Florence Welch Forgot About the 'Bigness' of Taylor Swift's Fame Until 'Florida!!!' Dropped: 'I Was Like, Oh S---!'
The Florence and the Machine frontwoman collaborated with Swift on "Florida!!!" from the superstar's new album, 'The Tortured Poets Department'
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Florence Welch; Taylor SwiftWho can forget just how famous Taylor Swift is? Her friend and collaborator Florence Welch, apparently.
The Florence and the Machine frontwoman opened up to British Vogue in a new interview about how it felt to release their collaboration, "Florida!!!," on the pop superstar's new album, The Tortured Poets Department — and how working together in the studio made Welch forget about Swift's stature.
"I almost didn’t think of the scale of it," said the "Dog Days Are Over" singer, 37, of the immense level of fanfare that followed the release of TTPD — which has already become Spotify's most-streamed album in a single week with over a billion streams.
"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," added Welch.
The British performer also spoke to the outlet about making "Florida!!!," which Swift has described as a song about seeking escapism after heartbreak, partially inspired by Dateline episodes where criminals escape to Florida.
Welch told British Vogue Swift came to her with "a concept and a story" for the track — "my favorite way to start songwriting," she said. It wasn't until "Florida!!!" dropped as part of the 31-song album, however, that she realized the scale of fanfare they'd receive in response.
Related: Emma Stone Earns a Credit on Pal Taylor Swift's 'Florida!!!' Song from Tortured Poets Department
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty
Florence Welch; Taylor Swift"We had such a fun time," recalled the Grammy-nominated artist. "And then when it came out I was like, ‘Oh, s---!'"
Since the TTPD release, Swift has shared various clips of rehearsal footage for her next Eras Tour leg, leading many fans to theorize that she may add songs from the new album into the setlist. Does that mean Welch could potentially join her on stage for a live rendition of their collaboration? "If I was gonna do it, it would be a surprise," she teased.
Swift recently explained the meaning behind "Florida!!!," telling iHeartRadio she "was coming up with this idea of like, what happens when your life doesn’t fit, or your choices you’ve made catch up to you."
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Taylor SwiftThe "Fortnight" singer highlighted how at times in life "you’re surrounded by these harsh consequences and judgment, and circumstances did not lead you to where you thought you’d be and you just want to escape from everything you’ve ever known," leading one to question, "is there a place you could go?"
According to Swift, she is "always watching" Dateline and thought about how "people have these crimes that they commit, where do they immediately skip town and go to? They go to Florida."
"I think when you go through a heartbreak, there’s a part of you that thinks: I want a new name, I want a new life, I don’t want anyone to know where I’ve been or know me at all," she continued to the outlet. "So that was the jumping-off point behind where would you go to reinvent yourself and blend in? 'Florida!!!'"
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