Releasing music under the name Flowerovlove, London-based artist Joyce Cisse has been gifting us the kind of lyrics that make us realise the best love affair you’ll ever have, is with yourself.

The 17-year-old singer radiates an admirable confidence and kindness, with good vibes and catchy tunes that manifest self-love, gratitude, and positivity, with a gentle dusting of nostalgia. Already blossoming as Radio 1’s Future Artist of The Month and one of VEVO and Amazon Music’s Artists to Watch for 2023, her debut EP Think Flower fast became a fan-favourite, along with releases such as Malibu and Will We Ever Get This Right?

Now the singer-songwriter has blessed us with another track to get hooked on, I love This Song,

celebrating dancing around our rooms and happy days spent in the sun, reminding us that we all deserve to feel good.

Top & skirt **Ann Demeulemeester**, earrings **Simone Rocha**, nail ring **Kod Kuce**, necklace **Sweetlimejuice**

It’s so nice to catch up with you Joyce! How does it feel to have music out there in the world?

Great to chat to you too! Well, it’s always been a dream of mine to create music, somehow, and put it out there, so it feels great that people are listening to it and love it, and they come up to me in the street and tell me that too. I prefer personal interaction rather than on social media because you can comprehend that it’s all real then, and not just happening through a phone. I think about the fans all the time when I’m making music too, and what they’ve said to me, ‘will they like this’, or ‘what do they want to hear’ and ‘how is this going to make them feel?’.

So, what kind of music were you into growing up, and when did you think, I want to put out my own stuff?

I was born the year that YouTube was founded, so I didn’t really buy music, I watched and listened to music on that platform instead, and the first track I remember really being into was Justin Bieber’s Baby. I thought he was so cute with his little haircut, and I had the biggest crush on him! I also had One Direction on repeat too, and I was so young and just enjoying the music and how it made me feel. But fast forward a few years later, and I knew then that I wanted to do it myself for real.

When was the first time you shared your music with anybody and how did it all progress from there?

It was in 2020, when I put out the song Kiss and Chase which I wrote with my brother in our garage, and it was just loads of fun, so I released it. But then I ended up doing some modelling for a year, which I didn’t enjoy too much, so I started releasing more music again, and here I am! I’ve been mainly using TikTok and Reels to help build my audience.

Full look **Miu Miu**, necklace **D'heygere**

Why did you choose the name flowerovlove, what’s the story behind it?

It was originally my Instagram handle, and everyone knew me as flowerovlove, so I just kept that rather than using my real name, Joyce. I like to compare people to flowers, so the name represents how people can grow and blossom too.

What gets you in the mood to write, who or what do you look to for inspiration?

Sometimes it just comes when I’m outside and I’ll think of a melody and then record it on a voice note. It’s never the same process, it depends on how I feel, and stuff just comes to me randomly. If I’m in the studio though, and I’ve saved up some inspirations and I’ve got to write, then I’ll switch it on and make sure I don’t leave without a finished song.

You’re a Gen Z champion, as your lyrics really do focus on self-love and manifesting positive vibes. What are you hoping your peers and younger listeners feel when they listen to your music, and take away from it?

I want people to feel like they can do, be or have anything they want, and to fall in love with themselves through my music, because the lyrics and sounds help them feel good about themselves. It’s important because I took time and space during the Covid quarantine to figure out who I am, and sometimes it’s easy to lose sense of that. I found that I’m someone who wants to be happy and bring sunshine into a room, so that’s what I do!

Right now, females are dominating the industry across the board and there’s a positive sisterhood between you all which is great. Why do you think that is?

I think with female artists and Gen-Z, it’s all about having positive competition you know, win, or lose, you can have fun and enjoy it and you can make a choice to feel good in what you do, and do it with a positive attitude. That’s what I feel a lot of female artists are doing now.

Full look **Valentino**, tights **Falke**

So, let’s talk about the latest single, Love You, it’s so catchy! Tell me more about the story behind the song and the brilliant video too, which you directed yourself?

It’s one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written, and usually when I come up with ideas for my videos, I just listen to the song and close my eyes, and whatever I see is what I want the visual to be. I like the message of me performing for myself and just devoting love to myself because when young girls see it, they’ll see it’s important to love themselves too. I find it boring when you see the videos of the girl singing about the guy she loves, why not give that love to myself… you know?!

The heart-shaped mirror covered in post it notes with positivity messages on them is a great little visual…

It was inspired by my own mirror at home, which is the same with post it notes around it too, so I wanted that in the video, because it’s all about the little details, and what they mean.

Left Full look **Ferragamo**, ring **Sweetlimejuice**
Right Full look **Simone Rocha**

It’s going to be one of those songs that gets the fans singing along! You’ve been performing to audiences live. How has it been seeing the reactions up close?

I love it and I know the fans are always going to go crazy which excites me all the time! I love the energy and I feel like we’re all friends, like I know everyone already and they know me too.

When I perform Will We Ever Get This Right, which is really pop, as soon as the chorus comes up, I let the audience sing it for me.

Left Full look **Simone Rocha**
Right Full look **Christopher Kane**

Do you have a dream collab?

Harry Styles!

He’s also a fashion influencer, and you’re on everyone’s style radar too. Is fashion a big part of your life, and is it always changing?

Yes, as I’ve got older my style has changed. When I was 15 years old, I started looking at street style and was also inspired by my brother’s classic style because he used to be a tailor, very dapper and suited and booted! So that’s when I got into wearing suits with big baggy pants and more recently, I’ve got into skirts and dresses too.

Full look **Ferragamo**, ring **Sweetlimejuice**

How would you describe your style in three words?

Chic, colourful and elegant.

Spring fashion is in full bloom, as are the flowers, and with your love of nature, what flower are you?

A Gazania, it’s an African daisy, I love them because they’re bright yellow and orange, and just like me, they’re always beaming bright.

Well, your future is beaming bright ahead of you too. What kind of imprint would you like to make?

I’m fuelled on love, and I know that I can achieve everything I want to achieve, and there’s no need to stop if you love what you’re doing, and I have such a passion for music. I also want to be thought of as a musician who can show and represent my culture as a successful black female pop star, and show young women that they can go for it, and if they see me do it, they can do it too.