Rising bedroom pop star FLOWEROVLOVE is all about the posi-vibes, offering hope and reassurance that things can get better with her new single, ‘Next Best Exit’. Check out the latest cover story for our New Music Friday playlist edit, The Cut.

Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: Frances Beach.

Flowerovlove knows exactly what she's doing. Brilliant, dreamy EP, 'A Mosh Pit In The Clouds', came out last year after a string of buzzy tracks, while her subsequent live shows have become glorious celebrations of self-love. She's already released two singles this year, the epic sway of 'Love You' and the skipping summertime anthem 'Coffee Shop', while the past few months have seen her welcome more people into her feel-good universe via glorious appearances at festivals like Latitude, Primavera and Barn On The Farm. Her plans for the rest of the year? "Lots of smiles, lots of fun and taking more steps towards world domination."

That next step starts with 'Next Best Exit', a giddy indie rock song that preaches positivity at every turn.

The song was inspired by her time at secondary school, where Flowerovlove was part of a "really popular friend group that turned out to be the most toxic thing ever. It took me the longest time to realise that," she explains. "The song is about trying to navigate your way out of that and finding the next best exit from toxic friend groups, people or moments that no longer serve you."

As you might expect, there's a touch of venom to 'Next Best Exit', but the track is an empowering one. "The message is that there's always a way out. Even if it feels like you're stuck in the darkest of times, there's always a light," she says.

That sunny-side-up attitude can be found throughout Flowerovlove's back catalogue. "If you can make a song from something, that's a positive thing," she explains. There's no angst or desire for revenge. "I got a song out of that experience, and it's a great song, so to me, it was worth it."

She does turn to music when she's feeling sad or angry, but it's the ones that chase happiness that get released. "I want my music to sound bubbly and happy so that feeling can be spread to the listener," Flowerovlove says. "Whenever I'm writing, it's always joyful."

Like a lot of Flowerovlove songs, 'Next Best Exit' was written in the moment with the artist not overthinking the lyrics or the aching guitar licks. "It was a 'let's have fun and figure it out later' song," she says, with that attitude driven by a fearless confidence in the studio.

Growing up wanting to be the next Justin Bieber, Flowerovlove was drawn to the radio-friendly pop of One Direction until she discovered The Strokes and Tame Impala alongside the retro bedroom pop of Strawberry Guy. She eventually teamed up with her brother and released debut single 'Kiss & Chase' in 2020. "There were no ambitions behind that song; we just did it because it sounded cool."

"I really wanted to start making music because I was feeling all these different things, and music can make you feel so powerful," she says. "Music can shift your mood from absolute sadness to over-the-moon joy."

There are nods to all those different influences in her music, with Flowerovlove already comfortable hopping between genres. "Maybe subconsciously, I'm influenced by every single piece of music I've listened to, but I couldn't know for sure since it's not intentional," she says.

Despite that freedom, there are certain rules Flowerovlove follows, including having at least one reference to nature in every song. "When I was in my era of discovering indie music and realising how much control it could have over my feelings, I was also spending a lot of time in nature. It was during COVID, and it was the one place where I just felt like I knew who I was."

Debut EP 'Think Flower' was released in 2021, while 'I Love This Song', a lo-fi dreamy number about good vibes, offered her first breakout moment. "I was taking things seriously before that, but everything felt way more serious after that because there were people that suddenly had these expectations about me," she explains. Shortly afterwards, the ethereal R&B of 'Malibu' started popping off online, but it was the 2022 track 'Hannah Montana' that saw Flowerovlove really nail the formula for what was to come.

Flowerovlove thinks her music is resonating for several reasons. It's joyful and escapist at a time when the world isn't. She isn't afraid to be direct about her feelings. "You also don't really see young, Black girls in pop music," she explains. "For people who look like me or relate to me in any way, I think they want to support that in any way they can."

Followup EP 'A Moshpit In The Clouds' offered "a portal into the Flowerovlove universe" and underlined her vision, while a string of standalone singles have continued to expand her ambitions. 'Coffee Shop' is an ode to a missed friendship, while 'Love You' is a love song dedicated to Flowerovlove's mum. "There aren't enough songs appreciating the things your parents do for you. Plus, there wasn't much going on in my love life at the time," she explains.

"I'm just having fun with releasing music," explains Flowerovlove before promising she's "not working on a body of work this year."

"When you do a project, everything has to fit together and make sense. With standalone singles, each song can have its own moment to shine, and it doesn't have to all tie together. If I put 'Coffee Shop', 'Love You' and 'Next Best Exit' on the same record, it would make absolutely no sense."

Flowerovlove confirms she's sat on loads of music that she can't wait to release, but it has to be the right song for the right moment. "I say I'm just having fun, but everything is also intentional. I'm not just releasing music for the sake of it; everything is well thought out," she says, with each new track adding to that Flowerovlove universe.

"There's always that pressure that comes with releasing new music, but I'm never worried. I know it's going to work out for me," she adds, her eyes still on world domination. She's not started working on a debut album just yet, but she's thought about titles, vibes and what songs are going to be on it.

Still, despite those big pop star dreams, Flowerovlove clearly gives a shit about each person supporting her. Playing live has made her music feel "more universal," and seeing people resonate with her art is "incredibly satisfying and makes me feel really warm," says Flowerovlove. "I want to represent comfort for people. I want to represent self-love, and I want to be able to make people feel love for themselves," she adds.

As well as hyping up future releases, her TikTok is full of videos of her surprising fans at big life events or providing them studio sessions. Live, there's a focus on togetherness. "I want people to feel like they can do this," she explains. ■