Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Florence Rose
It’s far from wise to straddle a white horse in little more than a bikini, but it is daring artistry that Florence Rose is gunning for rather than equestrian health and safety standards. And on that front, she boldly triumphs. There’s a natural lure to her highfalutin, thespian ways, like the lovechild of Legolas and Lana Del Rey, bringing a sense of moody drama to your day.
This, in part, comes from her modelling background – a world where avant-garde weirdness for the sake of catchy commercialism is also commonplace – but she’s also ladling in lashings pertinent depth to this atmospheric pop drama. Speaking about her new single, ‘Isn’t Life Beautiful’, Rose explains: “The track came about as a sort of honouring to girls that feel everything intensely and deeply.“
She continues: “I’ve always wanted to create something that acknowledges the beauty in the ability to feel so much all at once. Lyrically and instrumentally I wanted to create a distinction between the dark pain, pure bliss and love that you can experience in a moment of seconds. The work as a whole takes a look at intense emotions, those who feel everything deeply and strongly. Those with an ache of desire to be seen and to be saved. A longing for something bigger than yourself, something to believe in.”
Adding: “With our current society’s constant need for more, we are always searching for something outside of ourselves. I want this project to acknowledge this whilst also working as a place for us to return to our wild nature. To return to the earth, to run free and wild. To be women that run with the wolves and scream with the birds.”
She roves around this world boldly, perhaps genuinely bawling at Magpies. There is a sense of channelling her favourite artist, Edvard Munch, into her work. It might get described as bedroom pop by some owing to the instrumentation, but there’s a hidden operatic quality that lingers within it, a darkness and density that adds to the lure, like observing anti-matter in passing and not being sure what to make of it other than to marvel in some peculiar way.
Enigmatic is a facet that Rose has sewn up, so to unpack a bit more insight into the blossoming star, we caught up with her and fired some quick questions her way. You can check out everything from her thoughts on The Beatles to her favourite bar below.
Quick-fire Questions with Florence Rose:
1. What song would you want played at your funeral?
“I don’t plan on dying.”
2. What song do you hate most in the world?
“Lizzo’s songs.”
3. Do you believe in ghosts?
“Yes, I always like to believe.”
4. What album have you probably listened to most in your life?
“Roman Candle by Elliott Smith.”
5. Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever woken up?
“A cemetery.”
6. Where is the best pub / bar in the world?
“The Black Lodge, Berlin.”
7. What is your most controversial cultural opinion?
“Video games and superhero movies are a waste of time.”
8. What is your favourite painting in the world?
“Puberty by Edvard Munch (1894).”
9. What was the last book you read, and what rating would you give it out of 10?
“A Little Life [by Hanya Yanagihara], heartbreaking 7/10.”
10. Who was your first celebrity crush?
“That British cartoon character Noddy. Weird one… I can’t understand it.”
11. You have an hour of totally free time to kill; what are you doing?
“Hanging out with my cat in my girl bedroom.”
12. What has been your favourite album of 2023 so far?
“Blue Car by Joanne Robertson also Mitski’s new album… I can’t choose.”
13. Have you ever had a weird celebrity encounter?
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
14. Who the fuck is Mark E. Smith?
“Should I know?”
15. Are The Beatles overrated?
“Yes, I like Yoko Ono better.”
