Born in 1953 to Anglo-Jewish and Nigerian parents, Pauline Black was adopted by a white working-class family in Romford. Feeling out of place, she sought an escape from her small-town upbringing and found her true calling in music.

As the lead singer of the platinum-selling band The Selecter, Pauline Black became the Queen of British Ska. The only woman in a male-dominated movement, she toured alongside The Specials, Madness, and Dexy’s Midnight Runners at the height of their fame—often witnessing their wildest moments firsthand.

From childhood to stardom, from music to acting and broadcasting, and from adoption to the search for her birth parents, Black by Design is a compelling and insightful journey through identity, race, family, and the power of music.