Florence Welch on Collab With Taylor Swift: ‘I Almost Didn’t Think of the Scale of It’

Singer/songwriter Florence Welch (of Florence And The Machine fame) co-wrote the track “Florida!!!” for Swift’s newest album The Tortured Poets Department. In a recent interview with British Vogue, Welch opened up a bit about working with the pop star. And apparently, she didn’t think the song would be as huge as it has become.

“I almost didn’t think of the scale of it,” Welch said in the interview. “There’s the sort of bigness of Taylor Swift the phenomenon, and then there’s the Taylor I spend time with in the studio, who is just the sweetest and most down to earth.”

Luckily, the collaboration was a huge success. And when asked about whether or not Welch would join Swift on tour to the upcoming United Kingdom leg of Swift’s Eras Tour, she was predictably mysterious about it: “If I was gonna do it, it would be a surprise.”

How Did Florence Welch and Taylor Swift Start Working Together?

According to Florence Welch, Taylor Swift had contacted her with a story concept for the song. Welch noted that this is her “favorite way to start songwriting.” She went on to note that the duo had an excellent time making the track together.

“We had such a fun time,” said Welch. “And then when it came out I was like, ‘Oh, shit!’”

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Swift also spoke fondly about the co-writing effort with Welch in a past interview with iHeartRadio. In the interview, she noted that the collab was rooted in the idea of what happens when your past choices begin to catch up with you.

The Tortured Poets Department is the 11th studio album from Swift. The huge 31-track double album features other collaborations as well, including with artists like Port Malone, Aaron Dessner (The National), and Jack Antonoff (Bleachers).

Photo by Ilya S. Savenok

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