Florence Welch

Florence Welch

A photograph of Welch waving from a stage

Welch in 2013 at The Sound of Change Live
Background information
Birth name Florence Leontine Mary Welch
Born (1986-08-28) 28 August 1986
Camberwell, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, percussion
Years active 2006–present
Labels
Associated acts Florence and the Machine
Website florenceandthemachine.net

Florence Leontine Mary Welch[1] (born 28 August 1986)[2][3][4] is an English musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the lead singer of indie rock band Florence and the Machine.

Florence and the Machine's debut album, Lungs, was released in 2009; on 17 January 2010, the album reached the top position in the UK after being on the chart for 28 consecutive weeks. Lungs won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2010. The group's second studio album, Ceremonials, released in October 2011, debuted at number one in the UK and number six in the US. The band's third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful was released in 2015 to very positive reviews from critics, and topped the UK and US charts.[5][6][7]

Early life

Florence Leontine Mary Welch was born in Camberwell, London on 28 August 1986. Her father is Dean Russell Welch, an advertising executive.[8] Her mother, Evelyn Welch (née Evelyn Kathleen Samuels), is an American immigrant from New York City[8] who was educated at Harvard University and the Warburg Institute, University of London.[9][10] Evelyn is currently Professor of Renaissance Studies and Vice-Principal for Arts and Sciences at King's College London.[11] Welch is the niece of the satirist Craig Brown[8] via Brown's wife and Welch's aunt, Frances Welch,[12] and granddaughter of Colin Welch (James Colin Ross Welch), former deputy editor of The Daily Telegraph and former Daily Mail parliamentary sketchwriter, originally of Cambridgeshire.[12][13] Welch's uncle (her mother's brother) is actor John Stockwell.[14]

During her youth, Welch was encouraged by her Scottish paternal grandmother, Sybil Welch (née Russell),[12] to pursue her performing and singing talents;[15] Welch's deceased grandmothers inspired numerous songs on Florence and the Machine's début album, Lungs.[16]

Florence was educated at Thomas's London Day School then went on to Alleyn's School, South East London, where she did well academically.[1] Welch often got in trouble in school for impromptu singing.[1] Upon leaving secondary school and "just bumming around Camberwell where I lived, working at a bar and thought that I should start doing something with life", Florence studied at Camberwell College of Arts before dropping out to focus on her music.[1] Initially, she had intended to take a year out from her studies to "see where the music would go and then it started going somewhere so I never went back".[17]

Music career

2006–10: Beginnings with Florence + the Machine

Florence and the Machine performing at the O2 ABC Glasgow during their Lungs Tour

According to Welch, the "Florence + the Machine" as a band name "started off as a private joke that got out of hand. I made music with my friend, who we called Isabella Machine, to which I was Florence Robot. When I was about an hour away from my first gig, I still didn't have a name, so I thought 'Okay, I'll be Florence Robot/Isa Machine', before realising that name was so long it'd drive me mad".[1][18] In 2006, Welch's performances with Isabella Summers in small London venues under the joint name Florence Robot/Isa Machine began to attract notice. In 2007, Welch recorded with a band named Ashok, who released an album titled Plans on the Filthy Lucre/About Records label. This album included the earliest version of her later hit "Kiss with a Fist", which at this point was titled "Happy Slap".[19]

Florence and the Machine released their debut album Lungs in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2009. The album was officially launched with a set at the Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley, South East London. It peaked at number one in the UK and number two in Ireland. As of 6 August 2009, the album had sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and by 10 August it had been at number two for five consecutive weeks.[20][21] Following its 25 July 2009 release for download in the United States, the album debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart,[22] ultimately peaking at number one.[23] The album was released physically in the US on 20 October by Universal Republic.[24] The album was produced by James Ford, Paul Epworth, Steve Mackey and Charlie Hugall.[25]

Welch contributed vocals to David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's 2010 album Here Lies Love, an album about Imelda Marcos.[26] As of January 2011, Welch was working with Drake on material slated for his upcoming album.[27]

On 27 February 2011, Welch replaced pregnant Dido and sang her portion of Best Original Song nominee "If I Rise" (from 127 Hours) with A. R. Rahman at the 83rd Academy Awards.[28][29]

2011–present: Continued success and solo endeavours

Welch singing at the Berkeley Greek Theater on the Lungs Tour 2011.

The band's second album, Ceremonials, was released on 31 October 2011. In the album, Florence's "obsession with drowning" is represented through the use of repeated water imagery.[30] It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number six on the US Billboard 200.[31][32] On 12 January 2012, Florence and the Machine were nominated for two Brit Awards, with the awards ceremony taking place on 21 February 2012 at the O2 Arena, London.[33] On 26 April 2012, the band released "Breath of Life", a song which was recorded as the official theme song for the film Snow White and the Huntsman.[34][35] On 5 July 2012, a remix of "Spectrum" by Scottish musician Calvin Harris was released as the fourth single from Ceremonials, becoming the band's first UK number-one hit.[36] Welch expressed excitement about putting new material together for a third album once the band finished touring at the end of September 2012.[37]

Welch led a tribute to Amy Winehouse by performing Winehouse's song "Back to Black" and the Annie Lennox-classic Walking on Broken Glass during the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul concert held in December 2011.[38][39] The group performed in Times Square on 31 December 2011 for the 40th annual Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve special.[40]

On October 2012, she was featured on Scottish singer-songwriter and producer Calvin Harris's song "Sweet Nothing", which debuted at number one on the UK singles chart, marking Welch's second number one.[41] The song was taken from Harris's third studio album 18 Months and is the fifth single from the album. "Sweet Nothing" also peaked at number one in Ireland and number two in Australia and New Zealand. "Sweet Nothing" was certified Platinum in Australia. "Sweet Nothing" received a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[42]

On 29 November 2012 Florence joined the Rolling Stones at the O2 Arena in London to sing "Gimme Shelter". Her performance with Mick Jagger was described as "sexy" and "electrifying".

In February 2015, Florence + The Machine announced their third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, which was released on 1 June 2015.

During June 2015, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters broke his leg on stage prior to his band's upcoming Glastonbury Festival headline performance, causing Florence + The Machine to be the headline band. They headlined the festival for the first time on 26 June 2015.[43]

In September 2016, during an interview with Heat Radio, American singer Lady Gaga revealed that she and Florence recorded a song together. She went on to say that the song is called "Hey Girl" and that it will feature on Gaga's forthcoming album Joanne.[44]

Artistry

Florence has been compared to other female singers such as Kate Bush,[45][46] Siouxsie Sioux,[45][46] PJ Harvey,[45] Shirley Manson,[47] Alison Goldfrapp,[48] Tori Amos and Björk.[46] Welch has a wide contralto voice range.[49]

Influences

During an interview, Welch cited Grace Slick as her influence and "hero".[50] In a review of Ceremonials, Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone described Florence and the Machine's style as "dark, robust and romantic", deeming the ballad "Only If for a Night" as a mix of "classic soul and midnight-on-the-moors English art rock".[45] Welch stated that her lyrics related to Renaissance artists : "We're dealing with all of the same things they did : love and death, time and pain, heaven and hell".[51] Welch has used religious imagery in her music and performances, though she has stated "I'm not a religious person. Sex, violence, love, death, are the topics that I'm constantly wrestling with, it's all connected back to religion."[52]

Nick Welch, her father, contributed a "rock and roll element to the family mix"; in his twenties, he lived in a West End squat and attended the Squatters' Ball organised by Heathcote Williams where The 101ers played regularly.[53] A self-confessed "frustrated performer", if Nick, as he put it, "nudged Flo in any way, it's only been to listen to the Ramones rather than Green Day".[53] Evelyn had an equally strong yet completely different influence on her daughter. A visit to one of her mother's lectures left teenage Florence deeply impressed. She explained, "I aspire to something like that but with music. I hope that my music has some of the big themes—sex, death, love, violence—that will still be part of the human story in 200 years' time".[53]

Welch has stated she is an avid reader, and has been influenced by authors such as Gwendoline Riley, Kirsten Reed and David Vann.[54] The art of literature is important to her.[55] She actively participates in a fan run book club, 'Between Two Books'. Every few months, she will recommend a book to the club which they will read collectively.[56] Welch enjoys poetry, and has mentioned that the poet Ted Hughes was a big influence on her first album, 'Lungs'.[57]

Public image

When discussing her fashion style, Welch said that, "For the stage, it's The Lady of Shalott meets Ophelia...mixed with scary gothic bat lady. But in real life I'm kind of prim".[58] 2011 saw Gucci dressing her for her summer tour and a performance at the Chanel runway show at Paris Fashion Week.[59] Welch describes 1970s American drag queen troupe The Cockettes and French chanson singer Françoise Hardy as fashion mentors.[60] Welch has also named Fleetwood Mac pop/rock singer Stevie Nicks as a musical, fashion, and general influence. A Huffington Post entertainment article quotes her as telling a reporter that "I'm pretty obsessed with Stevie Nicks from her style to her voice. I like watching her on YouTube and her old performances, the way she moves and everything". Welch can sometimes be seen in concert paying homage to Nicks' famous billowing stage dress.

Personal life

In 2015 Welch broke her foot after leaping off the stage at the Coachella Festival.[61] Welch shares her birthday with her niece Bonnie Willis who was born in 2016[62]

Discography

Single Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[63]		 AUS
[64]		 AUT
[65]		 CAN
[66]		 GER
[67]		 IRE
[68]		 NZ
[69]		 NOR
[70]		 SWI
[71]		 US
[72]
"Here Lies Love"
(David Byrne and Fatboy Slim featuring Florence Welch)		 2010 — — — — — — — — — — Here Lies Love
"Sweet Nothing"
(Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch)		 2012 1 2 29 15 19 1 2 13 36 10 18 Months
"Wild Season"
(Banks & Steelz featuring Florence Welch)		 2016 — — — — — — — — — — Anything But Words
"Hey Girl"
(Lady Gaga featuring Florence Welch)		 2016 — — — — — — — — — — Joanne
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Album appearances

Title Year Album
"I Come Apart"
(ASAP Rocky featuring Florence Welch)		 2013 Long. Live. ASAP
"Midnight" Cosmo
"When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men's Eyes (Sonnet 29)"
(Rufus Wainwright featuring Florence Welch and Ben de Vries)		 2016 Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets
"Wild Season"
(Banks & Steelz featuring Florence Welch)		 Anything But Words
"Hey Girl"
(Lady Gaga featuring Florence Welch)		 Joanne

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Year Category Category Nominated work Result
2010 NME Awards Best Dressed Florence Welch Nominated
2011 Virgin Media Music Awards Best Live Act Nominated
Shameless Publicity Seeker Nominated
2013 British Fashion Awards Best British Style Nominated
NME Awards Dancefloor Anthem "Sweet Nothing" (featuring Calvin Harris) Won
MTV Video Music Awards Japan Best Collaboration Nominated
Billboard Music Awards Top EDM Song Nominated
2014 Grammy Awards Best Dance Recording Nominated
iHeartRadio Music Awards EDM Song of the Year Nominated
Music Of Ginger Origin Award Best Honorary 'redhead by choice' musician Florence Welch Won

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Patterson, Sylvia (20 September 2009). "Behind the success of Florence and the Machine". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 7 March 2010. mirror
  2. ↑ "Florence and the Machine open Reading Festival with secret birthday gig". NME. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  3. ↑ "Florence Welch". Glamour. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  4. ↑ Gannon, Louise (14 August 2010). "'The only time my dad worried about me was when Pete Doherty proposed': The world according to Florence Welch". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  5. ↑ How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, retrieved 2015-06-05
  6. ↑ "Florence + the Machine scores third No 1 album in the UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2015
  7. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (2015-06-10). "Florence + the Machine Scores First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  8. 1 2 3 Ryan, Francesca (4 June 2009). "Florence and the Machine interview: sound and vision". The Telegraph.
  9. ↑ "Interview with Evelyn Welch". Association of Art Historians.
  10. ↑ "James Welch to wed Evelyn Samuels". The New York Times. New York City: NYTC. 8 August 1982. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "New Vice-Principal for Arts & Sciences at King's". King's College London. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 West, Richard (29 January 1997). "Obituary: Colin Welch". The Independent.
  13. ↑ Hardcastle, Ephraim (29 September 2011). "Disgraced minister Jonathan Aitken to take part in "Night of Pride and Perjury" event with convicted drug dealer". Daily Mail.
  14. ↑ Sellers, John (21 November 2011). "Florence Welch on Her Fear of Treadmills, Lady Gaga, and 'Ceremonials'". Spin. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  15. ↑ Patterson, Sylvia (20 September 2009). "Behind the success of Florence and the Machine". The Sunday Times.(subscription required)
  16. ↑ Corner, Lewis (23 May 2011). "Florence Welch: "New songs about my dead grandma"". Digital Spy.
  17. ↑ May, Hana (14 December 2009). "Florence and the Machine". Hearty Magazine.
  18. ↑ Bell, Sean (26 July 2009). "A piece of my mind: Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  19. ↑ Parkin, April (4 April 2007). "Ashok – 'Plans' (Filthy Lucre)". Gigwise. Giant Digital. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  20. ↑ "INTERVIEW: Florence and the Machine". Yorkshire Evening Post. Yorkshire Post Newspapers. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  21. ↑ Sexton, Paul (10 August 2009). "Michael Jackson Extends U.K. Album Chart Run, Tinchy Stryder Notches Second Top Single". Billboard. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  22. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums – Week of July 25, 2009". Billboard. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  23. ↑ "Florence + the Machine Album & Song Chart History – Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  24. ↑ Tartanella, Emily (7 July 2009). "Florence and the Machine: Lungs". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  25. ↑ Rey, Benedicte (16 November 2009). "Florence + The Machine: the voice that bewitched pop". AFP. Google News. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  26. ↑ Brown, Helen (1 April 2010). "Here Lies Love: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  27. ↑ Perpetua, Matthew (13 January 2011). "Drake to Collaborate with The xx and Florence and the Machine". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  28. ↑ Semigran, Aly (28 February 2011). "Florence and the Machine Drew On 'Emotional' '127 Hours' At Oscars". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  29. ↑ Vyavahare, Renuka (13 February 2011). "Why Dido won't perform with Rahman at Oscars". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  30. ↑ Murison, Krissi. "The Exorcism of Florence Welch." NME - New Musical Express, 2011., pp. 18-22.
  31. ↑ "Florence and the Machine album takes number one". BBC News. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  32. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (9 November 2011). "Justin Bieber's 'Mistletoe' Brightens Billboard 200 With No. 1 Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  33. ↑ "Brit awards 2012: nominations in full". The Guardian. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  34. ↑ "Florence and the Machine debut new song 'Breath of Life'". NME. 26 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  35. ↑ Bell, Crystal (26 April 2012). "Florence and the Machine, 'Breath of Life': Singer Releases New 'Snow White and the Huntsman' Track (AUDIO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  36. ↑ Saunders, Louise (16 July 2012). "Worth the wait! Florence and the Machine score first ever UK number one single with Spectrum (Say My Name)". Daily Mail. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  37. ↑ "Florence Welch: 'My live shows are like an exorcism'". NME. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  38. ↑ "VH1 Divas: Florence Welch Leads Amy Winehouse Tribute". Billboard. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  39. ↑ "'Back To Black' by Florence + The Machine". VH1.com. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  40. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (7 December 2011). "Nicki Minaj, LMFAO Join Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  41. ↑ "Calvin Harris & Florence Welch's 'Sweet Nothing' debuts at UK No.1". Pressparty. 21 October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  42. ↑ "The National Academy of Recording Arts And Sciences, Inc. : Final Nominations List: 56th GRAMMY Awards" (PDF). www.grammy.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  43. ↑ Youngs, Ian (26 June 2015). "Glastonbury: Florence and the Machine step up with headline set". BBC News Online. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  44. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y11P4QTmDY0
  45. 1 2 3 4 Rosen, Jody (15 November 2011). "Ceremonials". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  46. 1 2 3 Simpson, Dave (3 July 2009). "Florence and the Machine: Lungs". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  47. ↑ "Top Influential Music Style Icons". Glamour magazine. Retrieved 4 Sep 2014.
  48. ↑ "Why we love Alison Goldfrapp". Getmusic. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  49. ↑ "Florence Welch florence welch and the most memorable female voices of the past 10 years".
  50. ↑ "Florence Welch – My London". London Evening Standard. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  51. ↑ "Visionary Vixen". Los Angeles Times Magazine. Los Angeles Times Communications. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  52. ↑ "Florence And The Machine: "I love demons and exorcism"". NME. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  53. 1 2 3 Odell, Mike (May 2010). "Florence Attacks!". Q. Bauer Media Group (286): 46–52.
  54. ↑ Burke, Fiona. "Alice and Interiors". aliceandinteriors.blogspot.ie. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  55. ↑ Riley, Gwendoline. "Opposed Positions". Goodreads. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  56. ↑ "Between Two Books". Florence + The Machine. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  57. ↑ Welch, Florence (28 February 2015). "@betweentwobooks so shall we do this poetry thing then? These are two of my favourites, Mira Gonzalez is an amazing young poet, I found her collection when I was in LA, and Ted Hughes is the boss. Big influence on 'Lungs'". Instagram. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  58. ↑ Marcus, Laura (9 August 2010). "Style Idol: Florence Welch". Venus Zine. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  59. ↑ Ellison, Jesse (23 October 2011). "Florence's Dark Side of Fame Newsweek 23 October 2011". The Daily Beast. The Newsweek Daily Beast Company. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  60. ↑ "Florence Welch's Fashion: 'It's Not Inner Turmoil. It's Total Escapism' Billboard 4 October 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  61. ↑ Battersby, Matilda (15 April 2015). "Florence Welch breaks foot leaping offstage at Coachella". The Independent. London. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  62. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BJqdm1kjVTb/?taken-by=florence
  63. ↑ "Florence & the Machine". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  64. ↑ "Discography Florence + The Machine". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  65. ↑ "Discographie Florence + The Machine" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  66. ↑ "Calvin Harris – Chart history: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  67. ↑ "Discographie Florence + The Machine" (in German). charts.de Media Control. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  68. ↑ "Discography Florence + The Machine". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  69. ↑ "Discography Florence + The Machine". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  70. ↑ "Discography Florence + The Machine". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  71. ↑ "Florence + The Machine". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  72. ↑ "Calvin Harris – Chart history: The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  73. ↑ "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
  74. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  75. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Calvin Harris; 'Sweet Nothing')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  76. ↑ "Gold Platinum Database". Music Canada. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  77. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  78. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
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