Singer Florence has "Hold" on music fans

LONDON (Billboard) - She was discovered when her manager overheard her singing the soul classic "Something's Got a Hold on Me" in a dingy London club restroom. Now, singer-songwriter Florence, of Florence and the Machine, is reaching a wider audience as the winner of the second BRIT Awards Critics' Choice prize.

The honour was announced January 20 at the televised nominations ceremony for the BRITs, the music industry's annual pop music awards, where the quirky 22-year-old singer, born Florence Welch, performed live.

She follows in the footsteps of Grammy Award-winning artist Adele, who picked up the inaugural Critics' Choice crown -- awarded by an industry panel to the British artist most likely to break through in the year ahead -- at the 2008 ceremony. Florence will not perform at the main BRITs ceremony February 18 but will formally be presented the prize during the telecast.

"No one told me I was nominated because that sort of thing freaks me out," said Welch, who signed to Island Records/Universal last year. "It's been really, really hectic (ever since). I've had to take stock of a lot of stuff and figure out how I'm going to handle this year because it's all new and it's all happening so soon."

Welch's immediate focus is not to rush-release her debut album but to build her credentials as a touring artist.

Island senior A&R manager Ben Mortimer -- who describes Florence and the Machine as following in "the great English tradition of eccentrics, like Kate Bush or Siouxsie Sioux" -- says work on her as-yet-untitled debut will resume as soon as she fulfils her duties supporting Glasvegas and White Lies on the U.K. Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2009, which wraps February 21 at Brixton Academy.

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)