Kat Harlton
You already know Flo Gallop. You’ve already heard her voice, it’s a pitch-perfect, beautiful, arm-around-the-shoulders version of the one in your head. Flo is the voice we all need, She’s the beat behind our breakdowns and the word-perfect poetry of our bounce-back pick-ups. South-east London born and bred, Flo was raised around music, her dad made songwriting feel like breathing. Without it she would choke. So, she sat, scribbling words, diarising an everyday life through the musicality and soul of a natural artist that would eventually emerge, fully formed, as a friend in your ears.
Flo doesn’t want to change the world, just get your attention. She lives to perform, yet she feels, writes and lives like an antidote to this world of filtered fakery and ‘pick me!’ poses. Honesty is the only policy here, even when it hurts.
Unveiling her latest single “21” Flo tells you a lot about her life… and a bit about your own. With painfully relatable lyrics narrating the familiar day-to-day life of a 21 year old, Flo sings about having fun, partying and living for the moment. “21” shimmers with bold, confident instrumentation and honest, sassy, storytelling lyrics. Her music is reminiscent of the likes of Kate Nash and Lily Allen, oozing an early 2000’s feel, while delivering a fresh pizzazz. Wearing her heart on her sleeve, the song is an account of her youth – she may make mistakes, but she doesn’t regret anything. With her strong identity, “21” features infectious melodies and a fat, head-bopping bassline which dominates the chorus.
We had the opportunity to chat with Flo about her new single, her creative process, and what she hopes fans connect with on the track.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single “21”?
Flo: 21 is about me, it’s the only song I’ve ever written about me. I wrote the track with one of my best mates and guitarist, Will Thomson. We hadn’t really decided we we were gonna write a song that morning but I think we were both hungover from the night before and we started discussing ‘what is life’ as u do when you were sinking tequila the night before and then before ya know it 21 was born, just from a chat in the kitchen over a cuppa straight to a song. It’s almost like writing memories down so you don’t forget how you felt at a particular moment. The song is happy and uplifting, there is no time to feel down in the dumps when 21 is on.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the track?
Flo: It is a feel good track, I wanted to write a track where for that 3mins and 8 seconds you forget all your worries. I wrote it because I felt so behind all my friends in life and I needed a way to turn that into a positive and just for people to have a good time. You’re 21 there’s no time for dramas, worrying why a boy didn’t text u back or the fact that realistically you’re not raking the money in. Worry about that on a later date. Life is too short.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Flo: Getting it down quick enough before your brain gets confused and changes what you had in your head. It sounds silly but the amount of times you’ll think you’re onto something great and then suddenly your brain forgets the exact tune/lyrics you were thinking of and when you get it back it’s along the lines of the same thing but just slightly different now. THAT IS ANNOYING. Sometimes it can work it your favour though and be better than the first thought so its not always a negative.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Flo: I have to say, going through the production of 21 and the other tracks I’m about to release, that was amazing, hearing something sound so full and like A REAL SONG was mind-blowing. I got shivers, it was a feeling of happiness but also just being bloody proud. I wanted to shout THAT’S MY SONG!!! Also I must say release day of21 was pretty wicked too, it was so exciting to finally have something representing me as an artist. I felt proud!
Kat: What’s next?
Flo: 2 more singles, lots of fun and brightening up your lockdown/ After lockdown parties and reunions with friends and family. Stay in touch on my socials.
For more on Flo Gallop visit: https://www.flogallop.com