Florence + The Machine stopped by The Late Late Show With James Corden on Tuesday. Frontwoman Florence Welch led her band through a powerful performance of “King.”
Florence + The Machine released “King” in February ahead of the track “Heaven Is Here.” The singles heralded the official album announcement for Dance Fever, which arrived with the song “My Love.” A fourth preview, “Free,” followed in April ahead of the record’s arrival in May.
“King” finds Welch writing about womanhood, family, femininity and dealing with lofty expectations. Florence shared the following in regards to the song when the single came out:
“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 modelled 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.”
For the Late Late Show performance of Dance Fever standout “King,” Welch layered the song’s stellar lyrics masterfully, alternating between conversational and soaring vocals, backed by a dynamic performance from the band.
Watch Florence + The Machine perform “King” on Corden below:
