You already know Flo Gallop. You’ve already heard her voice, it’s a pitch-perfect, beautiful, arm-around-the-shoulders version of the one in your head. Flo is the voice we all need, She’s the beat behind our breakdowns and the word-perfect poetry of our bounce-back pick-ups. South-east London born and bred, Flo was raised around music, her dad made songwriting feel like breathing. Without it she would choke. So, she sat, scribbling words, diarising an everyday life through the musicality and soul of a natural artist that would eventually emerge, fully formed, as a friend in your ears.
Flo doesn’t want to change the world, just get your attention. She lives to perform, yet she feels, writes and lives like an antidote to this world of filtered fakery and ‘pick me!’ poses. Honesty is the only policy here, even when it hurts.
“Up” is the single for celebrating your individuality and being truly unique and quirky in your true self. Often catching herself saying, “I’m like marmite, you get me or you don’t,” Flo took this adage as inspiration, injecting it with a glitter bomb of fun and honing in on the beauty of each individual’s character. After playing around with the idea of being loved or hated by people, the songwriter explains, “I felt like it needed to become a song, something to have a bit of a laugh with.”
The witty charm from Flo never fails to shine through in her lyrics alone, showing us her creative intelligence and charisma that oozes out in her music. “Up” explodes with cute adlibs, energising drums and fuzzy bass cuddling a trumpet motif. The catchy hook is full of youthful, dewy animation, partnered with colourful acoustic guitar plucks and impassioned vocals telling a story in vibrancy and fun. Undoubtedly, the young pop star knows how to boost your frequency with the bubbly soundscapes and sweet British tone that flows through her voice.
All of Flo’s music is food for the heart and words for the wise. This is a writer of depth, already a collaborator with established giants Tom Fuller and Will Thomson but, rather than stand on their shoulders, she has hands on the wheel.
Being a young woman in your 20s isn’t always easy today, but Flo only sees “good and great” in her life and her work, and you will too. So, if you’re looking for Bad then head for Neverland, but if you want songs to fly, cry and die for then don’t just run with the herd – go with the Flo.