Lead vocalist Florence Welch of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine released their first single since the 2018 album “High as Hope,” and the message is particularly compelling for young female listeners. “King” is an ode to the struggles of female artists and the gender as a whole as they strive to discern who they are as a person underneath the critical societal and male gaze.
In a statement Welch states, “As an artist, I never actually thought about my gender that much, I just got on with it. I was as good as the men, and I just went out there and matched them every time. But now, thinking about being a woman in my 30s and the future, I suddenly feel this tearing of my identity and my desires. That to be a performer, but also to want a family might not be as simple for me as it is for my male counterparts. I had modeled myself almost exclusively on male performers, and for the first time I felt a wall come down between me and my idols as I have to make decisions they did not.”
Welch expresses a rebellion against the standard gender stereotypes, decrying the typical categorization and roles women are forced into. In “King” she sings, “I am no mother/ I am no bride/ I am king.” As an artist whose songs have been used in many films and television shows set in fictional worlds, most notably in HBO’s Game of Thrones and CW’s The Vampire Diaries, this new single is very much centered on a realistic struggle that affects all women.
However, Welch shows that such struggles should not be cause for despair and instead can be used to fuel female creative drive. She sings, “You need your rotten heat, your dazzling pain like diamond rings/ You need to go to war to find material to sing.” While acknowledging the pain and struggle faced by women as they decide the course for their future, she shows that a woman’s potential is not only made for domestic or matrimonial roles and instead can be used to create art and inspire.
Welch also reminds the listener that amongst all the onlookers, oftentimes the most critical gaze is one’s own. She sings, “What strange claws are these scratching at my skin/ I never knew my killer would be coming from within.” Welch recognizes yet another aspect in the universal experience of womanhood with this verse because while women face criticism from all angles, the most painful criticism comes from within. This recognition further shows the complexity of female development in both male dominated social realms, such as the music industry. As mentioned in her statement, Welch has oftentimes compared herself to her idols as well as her male counterparts, but in this verse, Welch admits that the most difficult comparison comes from oneself.
In her single, Welch most importantly shows that women cannot be forced into a singular classification or type as she sings “But a woman is a changeling, always shifting shape.” While Welch illuminates a harrowing and truthful reality for women in society today, her single “King” is not one of defeat but is rather a rallying cry for women to forge their own path forward in the world.