Florence and the Machine's Florence Welch Debuts New Apple Music Lab
It’s Friday afternoon at the Apple store and, like almost any time at any Apple store, it’s bustling. On the second floor of the World Trade Center location, the shiny white interior matching that of the space-age mall in which it lives, people are swarming — moving around the tables, occasionally sitting, and getting help with their most pressing i-questions. At one table though, the 10 or so gathered around are quiet. Headphones on, they’re experimenting with creating their own music on Garage Band, instructed not only by Apple employees but also by a special video guest: Florence and the Machine’s Florence Welch. It’s part of a new Today at Apple Music Lab starring the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, who takes you through her somewhat unorthodox creative process. Filmed in the same studio where her new album High as Hope was recorded, Florence bangs on the floor and plays a few notes on the piano, explaining how she finds inspiration and puts together the sweeping, orchestral music she’s known for without any formal musical training.
The music lab, one of the free Today at Apple sessions available at every Apple store, walks users through how to use Garage Band's various tools, teaching them how to create their own percussive base using the beat sequencer, make use of the world around them with the sampler, and recreate the sounds of instruments they may not even know how to play using smart instruments. And you don't even need a musical background to make the most of it.
We got to catch up with Florence over the phone as she tours the world for her new album High as Hope. Read on for her thoughts on working with Apple, how she writes her most personal lyrics, and why she keeps deleting Instagram.
Teen Vogue: Tell us about how your partnership with Apple and the Music Lab came about and why you decided to undertake this.
Florence Welch: I guess because I'm a shy person and I've also quite liked the armor of people not knowing whether it was a band, or whether it was a solo project. I like being able to hide behind the mysteriousness of it. But I thought it was a nice way to be like, no, I make the music too. To show people the process, however rudimentary my process is, and it's pretty rudimentary.
[Apple] asked and they were doing this thing, and I saw some other examples of other artists doing it, and I just though it was really interesting. I thought it was actually a really nice way of showing the process. I was just flattered as well because I think I, as someone who is not a trained musician, I do things instinctively. I was excited about the idea of maybe, through this Music Lab, showing people who perhaps didn't feel like they were trained enough or didn't have technical knowledge that they could. Just to make things. Regardless whether you feel like you're highly skilled, it's fun, and you can. It's possible.
TV: Were there any favorite parts that you have of what you filmed or what you did for the music lab?
FW: It was a really nice day, really, because we did it with Vincent Haycock, who I've collaborated with ... we made a little film together for How Big, How Blue. And we did it at Emile Haynie's house, which is also the studio where we made High as Hope. So it was really, it felt very natural, and actually it was really nice with the two people that have been a good part of my creative process, to sit down and unpack it all.
It was nice to go to the old notebooks, and just think about my process and talk about it. It was interesting for me, because a lot of interviews can be so, people really want to know the personal stuff, but often they don't ask you even that much about your person. Just like, what's it about? Who are you dating? Things that they really want to know about how you made it. So I really liked being able to talk about how I make stuff.
TV: Did filming it make you realize anything that you hadn't realized before about your creative process?
FW: I could hardly watch myself back talking, because I hate looking at myself talk. I was like, ugh! Well, do you know what? It made me realize I've always made things the same way, and it hasn't really changed. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but it's definitely instinct over structure. It's definitely enthusiasm over skill, and it's served me well. It depends whether you're into Florence and the Machine if that's a good thing.
TV: The creative process in bringing together the music aspect is really only one part of creating the music that you create. I was wondering what advice you have for young musicians, or young writers who are writing about personal topics, and how you put yourself out there?
FW: I can only speak from my own experience of releasing something that was deeply personal and actually, really it's been a hugely positive experience. Very encouraging in terms of realizing that people are more openhearted and more kind and more willing to receive your vulnerability than you think. I really learned a lot about people's kindness from this record. If it scares you, and you feel like it's frightening, it's probably good, you know? But if it's uncomfortable, and you feel like you're pushing your own limits, and you're out of your comfort zone, it usually means you're taking a step forward. Its good to take creative risks, and allow people to come closer to you.
I would just say it's okay to explore. I think sometimes for young women, you can be in a studio situation and it can be hard. I was a shy kid anyway. But I had lot of big ideas. But it took me a minute just to really find my voice, and find strength in my ideas. You can be swayed. I would just say your voice is important, and if you feel good about what you're doing, don't worry about what other people say. Just keep going.
TV: What advice do you wish someone had given you, or what have you learned, that you would say to your 18-year-old self?
FW: It's so hard, what was I doing when I was 18? What advice would I give? I don't know, I'd have to say drink less. But then I wouldn't be who I am today. It would be like ... I think it would have been to date kinder people and drink less. But if I hadn't gone through that stuff, I wouldn't know what I know now. I had to throw myself into painful situations in order to figure out how I wanted to live. I'm only 31, but I guess my own maternal instinct toward my 18-year-old self is like, that person is not nice to you. I would have liked to encourage myself to value myself more. I don't think I did at that age.
I think I would sometimes allow myself to be treated cruelly, but it's so hard to know that when you're 18. You just don't know. It's so confusing to how you're supposed to be treated by people, or what you're worth. So you have to just... I wouldn't take anything back, because it helped me in lots of ways. All the bumps and the falling over and all that stuff. It helped me figure out who I am now. I would just say, hey, it's going to be okay. You'll be fine.
Yeah, it's going to be okay, and you'll figure it out. Nothing is wasted. If it feels like it's so hard, that pain will be useful to you one day.
TV: Because this is Apple and they just celebrated the 10th anniversary of their app store, what app do you use daily, or what are your favorite apps while you're on tour?
FW: The main addiction and also bane of my life, also most useful thing, and the thing that I find really exciting and fun and that also I delete on and off of my phone a hundred times a day is Instagram. I have such a f*cked-up relationship with it. Because I love it as a vehicle, because I went to art college, and I love the scrapbookiness of it, I love being able to put up handwritten notes, and I love to have a little book ... the fans set up a little book club. And that is awesome. But when I find I've been on the explore button for 20 minutes, what am I doing? Oh my god! I get sucked into this rabbit hole, so I find it a really useful tool, but I can definitely abuse it, so I have to be pretty boundary drawn on social media.
But it's interesting. I'm at 31, I didn't grow up with it. So it's still kind of like, whoa. But I find the generation that's grown up with it is more savvy. They're like yeah, no I don't have that. They're just super aware of it, of its good bits, but also its dangers. I'm always super impressed with how women who are ... I mean the girls who I work with on Between Two Books seem incredibly savvy around the good bits but also the difficulties of social media. I'm always really inspired by them. Because they get it, whereas I'm just deleting it off my phone 50 times a day.
It's so interesting. It’s like digital native I think, is the term, and if you grew up with it. But what's encouraging is that I find that people are much more clued in now that everyone uses filters and it's a constructed reality. And I find that it's really interesting the way that the younger generation is embracing it but also understands the problems with it, or calls out the issue with it. I find that a very hopeful thing.
I think a lot of the last couple of years has been a lot of reveal, it's felt like, everyone's like okay. Let's get real, here. And I find that really encouraging.
TV: You also just released a book, as well, right? Can you tell us about that?
FW: Yes I did. A lyrics and poetry book.
Oh my goodness. What it is, is an exploration, in part, of what is a poem and what is a song. And also the relationship that I've had to my work. And how sometimes perhaps the work has its own character. A song is its own person that lives in me. My relationship to that other entity, and the poetry is just sort of exploration of perhaps how would I speak if I wasn't channeling this other thing? Some of the poems is just a list of weird sh*t you can't put into songs, because it doesn't rhyme. But why can't you put it in a song? So it's a kind of mediation on the form.
TV: Is there anything else you would want people to know about what you're doing with Apple and the Music Lab and why they should take the class?
FW: I don't know. I'm so English, so it's so hard; we're really bad at any kind of self promotion. If you go, you get to see someone's trying to make songs, it might make you feel better about yourself.
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