Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Florence and the Machine release new song ‘KING’

An accompanying music video, showing Welch cloaked in purple, was also released

Inga Parkel
Wednesday 23 February 2022 15:57 EST
Comments
Florence Welch falls over

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Florence and the Machine have released a new song, “KING,” with an accompanying music video.

The track arrives one day after lead singer Florence Welch posted a cryptic tweet, telling fans: “Something’s coming.”

Welch had also shared a snippet of the music video directed by Autumn de Wilde, the filmmaker behind the 2020 period drama Emma.

Today (23 February), Welch shared the official announcement of her new single along with a link to the video, which shows Welch, the only source of colour, cloaked in purple and singing soulfully as a group of women dressed in grey dance around her.

The new release has already been well-received by fans, with the tweet at approximately 12,200 likes and growing, at the time of writing.

One commenter wrote: “Un-Follow Me Now. This Is Gonna Be the Only Thing I Tweet About For The Next Week. Ive Wanted This For Years F***. What The F***.”

The song’s chorus includes the lyrics: “I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king.”

In the song’s press release, Welch shared: “As an artist, I never actually thought about my gender that much. I just got on with it. I was as good as the men and I just went out there and matched them every time.”

Florence Welch
Florence Welch

She continued: “But now, thinking about being a woman in my thirties and the future, I suddenly feel this tearing of my identity and my desires. That to be a performer, but also to want a family might not be as simple for me as it is for my male counterparts.

“I had modelled myself almost exclusively on male performers, and for the first time I felt a wall come down between me and my idols as I have to make decisions they did not.”

“King” is the latest music released by the band since the 2021 single “Call Me Cruella,” written for the movie Cruella, starring Emma Stone.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in