Paloma Faith: Dating apps are a cesspit and younger men have a thing about mums

Don’t judge a book by its cover. The Londoner met with Paloma Faith following the release of her personal memoir, MILF, which tells of Faith’s experience as a woman and a mother in society and the public eye...

Explain the title.

“I’m sort of using it as a bit of tongue and cheek in an attention-seeking way so in the bookshop people notice it. I don’t like the word in its original incarnation. I think it’s patronising because it implies that women are only really good for two things and that people might be surprised that they fancy a mother — that’s just unreal!”

How’s single life?

“I didn’t know what the dating scene in modern life was like because I was with my partner for a decade. I’ve realised that people don’t approach anyone anymore because they assume you’re on an app. But the apps are a cesspit of people who don’t want real connection. They just wanna f*** over the sex industry! I’d be really pissed off if I was a prostitute. No one cares whether we download or delete download or delete, but we do it all the time and it becomes like a mental illness.”

Any luck so far?

“It’s even worse when you’re in the public eye because everyone you tap on would wanna meet you because even if they’d never fancy you in a million years they just think it would be a funny story. It’s really awful as well, like a lot of men who are way younger than me have a thing about mums. I’m 42! Stick with your own age.”

Any advice for dealing with break-ups or rejection?

“I’m struggling with modern dating myself but I think quite often when something doesn’t work out it’s because fate is doing you a favour and what’s meant to be for you will be for you.”

Tips for twentysomethings?

“I think that women in their twenties who are not telling men that it’s unacceptable to not give you an orgasm need to stop doing that. And don’t fake it either.”