Singer Florence Welch has revealed that she turned to alcohol to “hide” from fame.
You’d be hard pressed to find someone on this planet who hasn’t heard the beautiful, ethereal voice of Florence Welch.
But it seems that being in possession of such a great talent can come at a price as Welch has revealed that after the release of her debut album, Lungs, in 2009 she “hid” away from the spotlight by drinking “extra dirty Martinis” to get drunk.
Now 31, Welch recalled during the promotion for Lungs that she would regularly be out partying for days on end, resulting in waking up in strange places.
“I’d be like, ‘I’m not quite sure [where I am], but I’m wearing someone else’s clothes…,’ Welch told The Observer.
On reflection, Welch recognises that it was her way of refusing to deal with worldwide fame at such a young age.
“The partying was about me not wanting to deal with the fact my life had changed, not wanting to come down. It always felt like something had picked me up and thrown me around various rooms and houses, then gone ‘Boom!’,” she explained.
“It happened every time, and every time it was shocking.”
But now, as Welch releases her next album, Hunger, she’s dealt with her demons and has reached a point where she can perform on stage without consuming alcohol beforehand.
“When I realised I could perform without the booze it was a revelation. There’s discomfort and rage, and the moment when they meet is when you break open. You’re free,” she said.
In the UK, it’s fair to say we don’t always have the healthiest approach when it comes to alcohol. But according to the NHS, Brits aged 55-74 are drinking more than any other generation, and yet, sobriety has never been cooler amongst young adults.
And it’s no longer the moments on stage that Welch lusts for, but the mundane, everyday moments.
“Mundane moments become incredibly profound. The performing, the transcendence, then sitting watching TV – all can coexist, and the mundane makes the magical. Maybe I’m trying to hold on to normalcy. Maybe because being onstage has become normal, the pockets of peace seem really wild. But I treasure them,” she explained.
“Before, I thought I ran on a chaos engine, but the more peaceful I am, the more I can give to the work. I can address things I wasn’t capable of doing before.”
You can read more on how to spot the signs that you could be a functioning alcoholic here.
Images: Getty / Instagram
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