At just 19 years old, Gloucestershire based artist Flora Fiora has already secured a deal with Right Tracks Music, a KOKO Studio Session, and a support slot with Devon at Gloucester Guildhall this November. Her debut EP In No Particular Order featuring lead single Kick The Tyres move through frustration, reflection and early romance with the kind of emotional range that takes most artists years to find. Produced with Mike and Luke Batt, and written in the space between feeling stuck and figuring out what comes next, it’s the first proper introduction to an artist who is very clearly just getting started on her journey. We spoke to Flora about the songs, the drives, and staying level-headed when a lot is happening at once.
You grew up in a village of 800 people and drove to Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud just to play shows. What did those drives teach you?
They taught me that my parents did so much for me when I didn’t have my drivers license! They let me get my head straight. Simply, the journey is always worth it. No matter how long it is. I’ll do anything for a good live show. whether it’s an hour drive or at my local village fete.
‘Kick The Tyres’ came from feeling stuck and frustrated. Now the EP’s out, does that feeling feel resolved, or has it just changed shape?
When my friend Crispin and I wrote ‘Kick The Tyres’, we were bonding over the upcoming artist life we are both living. You’re putting so much into your art you can’t help but wonder if you’re doing enough. You can always feel the burn of your dream. It’s just your choice if you want to become overtaken by the goal rather than just focusing on where you are now, and continuing to push forwards. Throughout the process of creating this project, I’ve become a lot more focussed on where I am now and how I can progress rather than where I’m not or where I should be.
Do you know what a song means while you’re writing it, or does that only become clear afterwards?
Sometimes the meaning drives the writing process whilst other times the reason you’re writing the song is to find the meaning, the clarity. The EP itself is a mixture. For me, songwriting is sometimes a sort of research into my own mind, and my live performance is often me actively figuring out what they mean. And it gets even better when the songs I write and perform become something similar for other people.
What did Mike Batt and Luke Batt bring to these songs that changed them from how you first imagined them?
They really helped to dig up and preserve the emotions I felt when I was first writing the songs. They made sure I was singing each word with purpose and that it all made sense. Having their wealth of experience behind the sound of this project is amazing. I think it really helped to fine tune all of the sounds I’d imagined back when I wrote them. They’re smart and talented guys. I’m grateful to have experienced the way they work and all the guidance they have to offer.
The EP moves through frustration, reflection and romance. Was that range intentional, or just where you were emotionally at the time?
Being a teenager in this world is wild. There’s so much going on all the time. You have to figure out where your place is within it all. And along with all of that, you’re feeling every emotion under the sun. Once I’d grouped the songs together, it became clear that the sporadic nature of the selection reflected the chaotic nature of life at the time. I hope the music brings some comfort and clarity to listeners. It will be ok, you’ll figure it out.
What’s one thing about coming up without an obvious industry pipeline nearby that you’re actually grateful for?
Meeting people. The team I’m working with at Right Tracks Music and Autonomy, my management, the people they’re introducing me to, the new fans that are becoming invested in this journey. They’re amazing. I’m learning so much from them all of the time. I’m learning on the job here and it’s great. This industry is huge but I’m grateful to have the guidance of my team. I’m just trying to stay calm and keep working.
You’re supporting Devon at Gloucester Guildhall this November, close to home. Does a hometown-ish show feel different to play?
It’s definitely comforting. I’d love to do exactly what Devon is doing. Do a tour, come home, sell out an iconic venue on your home turf. It’s so inspiring. Seeing that he can create a fan base at home supportive enough to buy a ticket to his show?! It’s cool as hell. For now, I love home shows. I’m enjoying the process of building that fanbase by performing at the venues in Gloucestershire.
You’re being compared to Lizzy McAlpine, Florence + The Machine and Taylor Swift. Does that feel like pressure or validation?
It’s validating. They’re big shoes to fill. It’s an honor to be placed alongside these women. I’d love to one day form a place for myself beside them. To just be Flora Fiora alongside Florence and Olivia, rather than an extension of their work. But it will come with time. For now it’s cool to think listeners and audience members see these artist’s talent within me. Gotta embrace it and make my own way to the top.
‘Dreamer’ shifts into a more romantic, ethereal mood. What was going on for you when you wrote it?
With this being my first EP, a mark of a new era of music on my journey, I wanted to showcase as many sides to my writing as possible in four songs. ‘Dreamer’ was the perfect song to show a softer, more ethereal side of my music. I think the early days of romance for most people feels light and airy. ‘Dreamer’ portrays that both lyrically and sonically.
You’re 19 with a KOKO Studio Session and a Right Tracks deal already. What’s felt like your biggest “wait, this is actually happening” moment?
I try to keep a steady head. A lot’s going on a lot of the time. And given that this is all just the beginning of my career, I feel I’ve got a lot of level heading to be done. I just want to write and to perform and to have it have an impact on people. As long as I can do that, I’m happy. When I left school, I had some people from the younger years message me, saying they always liked my music but they were too nervous to say anything at school. That’s happened a few times now. Some of them have even come to shows since. That makes my heart do somersaults. That’s how I’m measuring the progress of this journey.