Entertainment
The indie icon talks memes, old furniture hunting, and more.
Indie icon and collective mother to all alternative music heads Florence Welch (of Florence + The Machine) is in the midst of a very busy summer. One year after the singer and songwriter dropped her acclaimed (and one of NYLON’s best records of 2022) fifth studio album Dance Fever, she’s still on the road, in the thick of touring the project all across Europe while also picking up a smattering of headlining festival appearances in between.
Most recently, on the evening of June 20, she found herself on the sandy beaches of Cannes, France for a sunset performance at Spotify Beach, the streaming platform’s music and art extravaganza of sorts during the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. (And where she personally divulged that her favorite Spotify playlist is the alternative music lover’s haven, The Other List.) Dressed in a crimson lace gown and running barefoot on stage, Welch delivered the night’s show-stopping act after an equally star-studded lineup of her peers including Jack Harlow, will.i.am (as a DJ) and South African amapiano sensation Uncle Waffles.
Below, from Spotify Beach in Cannes, Welch also took on the NYLON 19. Read on as she shares memories of her first concert, her go-to sad song, her favorite pair of witchy boots, and more.
1
What’s your astrological sign (and do you believe in it)?
Virgo. I’m a classic perfectionist Virgo.
2
Do you believe in ghosts (and have you ever seen one)?
I feel haunted but I don’t know if I’m doing that to myself or it’s actual ghosts.
3
What’s your go-to drink order? (And if it's boozy, what’s your go-to hangover cure?)
I don’t drink alcohol so I get very excited by any new La Croix flavor. I wish they would be a tour sponsor.
4
Who would be the three headliners of the music festival of your dreams?
Nick Cave. Kate Bush. Kendrick Lamar.
5
What's the weirdest snack that you make?
I love a radish with salt. I think it’s actually a very beautiful snack to have on a table.
6
What's a bad habit of yours that you've been meaning to fix?
Checking my phone first thing.
7
What was the last internet rabbit hole you went down?
Usually hunting for old bits of furniture or paintings. Or historical deep dives because I was so bad at paying attention in school I feel like I’m trying to learn everything now.
8
Describe your worst date in three words.
Very awkward snogging.
9
If you could be in any music video, what would it be?
This doesn’t exist but I want to be in a Wes Anderson-directed music video.
10
What was your first concert, and what are your memories of it?
I was actually taken to Nick Cave at the Royal Albert hall when I was 12 but I think it went a little over my head as I was exclusively into pop-punk at the time.
11
What was your favorite movie as a kid?
Beetlejuice.
12
What's your favorite meme/internet joke and why?
It’s impossible to describe a meme but I get sent the “It’s Adam and Eve not Florence and the Machine” internet joke about once a week.
13
What is one thing everyone should buy that is under $10?
Postcards. I love to collect a postcard.
14
What is one question you never want to be asked again?
Where’s the machine?
15
What is your go-to sad song?
Neil Young, “The Needle and the Damage Done.”
16
What reality show would you most like to appear on?
I hate being filmed so any reality show would be my worst nightmare but maybe I’d go on some historical reenactment one where I had to live as a medieval person for a week or something.
17
What is your best beauty tip or trick?
Stay out of the sun.
18
What is your coffee order?
Triple shot.
19
What is your favorite pair of shoes that you own, and why?
I keep having to resole these By Far black boots that I own. They are very thin leather and they give you a pointed foot like a witch and I wear them out all the time cause I wear them so much.
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