Brit Awards 2018 – Arrivals – London
Brit Awards 2018 – Arrivals – London Dua Lipa with a white rose (Ian West/PA

“It needs to start becoming inherent in our actions and our consciousness and people say ‘political correctness gone wrong’ but I feel like in order to infiltrate or enforce positive change you have to do it consciously first and then you’ve got to pull in the opposite direction first, for it to become normalised.

“I was thinking they don’t really do live performers awards anymore but I feel like if they were going to do one, I don’t remember any women ever winning best live act.

“Women can kick arse but it’s just men (that win that prize) but look at Pink, she’s my girl crush.”