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Florence + the Machine covers Justin Bieber, Diplo and Skrillex's 'Where Are U Now' for Radio 1 Live Lounge

CHVRCHES previosuly recreated Beiber's song “What Do You Mean”

Jack Shepherd
Wednesday 30 September 2015 04:50 EDT
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Singer Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine performs onstage at What Stage during Day 4 of the 2015 Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee
Singer Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine performs onstage at What Stage during Day 4 of the 2015 Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee (Getty Images)

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While indie rockers may have once mocked Justin Bieber’s music back in his teen-pop phase, those days are certainly over.

Earlier this week CHVRCHES recreated his latest single “What Do You Mean” as part of BBC Radio 1's Live loungue series. Now, Glastonbury headliner's Florence + the Machine has covered his summer hit “Where Are U Now”.

The original - a collaboration with Diplo and Skrillex - hit number 1 on the UK dance charts. Florence’s version strips back the huge club sound, slows things down and adds some reverb laden guitars allowing her enticing vocals to take centre stage, emphasising the emotional complexity of the song... Listen below.

Bieber performed both tracks live at the VMAs earlier this year. He 'flew' onto the stage and gave a spoken-word monologue about his struggle with bad press, arrests and drug abuse.

"Life is a journey sometimes a battle full of the unexpected. Sometimes we focus on the destination and forget to focus on the journey,” he said, before breaking into tears.

What do you think of Florence’s cover?

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