1. Florence Leontine Mary Welch was born on 28 August 1986 and is an English singer and songwriter.
45 Facts About Florence Welch
1. 2.
Florence Welch is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine.
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In 2018, Welch released a book titled Useless Magic, a collection of lyrics and poems written by her, along with illustrations.
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Florence Leontine Mary Welch was born on 28 August 1986 in Camberwell to Nick Russell Welch, an advertising executive and Evelyn Welch, an academic.
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Florence Welch has a younger sister, Grace, who inspired Welch's song by the same name.
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Florence Welch's parents divorced when she was thirteen, and her mother eventually married their next-door neighbour, Professor Peter Openshaw.
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When Florence Welch was 14, her maternal grandmother, who had bipolar disorder, died from suicide by jumping from her New York apartment.
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Florence Welch has spoken of being a highly imaginative and fearful child.
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Florence Welch was educated at Thomas's London Day School, Battersea and went on to study at Alleyn's School, South East London, where she did well academically.
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However, Florence Welch often got in trouble in school for impromptu singing and for singing too loudly in the school's choir.
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One such spell was to make one of Florence Welch's classmates fall in love with her by putting his name and a drop of blood in a bottle.
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Florence Welch contributed vocals to David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's 2010 album Here Lies Love, an album about Imelda Marcos.
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Florence Welch expressed excitement about putting new material together for a third album once the band finished touring at the end of September 2012.
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Florence 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.
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In October 2012, Florence Welch was featured on Scottish singer-songwriter and producer Calvin Harris' song "Sweet Nothing", which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, marking Florence Welch's second number one.
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On 29 November 2012, Florence Welch joined the Rolling Stones at the O2 Arena in London to sing "Gimme Shelter".
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In September 2016, during an interview with Heat Radio, American singer Lady Gaga revealed that she and Florence Welch had recorded a song together.
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In March 2017, Florence Welch appeared in Song to Song directed by Terrence Malick.
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In May 2017, Florence Welch contributed a song titled "To Be Human" to the Wonder Woman soundtrack.
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On 22 May 2018, Florence Welch performed a duet with Mick Jagger, at London Stadium, during the Rolling Stones' No Filter Tour.
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In July 2018, Florence Welch published her first book Useless Magic: Lyrics and Poetry.
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On 28 April 2021, Welch announced that she would contribute music and lyrics to a musical adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, with producer Thomas Bartlett co-writing the adaptation's music and book written by Martyna Majok, with Rebecca Frecknall directing.
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On 23 February 2022, Florence Welch released a single, "King", and an accompanying music video, directed by Autumn de Wilde.
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On 9 March 2022, Florence Welch announced through her Instagram page that the band's fifth studio album would be titled Dance Fever and would have 14 songs, in her words "A fairytale in 14 songs".
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The single premiered on BBC Radio 1's morning show "Breakfast with Greg James" where Florence Welch was the special guest and announced that the release date of their upcoming album Dance Fever was 13 May 2022.
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In 2025, Florence Welch collaborated with the music project Everything Is Recorded on the track "Never Felt Better", which features the singer Sampha.
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Florence Welch has been compared to other singers such as Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Siouxsie Sioux, PJ Harvey, Shirley Manson, Alison Goldfrapp, Tori Amos, and Bjork.
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Florence Welch has listed in her early influences the likes of John Cale, Otis Redding, Siouxsie Sioux, Courtney Love, David Byrne, and Lou Reed.
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Florence Welch is known for her distinctive clothing style, often performing concerts wearing light Gucci dresses, barefoot and without jewellery.
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Florence Welch describes 1970s American drag queen troupe the Cockettes and French chanson singer Francoise Hardy as fashion mentors.
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Florence Welch has named Fleetwood Mac member Stevie Nicks as being a musical, fashion and general influence.
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Florence Welch has spoken about being a "fantasist" as a child, "[I was] constantly reading books, thinking, "I'm not a mermaid.
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Florence Welch considers herself an introvert and is passionate about reading and literature.
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Florence Welch has held many events with her fan-run book club, Between Two Books.
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In 2022, Florence Welch was awarded and accepted an honorary fellowship from University of the Arts London.
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Florence Welch has been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression, as well as with alcohol.
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In 2015, Florence Welch broke her foot after leaping off the stage at the Coachella Festival.
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On 28 August 2023, Florence Welch posted a statement to her personal Instagram account.
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Florence Welch was in an on-and-off relationship with literary editor Stuart Hammond.
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Florence Welch was devastated following the split, but she and Hammond remain friends.
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Around that time, Florence Welch started dating guitarist Felix White; the relationship lasted until 2018.
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In 2016, Florence Welch voiced her support for Remain during the United Kingdom's EU Membership referendum.
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Florence Welch is a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and regularly waves the rainbow flag at her concerts, particularly during her song "Spectrum ".
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Florence Welch encouraged her audience to donate to the ACLU instead of buying concert merchandise.
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In March 2022, Florence Welch expressed her support for Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War.