The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death': Florence Welch on sexism, screaming and the lost pregnancy that nearly killed her

"After Florence Welch came close to death, she felt strongly that, more than people, she wanted to be with plants and animals. It was a real need to be around things that couldn't speak, but had a life force or energy to them. I found that the most healing, she says. Since then, cats have kept coming to visit her garden."

"In August 2023, Welch had a miscarriage. Days later, she learned that the pregnancy had been ectopic, meaning that the fertilised egg had implanted in a fallopian tube, rather than the uterus. The fallopian tube then ruptured, causing massive internal bleeding. The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death, she says. And I felt like I had stepped through this door, and it was just full of women, screaming."

Florence Welch nearly died after an ectopic pregnancy in August 2023 when a ruptured fallopian tube caused massive internal bleeding. The miscarriage and near-death experience left her drawn to plants and animals, finding healing in their silent life force. Neighborhood cats and foxes began visiting her garden, and she noticed patterns and a sense of prescience in her surroundings. The catastrophe of the pregnancy informed a new album, Everybody Scream, an uncompromising, brutal record full of witchcraft and fury. The album is slated for release on Halloween and she spent time in her summer house surrounded by a lush garden.

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