R&B vocalist Paloma Ford is known for her sultry hip-hop and electro-influenced style. She initially emerged as a backing singer for Macy Gray in 2007 before garnering attention with her own albums, 2016's Nearly Civilized and 2020's X Tapes. Ford was born in 1986 in Long Beach, California, to a Black father and a white mother. Early on she developed a passion for singing while listening to music in the car with her dad. At a young age, she moved with her mother to Ohio where she was exposed to artists like Sade, Carole King, and the Temptations. She also developed a love for jazz and singers like Billie Holiday from her grandfather. After high school, she returned to California to better pursue her music career. She initially found her footing as a background singer for Macy Gray, appearing on the 2007 album Big. She began posting videos online for her original songs like "Dollars," "Ménage à Trois," and "Hit of You." In 2014, she reached a larger audience when she appeared on Meek Mill's "I Don't Know," a single that hit the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. She also released "Summer in California" that year, featuring appearances from Iamsu and Snoop Dogg. In 2016, she released her debut EP, Nearly Civilized. A handful of standalone tracks followed, including 2017's "Waves" featuring Dave East and 2019's "Rain." Ford returned in August 2020 with her sophomore EP, X Tapes, which included the song "All for Nothing" featuring Rick Ross. ~ Matt Collar