Florence Welch

22/12/2009

Britain’s brightest new female star dreams of doll houses and a brood of kids

Are you a fan of Christmas?
I’ve had some really weird Christmases. There was one where we went to China. That was pretty un-Christmassy. Last year I was in Dubai visiting my grandfather – it’s a very strange city, quite soulless and pretty much the most un-Christmassy place you can be. I was really depressed and it just wasn’t fun at all. I wouldn’t advise Christmas in the desert. It was really hot.

What will you be doing this year for the holidays?
I’m going to get some time off and be at home. Hopefully my mum won’t suddenly plan a trip to Paraguay or something. I’m a south London girl. London on Christmas Day is really interesting because it’s really empty and very quiet, like a ghost town. Christmas here is exciting; London smells different. The air’s crisp.

What’s your idea of a perfect Christmas?
I’d just like to be at home with my family. I want to sit and watch movies and eat food. We watch Mrs Doubtfire every year and, oh my god, I love Nightmare Before Christmas. I am a big fan of Tim Burton.

What is the best Christmas gift you have ever had?
A bright blue doll’s house. It was a kind of duck-egg blue townhouse and it was lovely. I put my Sylvanian Families in it. I was really young, about seven years old.

Christmas songs are an eternal bone of contention – which are your top turkeys and which are top of your tree?
I’m a big fan of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. And Frank Sinatra always reminds me of Christmas. I hate the one that opens “IT’S CHRISTMAAAAAS!’ [Slade, ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’]. It’s just annoying – even the first line is annoying. It’s too full on.

It’s been quite a 2009 for you. After Britain, now America looks like it’s going to fall to Florence and the Machine. Have you achieved what you wanted to this year?
It’s been great but I haven’t really had time to take stock. Maybe at Christmas I will just have a big massive nervous breakdown.  I did last Christmas.

What were the key moments of the last decade?
The election of Barack Obama and the Twin Towers, obviously; The Iraq War – it’s been a decade of disaster but also of moments of real hope.

What was your personal highlight of the last decade?
I really liked playing the John Peel Stage this year at Glastonbury. Being nominated for a Mercury Prize this year was amazing. Doing
my own headline tour, releasing the album and having people sing it back to me was really exciting. When you see the reaction people are having – it’s really  incredible.

What are your aims for the next decade?
In 10 years I’ll be 33, which is still quite young. Hopefully by then I’ll have a couple of albums under my belt and a brood of children.