Polly Paulusma

Polly Paulusma /ˈpɔːlzmə/ (born 10 November 1976) is an English singer-songwriter.[1][2]

Polly Paulusma
Background information
Birth name	Polly Riley-Smith
Born	10 November 1976
Genres	Indie pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
Years active	2004–present
Labels	One Little Indian Records
Website	http://www.pollypaulusma.com http://www.myspace.com/pollypaulusma

Career

Her first album, Scissors in my Pocket, was largely recorded and produced by herself at her home.[3] A second album, Cosmic Rosy Spine Kites (a virtual anagram of the title of the first album) features the same tracks, four of which were recorded with a string quartet (and without guitars or percussion); the rest at a gig in Manchester, England, where she supported Jamie Cullum. Apart from Jamie Cullum she has also supported other artists on tour including Marianne Faithfull and Coldplay and played at the Glastonbury Festival in 2005.

As well as using computer-based methods to self-produce her first album, Paulusma and her management have arguably made good use of the internet and contemporary methods of distribution to reach a larger potential audience: signed to One Little Indian Records, two of Paulusma's tracks ("Over the Hill" and the live version of "She Moves in Secret Ways") were issued as free downloads through Apple's iTunes Store. This has possibly led to greater exposure for a niche artist on a UK-based independent record label than might otherwise have been expected or previously possible. Paulusma has also used her profile at Myspace, her own website, blogs on both websites and a link to a forum on the latter to connect with her fans and keep them up-to-date on her touring and recording plans.

Paulusma's third album Fingers and Thumbs was released in the June 2007 with its corresponding sister album Fights and Numbers as an iTunes-only digital download. Paulusma founded a small record label called Wild Sound Recordings Ltd in 2012 and in 2012 released Leaves from the Family Tree with its corresponding sister-album The Small Feat of my Reverie in 2014. Since 2012 Wild Sound has signed nine indie folk artists including Maz O'Connor, Stylusboy, Harry Harris, Matthew The Oxx, Dan Wilde and Mortal Tides.

Performing and writing, Paulusma also supervises Cambridge English undergraduates in Practical Criticism as part of the English Tripos, and is also a postgraduate CHASE scholar at the University of East Anglia where she is researching the influence of traditional folksong on the writings of the British novelist Angela Carter.

Personal life

Paulusma is the daughter of medieval historian Jonathan Riley-Smith.[1] Her daughter was born on 10 November 2006 (coincidentally Polly's own birthday). The cover shoot was done when Polly was 38 weeks pregnant. Her son was born on 1 August 2008.

Paulusma and her husband, Mick Paulusma, lived in the thinnest home in London for 12 years. Located in Battersea, the 7-foot-7-inch-wide (2.31 m) home was where Paulusma recorded her first album Scissors in my Pocket, as well as the demos for Fingers & Thumbs.[4] Since 2010 the couple has lived in Cambridge, UK.

Discography[5]

• Scissors in My Pocket (2004)
• Dark Side (2004, single, with B-side)
• Cosmic Rosy Spine Kites (2005, live)
• Fingers & Thumbs (2007)
• Fights & Numbers (2007, iTunes only)
• Leaves From The Family Tree (2012)
• The Small Feat of My Reverie (2014)

References

1. Coleman, Nick (8 June 2007). "Cultureshock". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
2. "Music Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
3. Cowen, Nick (12 May 2004). "No clone of voice". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
4. "Through the keyhole: The places we call home". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 27 August 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
5. "Discography". discogs. Retrieved 27 July 2012.