Florence Leontine Mary Welch, born 28 August 1986 in Camberwell, London, England, is an English singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of Florence + the Machine. Raised as a Catholic with dyslexia, she began performing in local venues with Isabella Summers, and the duo evolved into the eponymous band. Their debut album Lungs (2009) topped the UK Albums Chart, earned a Brit Award for Best British Album, and produced the UK‑charting single "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)". Their second album Ceremonials (2011) debuted at Number 1 in the UK and number 6 in the US, while How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015) also entered at Number 1 in the UK, US, Australia, and Canada, garnering three Grammy nominations. Welch’s collaborations include Calvin Harris’s "Sweet Nothing" (2012), a duet with Lady Gaga, and contributions to Here Lies Love by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. She released the literary collection Useless Magic in 2018.
