From Autumn Issue 63
Glass talks to emerging singer and songwriter Flowerovlove about what inspires her music, refusing to be boxed in and her love of dressing up
Whether tingling the sonic senses, cruising the highways of fashion or slipping deep into introspection, Flowerovlove has learned how to shape her own artistic mould. As a fluid and fruitful wordsmith, the Ivorian singer-songwriter – born Joyce Cissé – has become something of a musical darling.
As for her professional name: “It simply began as an Instagram handle when I was 15. I always wanted to adopt an alias for mystery but people found out my name anyways,” she exclaims as we began to settle into our conversation. “It’s baffling that it started as a silly handle and now it’s a name people actively search and listen to on a daily basis. So these actions are never dumb because they could turn into something meaningful and impactful.”
Photographer: Yana Van Nuffel
Reflecting over the past year, the south London-raised 20-year-old is fresh from a pinch-me moment atop her “checklist”, as she likes to define it. “I’ve just played my dream festival, Lollapalooza [in Chicago], with some of my favourite artists ever,” she smiles. “You could say I’m still processing everything, but I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and in deep peace with my life.”
With an aesthetic that blends nostalgia, girlhood and colourful lyricism, her songs come from a place steeped in sheer emotion. She credits her brother, the singer Wilfred Cissé, with being the catalyst for her first attempts at making music.
“He quite literally pressured me to do it as he believes we should all be making great creative use of our time – and I couldn’t agree more. He was the driving force to my music and will forever be part of my broader inspirations.”
Photographer: Yana Van Nuffel
She adds, “Community and family are so important too. Music was glue, so I’ll never let these elements go – they’ll always make me feel closer to my family and fans no matter how far away I am. They really make me feel like I know my soul – this spirit that’s under my shell, which is what I refer to as my body. I’m not just my body – I’m my heart and soul, and that comes out in my music.”
Photographer: Yana Van Nuffel
Inspirations, intent and escapism seem to be central themes in her work, which she unfolds with unguarded honesty. “My personal life is where I find most inspiration, likewise the things I see, smell, taste and touch,” she continues.
“We should always write about how we feel, and talk about it, too, as it’s really the only thing we’re here to do on earth. There’s a lot of generational, ancestral pain that comes with being an African person. As I’m deeply spiritual, I feel a lot and right now when I write about pain, it also comes from those places that are way deeper than how I make them look like.”
Photographer: Yana Van Nuffel
Her best songs seem to come to the fore once she’s taken time away from all the world’s complexities to become fully in tune with her feelings, as in her 2024 EP, Ache In My Tooth, where she unpacks her take on deserving the spaces you occupy. “I started [writing] properly when I was 16,” she says, mentioning that people didn’t take her seriously at first. But that’s all behind her now.
“I’m the master of my fate and my work. I’m very much a person that first I believe in something, I work towards it and then I see it manifesting. Only your opinion matters, since it’s your life; you make your own decision and have your own thoughts. Be in the room you want to be in, because it’s your right to be in that space and you don’t need anyone else to believe it but you. Your mind and beliefs matter.”
As the battle for representation continues to run apace, Flowerovlove speaks candidly about the way black artists are routinely pigeonholed. “Being black in music means you’ll be labelled under a genre that doesn’t even align with your music style, such as R&B, soul or even indie, when your sound is probably more in the disco pop side,” she says. “On Google, it currently says Flowerovlove makes rock music: I do not make such a genre,” she insists, her head tilting.
Photographer: Yana Van Nuffel
“At my record label, they still call the section that they have black artists under ‘urban’, which is a highly offensive word that just separates black people from the norm: like, why do they even have a separate division for black artists?” she wonders. “Racism is very alive and well; you feel it and you know it even when you make it into big spaces. It’s good to be aware of where you are and the kind of people present in the industry. You don’t need anyone to understand you but your fans. They’re all that really matter.”
Suitably personal, her latest single, New Friends, blends punchy stylistic choices with a softer score that points to breakups, all infused with rich melodic mannerisms and sharp lyrical prowess. “I’ve been obsessed with writing conversational lyrics, so this song feels just like I’m having a chat with my bestie on FaceTime,” she says. “If someone chooses to no longer be in your life, then fine. This piece is a reflective, intimate statement.”
Photographer: Yana Van Nuffel
With a bunch of UK dates under her belt, Flowerovlove wants to ensure that listeners connect with her music as much as possible. “Firstly, from every single performance I want everyone in the crowd to be like: ‘wow, I had so much fun,’” she declares. “Don’t forget that life is about fun; what else are we on earth for? We’re not here to work a job we hate and then go home and sleep. I want people to make friends. And I want people to have goosebumps. I know my music resonates deeply with my audience, which is approximately the same age as me and going through the same things I’ve been through.”
With an ever-evolving talent that stretches beyond sonic borders, Flowerovlove is busily broadening her professional horizons to embrace the lanes of fashion, from Gucci, Louis Vuitton to Swarovski. It’s an industry close to her heart. “I love fashion and I love dressing up!” she says. “When we were kids, we loved dressing up, which is why I don’t get why so many people dress very regularly now.”
Photographer: Yana Van Nuffel
She doesn’t believe in the word casual. “What even is that? I love colour and drama,” she says, adding, “Louis Vuitton was a dream brand to work with and I had subconsciously manifested working with them five years ago.”
Together with her brother, she made a spray-painted jacket just for fun, calling it FOL x Louis Vuitton. Then this year, she landed a campaign with the house. “The first designer bag my mum ever got was Louis Vuitton – it was a full circle moment!” she says. “Fashion is everything – when an artist steps out on stage the first thing you muse over is what they’re wearing.”
When I ask her to unpack her forthcoming projects, her response is, “Be ready to grab a seatbelt.” Clearly, she plans to continue breaking convention, as she has done from the start of her career, and reach new creative heights.
by Chidozie Obasi
Photographer: Yana Van Nuffel
Senior Fashion Editor: Lily Rimmer
Makeup: Sophia Sinot using LOUIS VUITTON BEAUTY
Hair: Lauraine Bailey using DYSON and MANKETTI OIL
Manicurist: Cherrie Snow using MANUCURIST
Photography assistant: Alex Radota, Yana’s runner Eliot Brittain
Runner’s assistant: Izi Redmond, Styling assistant: Chloe Hogan
Talent: Flowerovlove
Special thanks to location Oppenheim Studios, London