Florence Welch has opened up in a personal interview to The Guardian about why she has given up alcohol after a period of non-stop partying and also about the impact of her Grandmother taking her own life.

Welch is due to release her fourth album High As Hope with Florence + The Machine this Friday and has revealed she drank because she “didn’t know how to come down from touring” as well as heavy drinking before performances to combat her “shyness“.

“That’s when the drinking and the partying exploded, as a way to hide from it,” She added: “I was drunk a lot of the time, on extra dirty Martinis – my way of drinking three shots at once. I was never interested in a nice glass of wine.”

She also spoke of how she ‘rarely slept’ in the early years with Florence + The Machine and how she would often end up going on ‘two day parties’ and waking up in weird locations wearing other peoples’ clothes.

“The partying was about me not wanting to deal with the fact my life had changed, not wanting to come down” the 31-year-old said. She added: “It always felt like something had picked me up and thrown me around various rooms and houses, then gone ‘boom!’ It happened every time, and every time it was shocking.”

She continued: “When I realised I could perform without the booze it was a revelation. There’s discomfort and rage, and the moment when they meet is when you break open. You’re free.”

The Londoner also opened up about her Grandmother’s tragic suicide and how this has changed her outlook on life. She said: “My mother’s mother committed suicide. And the way she was loved by her mother has related to the way she loves us, which then is the way we love others.”

Before adding: “My grandmother fell, so sometimes I feel like we’re all still in this loop, falling with her. The trickle-down of tragedies.”