Image Credit: Paul Redmond/WireImage.comSomewhere between Gaga’s meat smock and the endless iterations of Kanye-vs.-Taylor, a different kind of star emerged at last night’s VMAs.
Crimson-haired songstress Florence Welch (who is, essentially, Florence and the Machine) stunned an audience fed on frantic dance moves, endemic lip-synching, and ersatz drama—simply by singing the crap out of a genuinely great song.
EW caught up with the 24-year-old Londoner and 2009 EW Year-End Albums topper late last week, while she was still anticipating last night’s performance, and spoke to her about gearing up for the show, getting to know Lady Gaga, and who she was most likely to fan out on backstage.
EW: Hello! We’re big fans here at EW, so it’s nice to finally speak to you. Are the VMAs a thing you’re familiar with, having grown up in England?
FW: Yeah, they do run them here on MTV, for sure.
EW: So you know the show is famous for crazy incidents—Eminem fighting with the sock puppet, the guy from Rage Against the Machine falling off a statue onstage, Prince in his buttless pants…
FW: Oh yes, the buttless pants! The Brits are really my only experience with awards, and the VMAs are such an iconic event. Just yesterday, I was walking around [London's] Soho in a dress that cost me one pound and has a hole in it, and then later I was laying on the living-room floor with my sister and this advert came on for the VMAs, this huge spectacle with explosions and all these massive artists and I was like “Oh my god, I’m doing that? Are you sure?” People in south London laying on their living-room floors aren’t supposed to be the people who do that. It just seems so surreal to me that I was laying there watching an advert for a thing I’m actually scheduled to be performing at.
EW: Are you planning to match that level of spectacle?
FW: I think it’s going to be something quite big, not something we’d be able to do at any other event.
EW: So that means you’ve been learning arial acrobatics, like Pink?
FW: Yes, absolutely. While doing jump rope upside down [laughs].
EW: tell me how this year has been for you, it seems like in America at least, it’s been a pretty slow, steady build…
FW: Yeah, it’s definitely been a gradual process in America. But in England, I’ve been working solid for about three years. Because there was the year of building it, gigging and doing pubs and clubs and not really… I’ve spent a lot of time in tiny venues in the way that I got my record deal and got my name out there just performing live. I was literally performing my songs in all kinds of different ways with different guitarists, and I didn’t have an album up online or anything. It’s been a lot of work, it definitely hasn’t been a sudden explosion into fame. And in America it kind of feels like it’s kind of just kicking off.
But I’ve always had a really loyal, supportive fanbase in America, I think maybe this is just taking it to the next level. I love the support and enthusiasm I feel there, and I love being there—we’ve got another tour coming up in October. Being a relatively new artist, with my first album, and a song that means so much to me like “Dog Days,” to be invited to perform at the VMAs is like, total dream true. It’s the most amazing opportunity and I’m really grateful and I really hope I don’t f— it up [laughs].
EW: Is there anyone that you’ve seen on the performers list that you’re especially excited about?
FW: I’m really huge fan of Drake, and I’m a big fan of Nicki Minaj, but I’m not quite sure who’s going to be there. I’m probably going to be really English and polite about the whole thing and be really nervous around everyone, and get really shy.
EW: Is there anyone that you’ve been surprised is a fan of yours?
FW: Well, I met Lady Gaga and she was really nice to me. I’d met her once before, and then when I saw her again at the second Brits, I was kind of surprised she remembered me. I thought that was really sweet and she was really lovely. And I met Beyonce on the side of the stage at a Jay-Z gig, and Jay-Z kind of gave us a shout-out, which was amazing. She’s just stunningly beautiful. And nice, too! Really gentle and kind. When I met her I just fanned out so extremely.
EW: So the Eat Pray Love preview featuring “Dog Days” has been running in America for a couple of months now. Have you felt the effect of that?
FW: Um, I’ve been in England, so I don’t really know how much it’s been on in America…
EW: A lot.
FW: OK! [laughs] Well, I think it’s definitely helped get that song and get my name out there, because it’s always been a lot more kind of underground in America.
EW: But it’s funny, because you also don’t hear many of the song’s lyrics; it’s mostly the melody.
FW: Well, that’s kind of how I liked it, because it’s all those beautiful landscape shots, and using less words seemed to fit to me. And besides, if my song’s on Julia Roberts’ movie doesn’t that mean her and I are like, friends?
EW: Like, braiding each other’s hair, talking about Javier…
FW: Yes, exactly!
EW: Do you get approached a lot to use your music commercially? The Kings of Leon famously just turned Glee down…
FW: I’m really careful with what the music gets put with, and we say no to so much stuff, loads of it, for things that might quadruple the sales of my album. But if it doesn’t fit then it doesn’t fit, you know? It’s your music and you want to reach people, so I always think it’s interesting to hear it in a different situation, and I’m always interested to hear what songs people would want to use. But I’m very careful.
EW: Well, we wish you luck with your four nominations, it will be fun to see you up there onstage Sunday night.
FW: Oh God, I’m so nervous I’m probably going to black out, so you’ll have to tell me how I did [laughs].
To see the just-debuted video for “Heavy In Your Arms,” Florence’s contribution to the Twilight: Eclipse soundtrack, click here.
More MTV VMAs coverage on EW.com:
MTV VMAs: We’re live-blogging it!
Inside the VMAs: What you didn’t see on TV
Kanye vs. Taylor, Round 2: Is there a winner here?
Lady Gaga announces title of her upcoming new album during VMA speech, steals show
Kanye West apologizes to Taylor Swift: ‘I only want to do good.’
VMAs: 15 terrible fashion choices
She was fantastic last night – she’s fantastic period! I would suggest people do themselves a favor and listen to stations from overseas online. We’re missing a lot of good stuff over here in America.
Agreed. If you have basic cable or satellite, watch some of the european music festivals on Palladia. They even play a lot of American bands before they make it here. Kings of Leon comes to mind.
LOOOOOOVE them. Lungs is a great album. Can’t wait for more.
Not to be rude but, what’s the point of posting an interview about the VMA’s that was conducted before the VMA’s the day after the VMA’s?
My first exposure to her was the VMAs, so I wanted to know more. Also, after she killed it at the VMAs, it’s neat to go back and see that she was nervous.
She is a delightful interview, so humble, and an AMAZING singer. I play “Kiss with a Fist” on repeat in my earbuds every time I’m at the gym for motivation. Go Florence (+ the Machine)
she is amazing, and the album is from other world.
She was great!! Not only did she sing live but also sounded fantastic.
Florence was amazing last night. Truly refreshing to see a talent sing the hell out of a song like that. Where have we gone as music consumers that we allow talent like this to be hidden within a mess like the VMAs.
Amen!! I agree all the way
I bought her album after I saw her this and its amazing
Please don’t link to Perez Hilton’s website. I clicked and on your one link and it took me there. The less clicks he gets the better.
She was really really great. I kind of struggle to believe she’s only 24 though :/ Especially in that picture.
was she lip syncing like everyone else at the VMAs?
NOOO!! SHE is not biever!
I didn’t understand why she was nominated for Best Rock Video.
She is AWESOME live, and so happy to see that as a direct result of last night’s performance she FINALLY has her single “Dogs Days Are Over” top 10 on iTunes and the album is #2. And to all you haters, thats after the song was ubiquituous in commercials for tv shows & movies (Eat Pray Love) all summer. All it took was finally putting a face with the track. Mtv’s producers broke the one Brit (Taio Cruz, Jay Sean) who could not get a top 40 hit this year, until this week. Goes to show you that as much as we rip on Mtv for not playing videos anymore, that they are STILL influential on pop culture, and apparently the music charts. WHO KNEW?!
I also forgot to mention, funny how after Mtv spent an HOUR promoting the crap out of Nicki Minaj (all the interviews with Ne-Yo, Drake, EVRYONE) couldn’t wait to see Nicki and her over-exaggerated FAKE bottom….her new single with Will.i.am is sitting at #40 on the iTunes chart, while Florence has moved to the almost top 5. I’m SURE, there will be folks that’ll say, well thats why Nicki was a pre show performer & not a mainstage performer, Will is catching flak for his BlackFace, its effecting their song, blah blah blah. Fact of the matter is Mtv.com has spent the last few weeks promoting Nicki on their website daily, as well as the stories that have appeared here on EW.com and other hip-hop blogs….all that promotion & write-ups and who walked away last night TRUE winner…Florence. And then we get a dated interview because of it. Go ahead and back pedal all y’all want EW, but like many here have said, hopefully y’all will WAKE UP and realize there’s more going on in the music industry these days than Gaga, Kanye, Taylor, Rihanna & Nicki.
THANK YOU!!! Especially that untalented gimmick know as Nicki GARBaj. She was lip-syncing at the pre-show. Get this, a RAPPER LIP-SYNCING. So that’s what passes for talent these days?
Florence’s voice is one of the most heavenly sounds I’ve ever heard. She’s amazing and that performance was incredible.
Wow…like 3 years later and you’re catching on to Florence + The Machine!! Oh well, for a magazine obsessed with all things Gaga & Bieber I guess it’s pretty refreshing. You know, if magazines like EW ran stories on artists like this, then maybe this country wouldn’t have such horrible taste in music…
G-Dog and Phil, we appreciate your input as always, but you’ll see that we’ve actually been pushing Florence on you for a while. She made her first appearance here as a Music MIx Recommends in June of ’09, was one of our ten year-end Best Albums, and has appeared consistently in the magazine. Regardless, we’re thrilled to see wider attention coming to her now!
Leah, love & respect ALWAYS. The point was that Florence, the unsung & this year’s ‘most unknown’ performer & nominee was interviewed either during her rehearsals or warm-ups last week in L.A. and this interview wasn’t posted online Friday or Sat. or even Sunday, when there were yet MORE Music Mix posts about Kanye & Taylor not sharing a stage. Running this interview AFTER the fact today make y’all look like you’re riding coattails now the song & album became a huge digital seller, as first pointed out by the commentor Doug earlier today at 12:37PM, who made a very good point, I was just backing him up, since I agreed. Y’all are human & as a longtime subscriber & fan of the magazine, I will still come here daily, and I understand & know that there are numerous interviews conducted in advance of many releases (tv, movies & music), & you have a life outside of the blogoshere & office, but I was simply reinforcing that Doug made a good point & I myself totally didn’t expect Florence to be the Belle of the VMA Ball & I’m happy that someone making music today made such a big splash without having some horrible excuse for a headline.
She’s awesome. I love her music. What a talented lady.