Florence Welch: ‘I realised you don’t have to date bad people to make good songs’

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Florence Welch says she now realises “you don’t have to date bad people to make good songs”. “A lot of it is questioning my commitment to loneliness; to my own sense as a tragic figure.” She added: “I feel like as a female artist you spend a lot of time screaming into the void for people to take you seriously, in a way that male artists just don’t have to do.” The singer also said she had realised over time that “you don’t have to date bad people to make good songs”. open image in gallery Welch’s fifth studio Dance Fever is due to be released next month on May 13 On the topic of having both a family and a career, and what might dissuade her from the former, Welch admitted that she is “afraid”. “I think I’ve had a stilted emotional immaturity just through having been in addiction and eating disorders for years.” Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up The singer has been open about her struggles with her mental health and has been sober for eight years.