Florence Welch didn’t give much thought to the magnitude of her collaboration with Taylor Swift.
The Florence + the Machine frontwoman appears on the pop superstar’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, on a track titled Florida!!!
Opening up about the collaboration, Florence was asked by British Vogue if she was prepared for the incessant internet discourse surrounding the album.
“I almost didn’t think of the scale of it,” she confessed with a laugh. “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.”
The Dog Days Are Over singer explained that Taylor came to her with “a concept and a story”, which is “my favourite way to start songwriting”.
“We had such a fun time. And then when it came out I was like, ‘Oh, s**t!'” she added.
Florida!!! is one of the few songs on the album that isn’t about a relationship. The Shake It Off star explained in an album commentary for Amazon Music that it told a story of someone who flees to Florida to start a new life.
“They try to reinvent themselves, have a new identity, blend in. And 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 said.
During the interview, Florence was asked if she might make an appearance during one of Taylor’s concerts when she brings The Eras Tour to the U.K. this summer.
She coyly replied, “If I was gonna do it, it would be a surprise.”
