Flowerovlove Is the Coachella Artist Youāll Want to Know Now
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Photographed by Cameron McCool. Styled by Alex White., Samuel MaudeFri, April 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
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Flowerovlove Is Defining a New Kind of CoolCameron McCool
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Jacket, Ann Demeulemeester. Bracelets, watch, Cartier.Cameron McCool
Flowerovlove wonāt look at Madison Square Garden. The singer swerves past 34th Street when sheās in New York, imagining a giant X over that whole area. āOne of the reasons I want to be a pop star is because I saw Justin Bieber [at MSG] in the Never Say Never documentary at 16,ā she says. āI was like, this is exactly what I want to do. I want it to be so special that I donāt want to experience any part of MSG until itās exactly what I want and what I deserve.ā
Flowerovlove has a vision, and part of her mystique is her ability to will it all to happen. Born Joyce CissĆ© in London, she was plucked off the streets at 16 to become a model. She appeared in a Gucci campaign and was a Louis Vuitton ambassador before realizing she wanted more creative control over her image. With her brother Wilfred, her closest collaborator, she began making music in her garage, posting videos to TikTok and Instagram. From there, her career exploded. Her biggest song, āBreaking News,ā became a trending refrain on TikTok with 1.9 million videos. Sheās set to perform at Coachella this month and has new music on the horizon. āI wrote down, āIām so grateful Iām playing Coachella,ā and I wasnāt playing Coachella at the time,ā she says. āI had no contact with the festival at all. I have proof to be able to go back and be like, This actually works. The power of my mind is crazy.ā
With a distinct aesthetic (she calls herself a āminiskirt warriorā) and a mononym she based on her old Instagram handle, Flowerovlove draws inspiration from the disco of Donna Summer, the energy of Grace Jones, and 1989-era Taylor Swift. āThere are a lot of singers now, and a lot of TikToks being posted, but it takes time to really craft this brand, to craft this sound, to craft these feelings,ā she says. āI failed so many times, but Iām not even going to count it as a fail. Itās in the error where you learn.ā
Dress, Palomo. Bracelet, rings, Cartier. Slingbacks, Chanel.Cameron McCool -
SONG OF HERS TO PUT ON REPEAT: āIām your firstā
FOR FANS OF: Sabrina Carpenter, coming-of-age dream pop, Ariana Grandeās āthank u, nextā music video
Did you grow up in a musical household?
My brother produces and my mom has a great singing voice. I grew up in an African house that played a lot of music, and we danced a lot. We were vibing. There was always a function.
Is your family supportive of your career?
My mom is probably my biggest fan. She sits at home and watches all of my TikToks back to back and listens to all of my music. She doesnāt have Spotify or Apple Music or anything like that, so she just has three of my unreleased songs in her files, and sheāll just listen maybe 50 times in a day. Sheās got an iconic TikTok account as well.
Have you always been a hopeless romantic?
One hundred percent. Thatās definitely my root and my core. It really just stems from all the rom-coms set in New York: 13 Going on 30, When Harry Met Sally. All of those always just get me. I deserve this [love] and I will have this.
What can we look forward to in your Coachella set, and who are you excited to see?
Pretty colors, fucking fire outfits, insane, insane camp shit happening, and some special guests. Iām most excited to see Justin Bieber. Come on.
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Where did the name Flowerovlove come from?
Originally it was an Instagram handle that I had, FlowerGarden2005. Itās the year I was born. Then I was like, āIām turning 17 now; this is kind of cringe. Let me change it.ā I also didnāt want people knowing when I was born: āLet me just do Flowerovlove.ā There actually is a flower of love. Itās one of the prettiest flowers Iāve ever seen. Iāve always thought of people as flowers. Youāre so excited for the flowers to grow back when spring starts to come in, and I think we should see ourselves like that. If something bad happens, if weāre feeling down about something, the flowers are always going to grow back.
Jacket, Ann Demeulemeester. Necklace, Cartier.Cameron McCoolHow did you develop your look?
I always wanted to be tall, so I was like, āIf I have the legs out and I do some heels, Iām going to look taller.ā Outfits make me feel on a very deep level. Itās not just clothes. I can never go outside in an ugly outfit. Itās just not me.
Do you have people giving you creative input, or is it all you?
My closest collaborator is my brother. I will have an idea, and Iāll ask him, āWhat do you think?ā But I donāt do that to anyone else. I donāt really like to take ideas, either. It kind of has to come from me, because itās my thing. Itās my project. This is my child; this is my baby. Iām Flowerovlove.
Youāve stated that there arenāt any other Black women in the music space youāre in. Can you elaborate?
I always have to speak about the Black women who came before me, who Iām just amazed by and feel very deeply connected to. Janet Jackson, pop icon. Whitney Houston, pop icon. Minnie Riperton. Donna Summer. Diana Ross. The sound of pop music is the root of disco for me. But now, when you see the lineup of the pop girlies, most of the time SZA isnāt on it. That doesnāt make any sense to me, because she is a pop girl. [Pop music is] now known as white girl music. I love me some white girl music. I really, really do. The sound that Iām crafting right now is what people think pop music is. [But] Iām filling a space that hasnāt been filled.
What is your upcoming project about?
A lot of my songs are about firsts, and my project is going to be about first times with everything. It started when I wrote āIām Your First,ā but itās also because this is my first [full-length] project and itās also my first time experiencing the end of my teens into adulthood. Growing is the best thing, because we have many more years and wisdom backed up by experience. My brain is like an infinite truck. A pretty truck. Itās a yellow and pink and purple truck full of ideas, and it just doesnāt stop flowing.
Hair by Teddy Charles at Nevermind; makeup by Lilly Keys; manicure by Raphael Park Charles; produced by Hyperion.
A version of story appears in the April 2026 issue of ELLE.
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