Rolling Stone Music Now THE ROLLING STONE INTERVIEW: Live with Florence Welch at the Cherry Lane Theater in NYC
Oct 31, 2025
Florence Welch, the lead singer of Florence + The Machine, shares insights from her new album, *Everybody Scream*. She discusses how her Dance Fever tour inspired prophetic songwriting. Florence opens up about navigating personal trauma through music and her journey into mysticism for healing. She contrasts her onstage freedom with anxiety offstage, reflecting on the balance between her domestic life and creative pursuits. Collaborations, feelings of being underrated, and the significance of releasing the album on Halloween add layers to this engaging conversation.
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Album Born From A Near-Death Moment
- Florence describes Dance Fever as a prophetic record and Everybody Scream as a record of catastrophe tied to a life-and-death experience.
- She says the tour and a pregnancy complication shaped the new album and opened new creative tendrils.
Turning To Witchcraft And Myth For Meaning
- After emergency surgery Florence turned to herbs, tonics and mythology to find meaning and regain a sense of power.
- She says imagination and folk tales offered escape and freedom when her body felt dangerous and uncontrollable.
Stage As Escape From Pain And Anxiety
- Florence recalls performing through severe pain, taking ibuprofen and finding that onstage the pain and anxiety vanished.
- She says the stage uniquely frees her from anxiety and allowed her to finish traumatic shows.
