Florence Welch says she struggles to see herself as a ‘female headliner’: ‘It always felt more fluid than that’

Singer said her performance style is more masculine than feminine

Florence Welch has said that she never fully identified with the idea of herself as a “female headliner”.

The Florence and the Machine singer is known for her wild performance style on stage, where she often runs through audiences and climbs the rigging surrounding her.

Speaking to Rolling Stone UK, Welch explained why her attitude to gender allowed her to feel more free on stage.

“I think it’s where I can exorcise a lot of frustrations and feelings, and be big and scary,” she said.

“My performance style is probably a lot more based on the masculine than the feminine and moving between those two. So, when people ask things like, ‘What’s it like being a female headliner?’, I’m kind of like… ‘I don’t really know?’ It always felt far more fluid to me than that.”

In a recent interview, Welch said that struggling with eating disorders had caused her to be “emotionally immature” and had made her unable to believe that she could have both a career and children.

“It seems like the bravest thing in the world to have children,” she said. “It’s the ultimate measure of faith and of letting go of control. I feel like to have a child and to let that amount of love in... I’ve spent my life trying to run away from these big feelings.

“I think I’ve had a stilted emotional immaturity just through having been in addiction and eating disorders for years.”

Welch is releasing her new album Dance Fever on Friday 13 May.

You can read The Independent’s five-star review of her recent show in Los Angeles here.

For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this piece, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. You can visit their website here.

NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. They can be reached by phone on 845 838 2040 or their website here.