The artist Paris Paloma, recently released a new song called “Labour”. It very quickly became popular on tiktok and it was a trend to use the sound. The chorus of the song was used mainly and it talks about women and how they’re looked at in society. 

Paris Paloma is a 22 year old artist from the UK. She writes her music herself and usually bases it around grief, love, power, etc. Her original song, “The Fruits” made up to over 4 million streams since she released it in 2022. Her music is inspired by dark pop, folk, and indie genres, creating a fun and meaningful version of music. She tells a story with her music, whether it relates to her or not, it’s someone’s story.  She’s done covers from the artists, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Hozier, which became popular after being promoted by her fans. The recently released song, Labour, talks about discrimination against women among other problems. 

Once you reach the second verse in Labour she says “Who tends the orchards? Who fixes up the gables? Emotional torture.” It’s thought she’s saying, with almost this alone, that women are being forced to carry unpaid emotional and physical labor. She is representing how society has been allowing women to do all of the work around a house while taking care of children and animals, and it can be emotionally and maybe even physically damaging. 

The third verse says “apologies from my tongue and never yours” this line is pretty straightforward. She’s talking about how trauma and abuse can cause you to apologize for something that is not your fault. Words have an effect on people, even if it’s something simple, it’s similar to something physical. 

In the beginning of the 5th verse, she continues on to say “If we had a daughter, I’d watch and could not save her” like in the Great Gatsby, Daisy says “I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool,” symbolizing that women are persecuted against in today’s society even though it’s more “hidden.” 

At one point in the chorus she says “Just an appendage, live to attend him, so that he never lifts a finger” showing that women are there to simply hold something together, and that they need to make their lover happy so that they aren’t hurt. Of course this is not always the case, but it is a very common and overlooked thing in today’s society. She makes it clear that she believes that women have always been overlooked and hurt and it is not talked about enough, like it should be. In the background of the chorus you’ll hear children singing with her. Showing that from a young age, this stuff happens. 

Similar to her song “The Fruits” this song is strongly opening peoples eyes to abuse, physical and emotional. In the song “The Fruits” she says “the fruits of my labor that came to me too young” showing that many people (men or women) begin taking care of themselves or their sibling(s) at a very young age.  She brings light to so many issues that have been around for a long time and haven’t been talked about. Her music is symbolic and very important to so many people. 

Another connection to this song people make is her 2021 song “Mulled Wine.” In the 3rd verse of that song she says “would I still believe in God if I had a father? I beheaded all the men who said they loved me but lied” showing that she either didn’t have the connection with her father that she needed or he wasn’t around to be considered a father. Again something so similar to what happens today and showing that women and children are constantly hurt and many people don’t acknowledge it making it seem normalized. 

These three songs are amazing for explaining what it feels like to be a woman in today’s society. Everything from the lyrics to the way she sings it shows the emotion that she or other people have felt. Such a beautiful song and such an amazing representation of what so many people have to go through.