flora cash - behind every beautiful thing

AT RADIO NOW

At this point, the origin story for flora cash is well known, but it bears repeating. The beginnings of what has been frequently called a “modern-day love story” are still there for anyone to see; back-and-forth comments exchanged on some tracks posted to SoundCloud.

“I love this.”

“You sing this with so much feeling.” “I can’t stop listening to this song…”

These public comments of mutual admiration sparked private dialogues that led to nearly half a year of video chats and falling deeper in love every day. It was that love that propelled Shpresa from Sweden to Cole in Minnesota, where she spent an idyllic summer before the two departed together for Stockholm. That was 12 years ago. The pair hasn’t been apart since.

Neither Cole nor Shpresa come from a well-connected family; neither is heir to someone else’s fame or fortune, or the latest in a long line of show business royalty. Individually and as a couple, they’ve known the struggle of starting at the bottom and the bittersweet taste of success gotten through passion and a stubborn dedication to a craft. The two vowed to each other to make a career out of their work, even in the face of doors slammed shut or ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ They’ve often been quoted as saying, “We decided that we would either make music together and make money, or we would make music together and be poor. There was no plan B.” It’s likely this calculation and willingness to suffer for a dream was rooted in their respective childhoods.

Shpresa was a small girl when her family escaped conflict in Kosovo. She and two siblings, led by her parents, made their way across Europe, sometimes walking hours through endless fields in the pitch black of night, before finally arriving and settling in what was, for them, a sort of Promised Land. Her parents fought to ensure she would not grow up to the sound of gunshots or the threat of unexploded landmines.

Sweden was the place where her parents could give Shpresa and her siblings the running start they themselves never had. Her mother became both her mentor and her muse, reminding her she was meant for great things and that now that they were safe, nothing could stop her. It was against this backdrop that a young Shpresa wrote poems and stood on tables to recite them for her family. And it was in a small town in southern Sweden where she discovered her passion for singing and songwriting.

Cole’s parents were still kids themselves when he was born, just out of high school. He was a little boy when his father was sent to prison for selling drugs. His dad was a kid with “good intentions but poor judgment.” He remained incarcerated for much of Cole’s childhood.

Throughout that time, Cole’s single mother worked her way through college. His grandparents became an extra set of parents, and his grandpa was the closest thing to a father figure Cole would ever have—the guiding voice that fueled both his conscience and ambition, setting him straight when needed and reminding him his potential was limited by nothing but his own

“limiting beliefs.” It was against this backdrop that a young Cole experimented with found sounds and crude multi-tracking. And it was in a small town in northern Minnesota where Cole discovered his passion for writing and recording songs.

The unlikely crossing of these two far-flung paths has yielded an impressive resume that includes reaching #1 at Alternative Radio and RIAA Platinum Certification in the United States, several performances on American and Swedish television (including The Late Late Show with James Corden and LIVE with Kelly and Ryan), multiple GAFFA nominations, and a string of Gold and Platinum records across Australia, Sweden, Germany, Norway, and the UK. While all of this is impressive, the story of flora cash, at its core, is not about accolades or material accomplishments. It’s a love story, an adventure, and a reminder to those who weren’t born wealthy or whose childhood was fraught with disadvantages that cynicism doesn’t have the final word and that our most damning limitations are the ones we impose on ourselves.

With their forthcoming fourth album, 'behind every beautiful thing,' flora cash offers a confessional, self-aware exploration of contrasts—hope and doubt, heaven and hell. The album balances irony and sincerity, at times grounded yet almost mythical, especially in tracks like 'Dragon' and 'Holy Water.' It embraces the imperfections of love and life, finding beauty in the journey, and capturing the vulnerability of human existence. It organically blends dark, orchestral tones with nostalgic lofi beats and synths, merging introspective, cinematic moods with lighter, nostalgic vibes.

— CORELLA LAND, Flower Money Records