The Florence and the Machine singer pays tribute to her hero
THE FIRST TIME I HEARD Stevie Nicks, I had just fallen in love with a boy in a band. I was on a family holiday in Italy. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours was one of the only CDs at the house where we stayed, and I was like, “Oh, OK. What’s this?” I listened to the whole thing nonstop. There’s something about Stevie that’s really pure. When she sings, she sounds angelic but also wild and free, like she’s getting completely lost in the song. Her new album, In Your Dreams, is just classic, classic songwriting. With the big, expansive guitar sounds, it’s moving in a more modern direction, but it still sounds like Stevie Nicks. She’s very much a storyteller, and she has a fantastic ability to make songs that you feel immediately connected to. Creating that intimacy while also retaining a mystique is something I learned from her. She also definitely influenced me to wear a cape. I love a cape onstage.
Florence Welch / Rolling Stone / Thursday, April 28, 2011
