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Live from Abu Dhabi Connect the World takes you on a journey across continents, investigating the stories that are changing our world.
Connector of the day – Florence and the Machine
As the title of their hit song "Rabbit Heart 'Raise it Up'" suggests, British band “Florence and the Machine” have indeed raised their profile considerably in the last year.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/10/27/art.florence.welch.jpg caption="Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine performs at the 2009 Mercury awards."]
Even before their album “Lungs” debuted quietly at number two on the UK music charts the week after Michael Jackson’s death in July, Florence and the Machine had already attracted considerable attention.
The band’s focal point, singer-songwriter Florence Welch, received a Brit Award for Critics’ Choice and a Mercury Prize nomination.
Like many performing artists, the discovery of Welch’s talent happened by chance. Almost three years ago, while an art student in South London, Welch was overheard singing at a local pub by indie-DJ Mairead Nash who liked what she had heard. Nash invited Welch to sing at an open-mike night the following week at another local pub.
Not having a stage name, or much time to rehearse prior to Nash’s gig, Welch improvised on stage with her vocals and with her stage name. It has been rumoured that the name Florence and the Machine was conceived on her way to the pub that evening.
Welch has since evolved into an emerging popular artist playing before crowds much larger than her local pub, having performed at the Glastonbury Festival and before a nationwide audience on the BBC’s Electric Proms program.
And Florence will be joining CNN Wednesday to talk about her music, her recent success and the band's curious name.
Send us your comments, questions for Florence and we’ll do our best to use them on Wednesday’s show.
On Twitter
Hi i really enjoy hearing over and over your CD lungs that i just bought on itunes store about a month ago, also i really love the Drumming song video, i was just wondering if you had ever considered coming to Mexico City? ill be definitely in the first row. Hope to hear more from you and to see you live in Mexcio City.
When and why did you write the song "my boy builds coffins"?
What does the song "Rabbit Heart 'Raise it Up'" really mean? What inspired the writing of the song?
Singing is part of your life and to make others happy , but do you really some times sit and listen to own music?Which musics do you mostly listen: your own music or other musicians?
netherlands
What are your views on illegal file sharing? Has your career been helped or hindered by it? Have your views changed since your success? Are you encouraged by sites such as spotify that make music more accessible?
i work at the only rock station in kenya (XFM) and we started playing your tunes as of 5 months ago and we've had nothing but great feedback with "rabbit heart","cosmic love" and "the drumming song".
my 3 questions for you
1)what's been the biggest moment so far in your career?
2)how are you dealing with the fame ,i mean one day you're this unknown person and the next ...you've got people trying to take pictures of you crossing the road,thats got to be abit annoying
3)lastly, whose your biggest inspiration ?
what is the song "girl with one eye"about, and why did you wrote it
I notice that you are only playing 2 shows in the US this year. Will you tour more widely in the US soon? In particular, would you play a show in Dallas, TX? Second question is regarding the difference in sound from "Kiss with a Fist" and the songs on the Lungs album. How did your sound evolve from a punk rock to the Lungs album?
FIRST OF ALL, I LOVE YOUR MUSIC AND NEVER TIRE OF IT. THANK YOU FOR BREATHING SOME FRESH AIR INTO THE MUSIC SCENE. I'D LOVE TO KNOW THE BACK STORY BEHIND THE SONG "HURRICANE DRUNK". THANKS SO MUCH!
At which music festival do you most enjoy performing?
Alot of sportsmen are talented at other sports due to their natural athletic ability, do you have a creative flair in which you can put into other channels – dance, painting, photyography, film?
Which other artists inspire you to make the music you do?
AMAZING REALLY AWESOME.
THANK YOU CNN, WITH OUT YOU I MOST PROBABLY WOULD'NT HAVE HEARD OF THIS BEAUTIFUL YOUNG GENIUS.
AS I AM BASED IN PARIS I HOPE SHE IS PLANNING ON DOING A GIG HERE.
TAKE CARE
Hi,
Saw you in Zurich last week and was shocked to see the tiny venue you used (although it was packed to the brims).
What did you guys do to raise your profile, and what happened in Switzerland?? Not enough marketing? Poor planning?
Your talent will surely come through with even more force in the future.
Last year, my favorite UK imports were female singers: Adele, Amy Winehouse, Amy MacDonald. This year, I add Florence + The Machine to that list. Her Lungs CD should inspire multiple Grammy nominations. I became an instant fan the moment I heard "You've Got The Love." Right now, the bonus track "Swimming" is on constant rotation on my iTunes playlists (and in my head whenever I'm disconnected). Other great tracks: "Falling," "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)," "Dog Days Are Over," and "Between Two Lungs." Brilliant!