[15] Aged ten, she performed the song of Yum-Yum ("The sun whose rays are all ablaze") from The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan at Colin Welch's memorial service.

[16] Welch's parents divorced when she was thirteen, and her mother eventually married their next-door neighbour, Professor Peter Openshaw.

[1] While in middle school, Welch and two of her friends started a witch coven, creating spellbooks and attempting to cast spells on classmates.

[1][27] In 2006, Welch's performances with Isabella Summers in small London venues under the joint name Florence Robot/Isa Machine[28] began to attract notice.

The album included the earliest version of her later hit "Kiss with a Fist", which at this point was titled "Happy Slap".

[37] On 27 February 2011, Welch replaced pregnant Dido and sang her portion of Best Original Song nominee "If I Rise" (from 127 Hours) with A. R. Rahman at the 83rd Academy Awards.

[44][45] On 5 July 2012, a remix of "Spectrum" by Scottish musician Calvin Harris was released as the fourth single from Ceremonials, becoming the band's first UK number-one hit.

[48][49] The group performed in Times Square on 31 December 2011 for the 40th annual Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve special.

"[citation needed] In February 2015, Florence and the Machine announced their third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, which was released on 1 June 2015.

[54] In September 2016, during an interview with Heat Radio, American singer Lady Gaga revealed that she and Florence had recorded a song together.

[58] On 22 May 2018, Florence Welch performed a duet with Mick Jagger, at London Stadium, during the Rolling Stones' No Filter Tour.

The book showcases her lyrics and poetry, alongside corresponding artwork from the time of her first album Lungs to her 2018 release High as Hope.

In January 2022, it was confirmed that the band would be headlining a few summer festivals which lead to many theorizing that Welch's fifth studio album could possibly be released during the first semester of 2022.

On 23 February 2022, Welch released a single, "King", and an accompanying music video, directed by Autumn de Wilde.

On 10 March 2022, the third single was released called "My Love" which also featured a music video directed by Autumn de Wilde.

The single premiered on BBC Radio 1's morning show "Breakfast with Greg James" where Welch was the special guest and announced that the release date of their upcoming album Dance Fever was 13 May 2022.

[63] On 11 September 2024, Florence + the Machine performed with the Jules Buckley Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms 2024 Series.

Welch has been compared to other singers such as Kate Bush,[65][66] Stevie Nicks,[67] Siouxsie Sioux,[65][66] PJ Harvey,[65] Shirley Manson,[68] Alison Goldfrapp,[69] Tori Amos,[70] and Björk.

[72] During interviews, Welch has cited singers Grace Slick, Alanis Morissette, Patti Smith, and Stevie Nicks as influences and "heroes.

[76] She has also listed in her early influences the likes of John Cale, Otis Redding, Siouxsie Sioux, Courtney Love, David Byrne, and Lou Reed.

[77][78] In a review of Ceremonials, Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone described Florence and the Machine's style as "dark, robust and romantic", deeming the ballad "Only If for a Night" as a mix of "classic soul and midnight-on-the-moors English art rock".

[65] Welch stated that her lyrics related to Renaissance artists : "We're dealing with all of the same things they did: love and death, time and pain, heaven and hell".

"[80] Nick Welch, her father, contributed a "rock and roll element to the family mix"; in his twenties, he lived in a West End squat and attended the Squatters' Ball organised by Heathcote Williams where the 101ers played regularly.

[81] A self-confessed "frustrated performer", if Nick, as he put it, "nudged Flo in any way, it's only been to listen to the Ramones rather than Green Day.

"[81] Welch is known for her distinctive clothing style, often performing concerts wearing light Gucci dresses, barefoot and without jewellery.

[86] Welch describes 1970s American drag queen troupe the Cockettes and French chanson singer Françoise Hardy as fashion mentors.

[87] Welch has also named Fleetwood Mac member Stevie Nicks as being a musical, fashion and general influence.

"It's a huge generalization to say that all readers are introverts; I'm sure there's a lot of extroverted bookworms out there, but, for me, it's nice to know people of similar inclinations can actually come together in a social way and talk about something that is inherently solitary.

In a 2022 interview with The Independent, Welch stated that while she considered herself recovered from the condition, "anorexic thinking" still formed a part of her everyday life.

[116] Welch is also a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and regularly waves the rainbow flag at her concerts, particularly during her song "Spectrum (Say My Name)".