Florence + The Machine

Florence Welch, or rather, Florence Leontine Mary Welch, was born on August 28, 1986 in London and is a singer-songwriter, writer and leader of the band Florence + the Machine.

She found popular success and critical acclaim starting in 2009, thanks to a particularly complex and eccentric alt-rock sound, enriched by Welch's magnetic, forceful voice and captivating stage presence.

Florence is the eldest of three children from an upper-middle-class family in south London.

Her father was an advertising executive with a great passion for punk music. Florence's true guiding influence, however, was her mother, an American professor of Renaissance studies, who steered her toward the art and music of that era — influences that would later become clearly apparent in the videos and live shows of the future Florence + the Machine.

As a child, Florence Welch loved performing at family gatherings and in the usual school plays. During her teenage years she was the lead singer of a local band called Toxic Cockroaches.

While attending Camberwell College Of Arts, she joined Ashok, a group that fused gypsy jazz with hip-hop, a partnership that even led to the signing of a record deal.

After leaving Ashok, in November 2006 Florence experienced the classic defining moment. During a masterful, improvised performance of Etta James's classic "Something's Got A Hold On Me", delivered in a nightclub bathroom, she had the good fortune to run into manager Mairead Nash, who, captivated by her talent, steered her toward a series of important new artistic opportunities.

Together with her school friend Isabella "The Machine" Summers, she formed Florence + the Machine in 2007, and their first major engagement came almost immediately, when they were called on to open for the duo MGMT.

Welch's lyrics and voice immediately invited comparisons with emblematic figures such as Kate Bush and Sinead O'Connor.

The first singles “Kiss With A Fist” and “Dog Days Are Over” received immediate critical acclaim.

Florence + the Machine won the Critics' Choice Award at the 2009 Brit Awards thanks to their debut album “Lungs”. The band then won Best British Album at the 2010 Brit Awards, and a captivating performance at the MTV Video Music Awards that same year propelled Florence Welch toward American audiences too, pushing “Lungs” all the way to number fourteen on the Billboard chart.

After receiving a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2011, the fashion industry also found a new muse in Florence Welch. Italian designer Frida Giannini cited Welch as a major inspiration for Gucci's Autumn/Winter 2011 collection, and in October 2011 Karl Lagerfeld selected her to walk the runway at the presentation of Chanel's Spring/Summer 2012 collection.

Florence + the Machine's second album is “Ceremonials” (2011), released amid huge expectations, as was only natural after such an explosive debut. The record debuted at number one on the UK's BBC Charts. Driven by the single “Shake It Out”, “Ceremonials” also reached number six on the US Billboard chart. Welch's credentials kept growing, not only in music but also in fashion, as she appeared on the cover of the January 2012 issue of British Vogue.

But it's with their third album that Florence + the Machine landed their first US number one. “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” debuted at the top of the Billboard chart in June 2015, a feat repeated three years later with “High As Hope”, an album that included the hit single “Hunger”.

Also in 2018, Florence Welch made her debut as a writer with the publication of “Useless Magic: Lyrics and Poetry”, a compendium of lyrics, poems and drawings born from the inspiration of the versatile London artist.

Spring 2022 saw the release of the band's fifth album, titled “Dance Fever”.

Three years later came “Everybody Scream”, released following a difficult period for Florence Welch, which brings new glam and dark elements into the band's sonic arsenal.