King

“King” is the latest (and highly anticipated) single from British indie rock band Florence + The Machine, released on the 23rd February 2022 through Polydor records. “King” is the group’s lead single for their upcoming fifth studio album titled “Dance Fever“, which is due to be released on the 13th May 2022.

To promote the release of the group’s single, the track was first teased in a letter that was sent out to fans on the 21st February 2022, titled “CHAPTER 1” and had a card inside. The following day, many Billboard around London had the same image advertising the song.

In “King”, listeners see Florence discuss gender expectations, focusing on the expectations of women throughout their life. In the chorus, Florence breaks gender norms in one single line: “I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King. Speaking to Billboard.com about the song, Florence revealed she felt a lot of unfair pressures as a female performer:

“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…“

The music video for “King” was directed by Autumn de Wilde, and was premiered via the offical Florence + The Machine’s YouTube channel. The video was partially shot in the Ukraine with English actor Jack Riddiford, and shows Florence Welch wearing purple robes and cracking the neck of a king. Courtiers follow Welch where ever she goes, as she floats and haunts Riddiford, who ultimately ends up embracing her. The choreography was created by Ryan Heffington. As of the 3rd March 2022, the video had over 3 million views and over 111 thousand likes.

Read the lyrics to “King” here.

*All information accurate at the time of publishing.