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10 years of Bristol24/7: Florrie
Having grafted away since she was a teenager, drummer, singer-songwriter and all-round multi-hyphenate talent, Florrie, joined pop power-house producers Xenomania in 2008 as their in-house drummer.
From there, she played on some of 2010’s most era-defining tracks with artists including, Girl’s Aloud, The Saturdays and Alesha Dixon.
When we interviewed her in March, 2016, the Montpelier High School alum, was all set for her solo career to launch. Her single ‘Real Love’, was BBC Radio 1’s track of the day, accruing 1.8m YouTube streams.
is needed now More than ever
She was prepping to release her debut album under management Sony, and was objectively on the precipice of going global, but then she didn’t.
Florrie was our Issue 19 cover star
A Florrie shaped gap has been left in pop music ever since. Her fans receiving mostly EP’s and singles, with the occasional free track. Otherwise leaving her fans to wonder over the mystery as to why she was no longer playing everywhere.
“It’s funny on paper that it seems like it would be a really incredible moment, but actually for me behind-the-scenes things weren’t going that well.
“When I released Real Love I knew that if it didn’t reach some predetermined industry standard level of ‘success’ then I was going to be dropped from my label.
“My musical journey has involved a lot of ups and downs and a lot of grafting, I’m still grafting today and consider myself an independent artist even though I do have a (different) label on board.
“I do feel so grateful that despite the rollercoaster ride I still get to do something I love every day and make a living from it, and I’m really grateful for the fans who stuck by me through it all.”
She describes her sound as uplifting ‘anthemic’ pop – photo: Florrie
Florrie mentions that there there were some issues within the production team, in that the pairing “wasn’t quite right” and as a result was unable to feel completely relaxed and write with abandon.
“When I was working with Sony I was in my early 20s, I had no idea what I was doing. I guess the biggest mistake I made was trusting everyone other than myself. I learnt a lot of lessons going through that experience and I do things very differently now!”
Florrie was dropped from Sony, and decided to step back for a while. It was a very “weird time” she says. Having to then deal with a legal issue in order to be released from her contract, she fell out of love with music for a time.
” I actually worked as a nanny for two years, which in a way was quite nice because it really did put everything into perspective. I feel so much more grateful to be working in music now than I ever did before because I realise how quickly it can all disappear.”
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Since her hiatus, the ‘Swimming Pool’ songstress has covertly been creeping back into the spotlight.
Having just toured the US with Australian artist G-flip, and finally releasing her much anticipated debut ‘The Lost Ones’ in June, she seems to be stepping back into the spotlight with a pep in a her step and a certain ease in her stride that says she know’s who she is.
“I’m gonna start sounding like a broken record but my US tour was also one of the happiest times of my life. I remember it ending and me being in my hotel room on the final night and I was a bit drunk with my bandmates and we’d had a little wrap party in Washington DC at some random bar.
“I felt so grateful and like all of the work I put in to the album, into rehearsing and getting back into music, and everything that it took mentally to do it, it felt like it was all worth it in that moment.
“And releasing a full album was always a dream of mine. It took me a while to decide to actually do it but when I did, we had the best two years in the studio crafting something that I think is really special and will mean a lot to a lot of people hopefully for a long time.
“The one thing I maybe haven’t done as much of is practising, especially drumming. I’ve played a lot of live shows over the last six months and put a lot of practice and time into those but sometimes I fall back on drumming and get lazy because I know I’m already at a certain level and can get by!
“One of my goals for the rest of the year is to take up lessons again.”
Reflecting on her previous ambitions of travelling, writing, meeting new people, she says: “It’s really lovely to read that back because that’s kind of what I’ve done over the last few years”. – photo: Florrie
Throughout her career, Florrie has maintained her relationship with long-term collaborators, Xenomania.
Speaking on that dynamic, she says: “I’m really lucky to have a core music team that I’ve worked with throughout my whole career, Brian Higgins from Xenomania and Ben Taylor. They understand me and my musical vision better than anyone else. I love making my records with them, we have such a long history. I think that’s why the records sound like they do, they’re unrestrained and uplifting and passionate.”
One of the markers of her comeback, was rejoining collaborators such as Girls Aloud, when asked about what it was like to be reliving what were culturally significant moments in music, she says: “Opening for Girls Aloud at the O2 arena really was one of the most special moments of my life, not only because I got to be up there playing but because I had all of my friends and family come to the shows over the five nights.
“I honestly feel like I might have been more excited to see my friends and family than playing the shows! It was a really brilliant and beautiful full circle moment and I’m happy I got to share it with everyone I love.”
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When scrolling through her Instagram profile, her posts almost glow with effervescent energy, perhaps having something to do with relocation to LA?
“I’d always wanted to move to LA to write for other artists and to really immerse myself in the music scene over here.
“I hadn’t really anticipated releasing my debut album at the same time as it was supposed to come out last year but because I signed into a label and got new management I decided to push it back by nine months. Because of that it’s been kind of a crazy time but I wouldn’t change it!
“The sun is shining everyday and I feel really inspired here, and I’m excited to see what the next few years hold for me.”
While Florrie may be soaking up the never-ending sunshine and good vibes of LA, when I ask if Jo’s house in Henleaze is still her favourite Bristol spot, she responds “ALWAYS yes.”
Tickets are available now on the Spiegeltent website
This article is part of 10 Years of Bristol24/7, a series taking a look back at some of our magazine covers ahead of our anniversary party at the Spiegeltent on November 30.
To get your tickets, visit christmasspiegeltent.co.uk/product/b10-celebrating-10-years-of-bristol-24-7-30th-nov.
Main photo: Florrie
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