Her first album, Scissors in my Pocket, was largely recorded and produced by herself at her home. A second album, Cosmic Rosy Spine Kites features the same tracks, four of which were recorded with a string quartet ; 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 were issued as free downloads through Apple'siTunes 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 albumFingers 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 historianJonathan Riley-Smith. Her daughter, Valentine Constance Mae, was born on 10 November 2006. The cover shoot was done when Polly was 38 weeks pregnant. Her son Corentine Prosper George, 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 home was where Paulusma recorded her first album Scissors in my Pocket, as well as the demos for Fingers & Thumbs. Since 2010 the couple has lived in Cambridge, UK.
