Flowerovlove Is Growing Into Her True Self

This article originally featured in BRICKS #12 The Age Issue, which is available to order from our online shop now.

HEADER IMAGE: FLOWEROVLOVE WEARS TOP AND SKIRT: ALESSANDRA RICH, EARRINGS: ALOË EARRINGS, SHOES: VAGABOND, TIGHTS: STYLIST’S OWN 

PHOTOGRAPHY Hidhir Badaruddin
STYLING Kazami Ohsawa
MUA Laura Vallejo
ASSISTANCE Odera Phil-Ebosie
PRODUCTION Tori West
POST PRODUCTION With thanks to IMGN Studio

Just two weeks before the release of her latest single ‘a girl like me’, singer and songwriter flowerovlove and I sat down reminiscing the best looks from the previous day’s shoot, chattering about our favourite brands and her compelling creative process.

Since she started making music at the mere age of 15, South London-born Joyce Cisse has been unapologetically recounting her teenage years through her breezy pop tracks topped with her soothing vocals. 

From the mellow synth harmonies and homemade charm of her debut release Think Flower, to her dreamy sophomore EP A Mosh Pit In The Clouds, and playful singles ‘Hannah Montana’ and ‘Coffee Shop’, the songstress paints an unbridled portrait of contemporary girlhood: waggish adventures, anxiety-ridden uncertainties, and trying out new identities like outfits in a changing room.

Flowerovlove’s refreshing authenticity, palpable in both her sound and in her aesthetic, goes hand-in-hand with the assertive attitude that she has been cultivating throughout her career. Despite the obvious hardships that come with living her teenage years in the public eye while working her way up in a notoriously competitive industry, the singer has developed a clear vision of who she is and what she stands for, with her brother and co-producer Wilfred unwaveringly supporting her and offering his creative input.

The duo are inextricably united through their shared music and fashion influences, consistently sporting impeccable outfits and cultivating their sophisticated sense of style. In fact, beyond her genre-defying musical offerings, Flowerovlove has become a favourite in fashion circles too, attracting the likes of Gucci, Maison Kitsuné, and the best street style photographers at Fashion Week. Self-expression remains central to her artistic narrative, and her style has evolved to reflect a level of confidence that most of us would envy in our teens, inspiring and connecting her to her coetaneous audience. 

Flowerovlove and her listeners are quite literally growing up together, sharing their penchant for sarcastic humour and witty memes, their search for escapism, and their overarching pursuit of meaningful connections. It’s through this affinity that the rising artist is able to instinctively vocalise the joys and turmoil synonymous with teenagehood.

I hope you had fun on the cover shoot yesterday. Do you have a favourite look from the editorial?

My favourite look is the one with the Emilia Wickstead coat and the pink Nφdress turtleneck. The second to last shot is my favourite because it just feels very much like entering Fall, it’s very autumnal and I just love the colours.

You have grown up with an audience meaning that any changes to your sound, your taste and style have been well-documented, including an evolution in your aesthetic recently. Can you tell me about some of the designers and brands that inspire your style now and what else is living on your mood board currently? 

I’d say right now the designers that inspire me, in terms of what I wear and how I think and feel, are Miu Miu, Shushu/Tong and Simone Rocha. I feel like Simone Rocha brings out my inner child a lot, which is something that I’ve always wanted to have in my style. Since I first started making music, I wanted to dress like my inner child because it makes me feel happy and makes me feel closer to my younger self. I feel like Simone Rocha does that a lot with her designs. The little ballet girl vibes too, I just love it. 

I love the ballerina looks too, it’s very delicate and girly. 

Yeah, delicate is the right word, and it’s quite elegant too, which I like. I’d say the mature side definitely comes from Miu Miu. A little classy, you know? You can’t go wrong with Miu Miu. And Shushu/Tong is just my ideal style. I’m continuing with preppy, but just enhancing it a little bit more. 

It really suits you.

Thank you, I think so too.

As this is The Age Issue, I’d love to know if there’s anyone of an older generation in your life who you can lean on for support or turn to for advice that particularly inspired you? If so, can you tell me about how they’ve influenced you?

I would probably just say my brother because he gave me a lot of courage to actually create music so I could create something special, and he’s always there as an emotional support and as work support as well.

You have a creative relationship with your brother WIlfred, and it was really nice to see you collaborate on set yesterday. Do you have any distinct memories from your childhood of you both collaborating at an early age?

Growing up, my entire family, but specifically us two, we’d always randomly be making songs like tapping a beat on the kitchen table and just singing any random thing that comes to each other’s minds. That is definitely my earliest memory of collaborating together.

That’s so sweet. What is something that you and Wilfred will agree on easily, and is there anything that you perhaps have to convince each other on or discuss extensively before you can agree? 

I feel like what we can agree on is something that is tasteless, or something that’s really ugly in terms of clothes, we can say, “this is ugly.” But in music, sometimes I think something is cool and he doesn’t – that might just be because I’m Gen-Z and he’s a millennial. I feel like saying anything in a song is fun, and in storytelling as well. He thinks storytelling has to make total sense, but I don’t think all songs have to make total sense because that’s what’s fun about them. I like when it you can hear an artist has had so much fun. It feels like you’re entering their world. It’s just fun.

Some of your songs definitely feel like they capture that care-free attitude. On set, our team was commenting on both of your outfits, Wilfred looked so polished.

He looks very clean. 

I know he previously worked as a tailor – what do you think is a classic style signature that will never go out of style? 

I’m so glad you asked this, no one has ever asked me. I think a plain white smart shirt. I feel like I always build my outfits from a white shirt. You can’t go wrong – you could put a tie on it, you could put a suit on it, a dress, or a sweater. That is where it all starts. It’s timeless. 

It’s well known that the music industry can be particularly difficult to navigate, especially when you’re breaking in so young. It’s clear that you have a really good support system around you with your brother and your family. But I’m interested in how you feel navigating these spaces now in comparison to how you felt when you first started, and if you’ve learned  any personal lessons along the way. 

I’m definitely a lot more confident now than when I first started out. When I first started out, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, but now I’m solid on what I want all the time. Now, I feel like it’s okay for me to change my mind. 

Once, my brother said to me that it’s okay to change your mind. It stuck with me and I literally live by it now. I used to feel like once I’d said something, that’s it. But no, you can change your mind. And you can change your mind at the last minute if you want. That’s definitely something I have learned.

I feel like it’s important as a young woman in the music industry to feel like your voice is heard and to be in charge of making decisions. I feel like so many times, if you’re a young artist, you’re often not taken that seriously in those terms.

That’s something I’ve definitely struggled with a lot. I’d go to meetings and people wouldn’t look at me, they would only look at people on my team. And I was like, ‘Well, guys, I know I’m 17, but it’s my thing’, you know. To find the perfect team, I just started working with people who did look at me in the room and did understand me. 

Yeah, that’s growth as an artist as well. Away from work, how do you unwind?

Oh, great question. I literally live for and by music so I listen to a lot of music. Specifically, if I’m having a tough day I’ll put on ‘Fine Line’ by Harry Styles because I need that song to function. I also love to journal and I love to read. I also like to take my dog on a walk, it’s a really good way to take a step back sometimes. 

Your discography is an ode to the joys of adolescence, and teenagehood has been a significant theme in your music. You’ve also expressed a level of confidence and self-assurance that so many of us wish we had in our teens, and that must be really inspiring for your listeners. It results in an autobiographical element of your work, and I’m curious to know, as your artistry develops, do you think you’ll continue writing from this perspective? Do you see this evolving on future records? 

I only really write about my life experiences and what’s going on in my current life, and I’m going to be a teenager for a little bit longer, so I’ll definitely still be writing about that. [My music] is about whatever is happening, whatever I’m growing from, whatever I’m learning, whatever I’m messing up. That’s what I write about, which I love. I guess it just depends on what will be happening in my life at the time, but I’m gonna be tuned in for a little bit longer. 

If you could direct a coming-of-age movie with your music as a soundtrack, what would it look like? Who would you cast in it and what would the plot be? 

Love this – the plot would be about two best friends who grew up together, and they get into relationships with other people, and then they get married off. Then when they have kids, they realise something isn’t right about this. They had that cliche, best friend moment of planning, ‘We’re gonna get married and live next door to each other, and our children are gonna be best friends.’ But then they realised that they’re in love with each other. That’s what it would be about. Who would I cast? I don’t know.  But I want it to be like a Jenny Han movie. The Summer I Turned Pretty, or To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, that kind of vibe.

Ah, friends to lovers. 

Yes, that’s exactly what I want. They’ve been in love but they’re so oblivious to it. They have no idea and people would always tell them and they’d deny it. Then they realise when it’s too late.

Have you personally lived this dynamic before?

I’ve not experienced this, but I love movies like that.

A good slow burn is always so satisfying. 

Honestly, I would probably cast myself too because I would love to be in a rom-com.

I know you play with other people’s assumptions of your age on your social media. Can you explain to me what’s behind this playful approach, how you challenge stereotypes with it, and how it helps you connect with your audience? 

I think it’s just me trolling a bit, and I like cultivating inside jokes. I like stuff that will attract a bunch of people that say, ‘Oh my god, no way you’ve done this at this age.’ Then my people who are already part of my audience are like, ‘No, it’s just an inside joke.’ 

I feel like it makes us closer, because existing fans know that I’m joking but new people don’t. They can also go along with the joke and be like, “Yeah, didn’t you know, she’s 37? Like, come on, you’re late to it.” But they know I’m really 18, so I really like playing with that.

I think because your audience is also young and Gen-Z, this style of humour is shared. I’ve noticed that nostalgia is another recurring theme in your work. Do you think that concept resonates with our generation, and how do you capture it in your sound?

I think a lot more people are feeling nostalgia than in previous years. I feel like music connects with Gen-Z a lot and feels so special to us because we’re very aware of how we feel.  When I was growing up, listening to music was just about having a dance instead of actually being conscious about your feelings towards all the sounds. I think we’re now all more consciously engaged when listening to music about how it makes us feel. I like presenting sounds that emulate feelings of nostalgia. I feel like I do it quite well, but I just include anything that holds memories for me and hope that it will for others too.

Completely. Our generation does tend to develop a deer emotional attachment to songs.

Yes absolutely, you know when you just need to hear a song. I think that everyone escapes through music.

Exactly. I often make playlists depending on my mood, where they have to match my feelings and experiences so I can live vicariously through them. Do you do that as well?

I used to but I got tired of having so many playlists, so now I just have songs. And then, because I connect so well to songs and I’m literally attached to certain ones, once I listen I feel fine. It feels like a ‘Fine Line’ day today. If it’s a sad day for me, it’s a ‘Fine Line’ day. I won’t even say it’s a sad day, and I’ll just play ‘Fine Line’ over and over again, and then I’m okay. 

I love the lyrics, they are very introspective.

Yeah. If he says ‘you’re gonna be alright’, then you’re probably going to be alright. 

How do you hope your music influences your audience’s emotions and memories? What kind of response would you want your listeners to have?

I want people to feel like they can know themselves and be, do, and have anything that they want and desire. I want people to feel like they can love themselves, and that they can do anything that they want to, just from listening to me and seeing me do exactly what I want to do, and it working.

Looking ahead, what can your fans expect in terms of your evolving visual concept? 

I feel like my visuals will always be incredible, but I don’t think they’ll be as childlike as they used to be. I’m definitely in a different space now. They were very much ‘do-it-yourself’ because I had to do it myself, but now I have more access and resources to achieve exactly what I want to do exactly the way I want to do them. 

I would say the feeling of my visuals now will be a little warmer, but they’ll still be flowery and still flowerovlove – that’s not going to change. If it does, it will change for the better. We’re all growing up together – my audience and I are actually the exact same age, so it’s perfect.

How has your creative process changed since you started out?

I’ve definitely opened some doors in terms of what I write songs about, and I try not to say the same words as I would in other songs. I’m also more open to different types of sounds, different types of melodies. I just want to make the most of it and actually enjoy making music because sometimes it doesn’t feel as fun – it just feels like lots of hard work. 

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