“Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me”
Released Monday 5th April 2010
From the album “A Fool In Love” out now
“(Florence Rawlings) gives a fresh feel to this sixties
classic” The Independent
Florence Rawlings proves she’s no slouch vocally with her new
single ‘Take Me In Your Arms and Love Me”, a sparkling
cover of the classic Motown track made famous by Gladys Knight and
The Pips.
Florence's greatest asset is her mature vocal delivery and matched
with a collection of original songs as well as some well-chosen classic
but lesser-known soul moments her debut album 'A Fool In Love' is
poised to be a breakout record for 2010.
Discovered by Dramatico Records chairman Mike Batt at the age of just
13, Florence completed her schooling while Batt championed the phenomenal
rise of label-mate Katie Melua. On completing her A level exams Florence
signed to Dramatico (Marianne Faithfull, Carla Bruni, Gurrumul) and
put those years of musical apprenticeship to good use recording ‘A
Fool In Love’ with Batt. Recorded with a live rhythm section,
the album possesses an undoubted soulful authenticity that Florence
makes her trademark as she follows in the footsteps of her heroes
and inspirations Gladys Knight, Macy Gray and Alicia Keys. The record
“showcases Flo as a highly impressive UK soulster” according
to the Daily Mirror and was declared Radio 2’s ‘Album
Of The Week’.
Yet the passion for music has stayed with her throughout – “I
started singing when I was 4, and haven’t stopped since”
– and live crowds who have witnessed Florence would definitely
agree the hard work has paid off. Before a single note had been released,
Florence was impressing crowds at the Isle of Wight, Guilfest and
O2 Wireless festivals and she spent her 21st birthday in Sweden performing
to 15,000 people, one of 32 dates as the special guest on Tom Jones’
arena tour of the UK and mainland Europe.
Such is Florence’s reputation on the live circuit she was recently
invited to perform at the star-studded launch of Pirelli’s 2010
Calendar in London and was flown to Beijing to perform at the prestigious
People of the Year Awards. Currently the “buzz” artist
in France, where a performance on TV sent her album soaring to number
1 in the Movers and Shakers chart, In February Florence took her soulful
take on rock and blues to the cosy, decadent surroundings of Bush
Hall in Shepherds Bush for the first headline show by Hello Magazine’s
‘Rising Star of 2010’.
“Rawlings has a voice to listen out for” Mail
On Sunday
“A classy and accomplished blend of blue-eyed soul, blues
and r’n’b” Time Out
Radio
Updates
Florence
is in Paris recording a performance for RTL
Radio which will be broadcast Saturday, 27th February at 3pm French
time (2pm UK time) Other guests on the show are Michel Fugain and
Jeanne Cherhal.
Listen live online via the RTL Radio Player here.
Florence is Artist of the Week on Heart FM in Spain this week and
they will be playing a recorded interview with her on Lee Jay's show
Friday evening from 7pm - 8pm local time (6pm - 7pm UK time).
Listen live online here.
Watch
Florence's video interview with Paul Coia of Smooth Radio here:
A
Fool In Love Released on Monday
Florence
Rawlings' debut album 'A Fool In Love' is released on Monday 18th
January. Order now from the following online stores:
The
download is out now on iTunes.
The album will also be in many high street shops / supermarkets including
Asda, Sainsbury's and WHSmith.
Love
Can Be A Battlefield - new video!
The
video for Florence's new single 'Love Can Be A Battlefield' is here.
The 'Strings Mix' as heard in the video is available for download
on iTunes here.
Hello!
Magazine - Rising Stars of 2010
Catch Florence in the "Rising Stars of 2010"
feature in Hello! Magazine (11th January issue) on sale now!
Florence
Rawlings - First Headline Show Announced
FLORENCE
RAWLINGS
Plus
support
Bush
Hall, Shepherd's Bush, London
Wednesday
24th February 2010
www.livenation.co.uk
Ticket price: £12.50
Box office 0844 5765483
Age restrictions: 14+ (under 18s with an adult)
"Blue eyed soul singer set for big things" -
Mojo
Having
spent the summer performing at festivals and the autumn as Tom Jones'
special guest on his arena tour of the UK and mainland Europe, FLORENCE
RAWLINGS and her phenomenal band announce her first headline show.
Following
the release of Radio 2's "Album of the Week" 'A Fool In
Love' in January 2010, Florence will bring her soulful take on rock
and blues to the cosy, decadent surroundings of Bush Hall. With
her most recent performance in London taking place at Wembley Arena,
this will be a chance to see a star of 2010 at her most intimate.
The passion for music has always been in Florence's bones - "I
started singing when I was 4, and haven't stopped since" -
and anyone who saw her performances at The Isle of Wight, Guilfest
and O2 Wireless festivals last summer would agree the hard work
has definitely paid off. She was wowing audiences and festival organizers
before a note of music had even been released.
Florence's
greatest asset is her mature vocal delivery and matched with a collection
of original songs as well as some well-chosen classic but lesser-known
soul moments 'A Fool In Love' is poised to be a breakout album for
2010. Recorded with a live rhythm section, the album possesses an
undoubted soulful authenticity that Florence makes her trademark,
as she follows in the footsteps of her heroes and inspirations Gladys
Knight, Macy Gray and Alicia Keys.
Yet
it is the live circuit where Florence truly flourishes - such is
Florence's reputation on the live circuit she was recently invited
to perform at the star-studded launch of Pirelli's 2010 Calendar
in London and was flown to Beijing for the prestigious People Of
The Year Awards. Bush Hall may only be her first headline gig, but
Florence Rawlings is well on her way to great things.
Florence’s
latest single 'Love Can Be A Battlefield' has been added to BBC
Radio 2's playlist ahead of its release on January 18th.
"'A Fool In Love' (is) a classy piece of work...(with an)
astonishingly mature voice at its centre" The Singer
"Highly impressive UK soulster" Daily Mirror
Florence
on Dutch Radio 3FM
Exclusive
live versions of 'Hard To Get', 'Love Is A Battlefield' and Jamie
Cullum's 'I'm All Over It Now'.
There's
a new interview with Florence here
on the FaceCulture website.
Performance
Celebrating the 12th Anniversary of Hard Rock Café in Barcelona
Florence
Rawlings has been invited to perform for the 12th Anniversary celebration
on the 24th November at 10.45pm at the Hard Rock Café in
Barcelona.
Entrance
is free, but capacity is limited. For additional information please
visit the Hard Rock Café website.
Florence
interview and acoustic performance on Ona FM in Spain:
- Tuesday 24th November at 16.00 Central European Time (15.00 in the
UK)
Florence
interview and acoustic performance on COM Radio in Spain:
- Wednesday 25th November at 11.15am Central European Time (would
be 10.15am in the UK)
- Listen live online.
Catch
Florence's recent interview in The Netherlands on Zie.nl:
Catch
Florence in Holland on Tros Muziek Cafe with Daniel Dekker
Florence will be a guest on the Tros Muziek Cafe show with Daniel
Dekker on Saturday, 31st October.
The studio is open to the public from 15.30 and will be broadcast
live from 16.00-18.00. If you would like to attend in person, come
along to the studio at: Studio Plantage, Plantage Kerklaan 36, 1018
CZ Amsterdam (the main entrance of Artis).
Florence
is scheduled to perform 3 songs and it will be broadcast live on
Dutch Radio 2 or you can listen via web radio here.
The
show will not be repeated or as a "listen again" online
- so make sure you catch it on Saturday the 31st October!
Here's
a link
to Florence's interview IN:DEMAND on the Metro Radio website from
earlier this week.
Many
thanks to Mike Howarth of BFBS for posting this video of "Jump
On The Wagon" recorded during Florence's acoustic performance
recorded live for Mike's show.
Florence
On The Buses
In addition to wowing the audiences on the continental
leg of Sir Tom Jones’ European tour, Florence Rawlings is
a hit with some of Sir Tom’s crew. Usually the headline artist’s
crew (especially on a massive arena tour) do not give much time
to the support artist but for every rule there is an exception and
his video crew joined forces with one of Florence's crew to customise
Florence’s tour bus using a bit of gaffer, and a lot of thought.
Before and after shots:
Many thanks to the coach company for being such good
sports about it!
Florence's
tour of far-flung television stations continues - here's a link
to yesterday's appearance on Norway's TV Norge (she's about five minutes
in).
Florence
appeared on Swedish television this morning -
click the links below for the footage:
Catch
Florence's acoustic session, recorded live with Mike Howarth of BFBS
Thursday, 17th September, 8-9pm UK time
Available on:
- Sky 0211
- Fresat 786
- DAB
- Online at www.bfbs.com/radio
- Listen again for 7 days online at www.bfbs.com/mike
Florence
has been confirmed as a guest on Alan Titchmarsh's television show,
to be broadcast on Thursday October 1st. The other guests are Mike
Batt and Elaine Paige. The show is being pre-recorded the day before
at BBC TV Centre, Wood Lane, London W12. For free tickets for the
recording visit http://www.sroaudiences.com/.
FLORENCE
RAWLINGS TO SUPPORT TOM JONES ON EUROPEAN TOUR
On hearing that she had been asked to support Tom Jones on his 33
date European tour Florence Rawlings crashed her car.
“I’d just found out that I’d been asked to support
Tom Jones on his tour and was driving to see a friend. I was so excited
and distracted that I drove into the back of a bus and wrote my car
off” explains the 20 year old Londoner.
The soul singer has already enjoyed some high profile gigs including
performances at Isle Of Wight Festival, Wireless, Stuttgart Jazz Festival,
Guilfest and opening for Booker T in Shepherds Bush. This tour, with
its audience of more than 300,000, will be Florence’s biggest
yet and, the accident notwithstanding, Florence’s delight is
immense “I’ve never been this excited, EVER”, a
feeling that is shared by her family “My cousins in Scotland
have all his records and were so impressed when I told them. They
are going to come and see me at the Glasgow SECC so that will be a
really special show.”
Another concert that will have a special significance is the night
of 26th September in Malmo, Sweden “On my 21st birthday I’ll
be performing in Malmo in front of 15,000 people. What an amazing
birthday present”
Described as a “blue eyed soul singer set for big things”
by Mojo Magazine, Florence will be performing songs from her debut
album ‘A Fool In Love’, a collection of originals and
well-chosen covers that “showcases Flo as a highly impressive
UK soulster” according to the Daily Mirror.
There's
a great review of Florence's album on the BMI in-flight magazine -
read by 650,000 passengers per issue - read it here
with your feet still on the ground!
Florence
has some local radio interviews and acoustic performances lined up
for next week, beginning tomorrow (Sunday) on JackFM/OxfordFM at 8.40pm.
You can listen live here
and contact the studio via email here.
We'll give you more stations and transmission times when we get the
confirmations through.
There's
another exclusive online interview live at Entertainment Focus - read
it here.
Read
an exclusive online interview with Florence in Indie London here.
There's also a Florence gallery on the website here.
Here's
the new official video for Florence's forthcoming single, Hard To
Get:
Florence
Rawlings is interviewed on the Music
Around Us website, here's a transcript of the piece:
Music Around Us : Florence, why you are so great!??
Florence : Wow – thank you! I do love to sing – I always
have – and I try to give it everything I've got.
Music Around Us : What made you start singing?
Florence : It was clear that I had a passion for singing from the
time I was quite young, and my mum recognized this and organised lessons
for me to develop my skills.
Music Around Us : Who is your musical idol?
Florence : Aretha Franklin.
Music Around Us : When did you first start performing?
Florence : I started singing at six, and performing from the age of
12 anywhere and everywhere – jazz venues, restaurants and pubs.
I proceeded to complete my A-levels in Music, English and Theatre
Studies and have been working with Mike Batt ever since.
Music Around Us : Do you prefer recording in the studio or performing
live?
Florence : I don't have a preference – recording is a great
experience because you get to spend time with the other musicians
and you have a finished product at the end of it. But performing live,
you get a buzz from the audience and you get a bit more nerves, which
kicks in the adrenaline! So they are both amazing – but in different
ways.
Music Around Us : What's the funniest day in your music career so
far? What happened and when?
Florence : At my showcase at Café de Paris in London it was
rather hilarious to see my friend, who hadn't seen me perform in a
couple of years, overcome with all the excitement (the look on her
face – priceless!)
Music Around Us : Who is your dream male music artist?
Florence : Mick Jagger – he's a dream on stage! He oozes confidence
and is a natural performer.
Music Around Us : Do you have any plans to tour Europe soon?
Florence : We're focusing on the UK at the moment, but plans for Europe
are being worked on behind the scenes – watch this space!
Just
heard that Terry Wogan may be playing "The Only Woman In The
World" on his show on Monday morning, 22nd June. To listen, tune
in from 7.30am - 9.30am to BBC Radio 2 at 88-91FM, or online here.
FLORENCE
RAWLINGS ANNOUNCES UNPRECEDENTED LIVE DATES
“Florence Rawlings rocked the Big Top - a certain star of the
future.” John Giddings, Isle Of Wight Festival promoter.
Following
her stunning debut performance at the Isle of Wight Festival, Florence
Rawlings announces a run of high profile performances that are unprecedented
for a new artist. Festival promoters have been extraordinarily quick
off the mark in booking the 20 year old South Londoner, before a
note of music has even been released, for some key spots including
the main stage at Guilfest and Tuborg Stage at O2 Wireless.
July
4 The Pigalle, Piccadilly, London.
July
5 O2 Wireless, Hyde Park, London – Tuborg Stage
July
11 GuilFest, Guilford, Surrey. Main stage
July
24 Stuttgart Jazz Festival, Germany
July
30 Bush Hall, Shepherds Bush, London. Supporting Booker T
“I’ve
been performing at bars and clubs since I was 13” said Florence,
“but playing at Festivals and supporting artists like Booker
T is completely different. The Isle Of Wight Festival was amazing
and I was just so happy up on that stage. I can’t wait for
the next shows.”
Florence
and her nine piece band will be performing a selection of songs
from her debut album ‘A Fool In Love’ including Florence’s
debut single ‘Hard To Get’, a rolling bluesy romp of
a song that blends elements of country and Memphis soul with buoyant
horns, and her own powerful version of Gladys Knight’s ‘Take
Me In Your Arms And Love Me’. Described by music industry
bible Music Week as “Classy stuff” the record is an
impressive debut of authentic soul, raw grooves and rhythm &
blues.
Audiences
can look forward to a dynamic performance of authentic “swampy”
soul by an astonishingly charismatic, soulful and honest performer.
‘Hard
To Get’ - single release – August 24th 2009
‘A
Fool In Love’ – album release - August 31st 2009
Florence's
debut single - 'Hard To Get' is released on August 24th - you can
hear an excerpt on the music page by clicking the link above.
Florence
has confirmed two live summer dates in the run up to her album release.
She will be appearing at the Isle of Wight Festival on June 11th
at 6.30pm and the Wireless Festival at London's Hyde Park on July
5th (stage time TBC). Visit the live page for ticket details.
The
title of Florence's debut album has been revealed - 'A Fool In Love'
was recorded at Dramatico's studios over three months and features
six soul covers you might not have heard before as well as six Mike
Batt original songs specially written for Florence.
Mike Batt says, "The album has been recorded in an unusual
way compared to most albums these days. We performed each track
with live rhythm section, horns and backing vocals, to get a really
authentic "soul" atmosphere. Florence's voice and musical
leanings are well suited to a raw soul-based approach."
Watch this space for release date details, tracklisting and pre-order
links...
FLORENCE
RAWLINGS RELEASES CLASSY NEW SINGLE
A
Fool In Love Released on Monday
Florence
appeared on Swedish television this morning - 
