Paloma Faith’s most popular song is “Only Love Can Hurt Like This”, which has amassed over 1.1 billion Spotify streams and remains her highest-charting solo single in the UK at number six . This guide explores her biggest songs, chart achievements, and album catalog, covering the standout tracks that define her career as one of Britain’s most distinctive retro-pop voices .
Paloma Faith Blomfield, born in 1981, built her reputation on a fusion of soul, jazz, and pop, earning five UK Top 10 singles and one UK Number 1 as a featured artist . Her songs often blend theatrical delivery with emotionally direct songwriting, a combination that has sustained her relevance across six studio albums released between 2009 and 2024.
“Only Love Can Hurt Like This” remains the commercial peak of Faith’s solo catalog. Released in 2014 as the second single from her third album A Perfect Contradiction, the track reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in Australia . Its enduring popularity is reflected in streaming numbers that exceed one billion plays on Spotify alone, making it her most consumed song by a substantial margin .
Her first UK Top 10 single as a lead artist arrived earlier with “Picking Up the Pieces” in 2012. The lead single from Fall to Grace charted at number seven, marking a significant commercial breakthrough after her debut album’s singles had charted lower . That same album also produced a well-received cover of INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart”, which reached the UK Top 20 and demonstrated her ability to reinterpret existing material .
Faith’s only UK Number 1 single came through a collaboration rather than a solo release. In 2014, she provided vocals for Sigma’s “Changing”, which topped the UK Singles Chart and introduced her voice to a dance music audience . A similar crossover occurred in 2018 with “Lullaby”, a collaboration with DJ Sigala that reached number six and earned a Platinum certification .
Her debut single, “Stone Cold Sober”, arrived in June 2009 and charted at number 17 in the UK . While not a Top 10 hit, it established the retro-soul aesthetic and vocal style that would become her signature. The follow-up single “New York” performed similarly, reaching number 15 and helping her debut album achieve double platinum certification in the UK .
Paloma Faith songs by album reveal a consistent evolution across six studio releases. Her debut, Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? (2009), was certified double platinum in the UK and earned her first BRIT Award nomination in 2010 . The album’s singles, including “Stone Cold Sober,” “New York,” and “Upside Down,” established her as a distinctive new voice in British pop.
Fall to Grace (2012) surpassed the commercial success of her debut, debuting at number two on the UK Albums Chart and earning double platinum certification . It produced her first Top 10 single and secured two BRIT Award nominations for Best British Female and British Album of the Year. The album marked her transition from promising newcomer to established chart presence.Paloma Faith Quick Bio
Note: Some fields, such as net worth, are based on third-party estimates and may not reflect exact figures.
A Perfect Contradiction (2014) stands as Faith’s most commercially successful album to date . It spawned two UK Top 10 singles in “Can’t Rely on You” and “Only Love Can Hurt Like This”, the latter becoming her highest-charting solo release. The album’s success coincided with her win for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2015 BRIT Awards .
The Architect (2017) achieved a career milestone by debuting at number one in the UK, Faith’s first chart-topping album . The lead single “Crybaby” preceded the album’s release, and the project demonstrated her continued commercial viability a decade into her recording career. This achievement positioned her alongside a select group of British female artists with chart-topping albums in that decade.
Infinite Things (2020) followed as her fifth studio album, maintaining her presence in the UK Top 10 album chart . While it did not produce singles with the same chart longevity as her earlier work, it sustained her recording career through a period of significant change in the music industry’s consumption patterns.
Her sixth album, The Glorification of Sadness (2024), represents a thematic departure. Released through Sony and RCA, the album is structured as a chronological journey through the stages of grief following her 2022 separation from long-term partner Leyman Lachine . Faith served as Executive Producer and described the material as “pretty personal,” acknowledging nervousness about its reception .
The album features collaborations with Chase & Status, Kojey Radical, Amy Wadge, and Liam Bailey . Lead single “How You Leave a Man” was described by Faith as “one of the most life-changing moments” of her life . “Bad Woman” carries a message of female empowerment, while “Pressure” features bars from Kojey Radical .
Critical reception for The Glorification of Sadness was generally positive. Clash awarded the album 8 out of 10, praising it as a “succinct, soulful, and sublime” exploration of emotion and reinvention . Retropop rated it 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting “How You Leave a Man” as an “explosive” opener and praising “Bad Woman” and “God in a Dress” for their powerful delivery .
The album includes a track titled “Enjoy Yourself”, which was announced as an official single for the 2024 Red Nose Day campaign organized by Comic Relief . This partnership connected the album’s release to a major UK charitable event, extending its cultural reach beyond standard music promotion.
“Eat Shit and Die” emerged as a critical standout, described as a track that trades sadness for defiance with doo-wop stylings and Faith’s trademark humour . The song’s title and attitude contrast sharply with the album’s more introspective moments, demonstrating the emotional range that defines her catalog.
What distinguishes Paloma Faith songs is their consistent blend of retro-pop arrangements with contemporary production and emotionally direct lyrics. Her vocal delivery often draws comparisons to classic soul singers, yet her material addresses modern experiences of relationships, empowerment, and personal reinvention. This combination has allowed her to maintain a dedicated audience across more than fifteen years of recording.
Her chart statistics underscore her sustained presence: five UK Top 10 singles, ten UK Top 40 singles, and six studio albums that all reached the UK Top 10 . While she has not achieved the same level of international crossover as some British contemporaries, her domestic chart consistency is notable for an artist who has never chased mainstream pop trends.
The evolution from “Stone Cold Sober” in 2009 to “Eat Shit and Die” in 2024 traces a clear artistic trajectory. Faith has moved from establishing a persona to exploring increasingly personal and sometimes confrontational material, all while maintaining the vocal and stylistic signatures that first brought her attention. For listeners exploring her work, the essential starting points remain “Only Love Can Hurt Like This”, “Picking Up the Pieces”, and the A Perfect Contradiction album.What is Paloma Faith’s most popular song? Her most-streamed track is “Only Love Can Hurt Like This”, released in 2014 . It remains her signature solo hit and has generated multiple versions, including a slowed-down version and a remix featuring Teddy Swims .
Which Paloma Faith album first reached Number 1 in the UK? Her fourth studio album, The Architect, was her first to reach Number 1 in the UK . It marked a career milestone and cemented her commercial staying power more than a decade into her recording career.
What is Paloma Faith’s 2024 album about? The Glorification of Sadness is a chronological journey through the stages of grief following her 2022 breakup with long-term partner Leyman Lachine . It was executively produced by Faith and released through RCA Records on 16 February 2024 .
Which song did Paloma Faith collaborate on with Sigala? She featured on “Lullaby” with Sigala in 2018 . The track earned a BRIT Award nomination for British Single of the Year and became one of her most successful chart collaborations .
What awards has Paloma Faith won? She won Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2015 BRIT Awards . Her debut album also earned a BRIT Award nomination in 2010, and she received multiple nominations at the 2013 and 2014 ceremonies .
