Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Florence Arnold (born 28 December 1988), better known by her stage name Florrie, is an English pop singer, songwriter, drummer and model. Closely associated with the Xenomania production house, since joining as their in-house drummer in 2008 she has played live and on record for popular artists such as Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud and the Pet Shop Boys.
In 2010, she began a solo career. She has drawn positive reaction from the online music community for releasing her own material in collaboration with remixers such as Fred Falke for download without charge. In 2010 Florrie released a four-track EP titled Introduction, followed by the six-track EP Experiments in 2011, and by the four-track EP Late in 2012.
Several commentators have named Florrie a rising star to watch.
Biography [edit]
Early years [edit]
Florrie was born Florence Arnold on 28 December 1988 in Bristol, where she attended Colston's Girls' School. She became interested in playing the drums when she was in Greece on a family holiday at age six. As a teenager she started her own band, performing Avril Lavigne covers. She also had a development deal with Guy Chambers and gigged with several bands, eventually moving to London when she was seventeen.
Career [edit]
A meeting with the manager of Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi led Florrie to a successful audition as the drummer in the houseband of Xenomania, the successful Kent-based production team. Her first job was playing on Girls Aloud's 2008 song "The Promise". She also co-wrote the song "One Touch" for the short-lived female duo Mini Viva. Producer Brian Higgins encouraged Florrie to sing one of the songs she had written, which prompted her to pursue her own music career. The Fred Falke remix of "Call 911" reportedly had over one thousand downloads around the world after only a few days.
In mid-2010, Florrie was announced as the face of the then-new Nina Ricci fragrance Nina L'Elixir. She starred in the TV advert for the campaign performing a cover of Blondie's "Sunday Girl", and also featured in print advertisements shot by Ruven Afanador.
On 2 July 2010, Florrie featured on The Guardian's column, "New Band of the Day". The article's writer, Paul Lester, said about Florrie that "she completely bypasses the sweaty authenticity of groaning determination for a slicker, brighter sort of pop desire. This comes across in her music. It's breezy".
Florrie released her debut EP, Introduction, on 15 November 2010 through iTunes Store, containing the tracks "Call of the Wild", "Give Me Your Love", "Summer Nights" and "Left Too Late". The EP was made available for free download on her official website, as well as on 12" vinyl pressings limited to 500 copies. Music blogs Popjustice, ArjanWrites.com, electronic rumors, Dödselectro and Sundtrak all praised the quality of the music, while noting the free availability of the tracks and expressing interest for future material. Others have identified how the awareness of Florrie's music has been assisted by online social networks and a grassroots strategy. Florrie told Ponystep:
"I think it's really important to have that contact with fans and for them to be able to buy into your world or you as a person without any pressure from a corporation [...] It's a better way of doing it because people can feel like they discovered you as opposed to a major label. I want my fans to feel like they have some sort of ownership."
Florrie's second EP, Experiments, was released on 14 June 2011 and included the songs "Speed of Light", "Experimenting with Rugs", "What You Doing This For?", "I Took a Little Something", "Begging Me" and "She Always Gets What She Wants". The lead single "Begging Me" was released on 28 April 2011.
A third EP, Late, was released on 31 May 2012 on iTunes. Florrie announced on her website on 23 May that she would sign to a major record label, thus making this EP her final release as an independent artist. On 24 February 2013, Florrie was announced as the face of denim label Vigoss for its spring 2013 campaign. Florrie appears in the commercial for Sony's XBA-C10 in-ear headphones, which debuted on 3 April 2013 and features the track "Live a Little".
Musical style [edit]
In an interview with Ponystep, Florrie described her style as "a big mixture: Kind of a sixties, organic feel merged with modern pop beats and electronics". She also told Metro, "I grew up listening to my dad's Beatles records but I love electronic music, I like doing upbeat stuff to make people dance."