Florence & The Machine’s Touching Performance For A Teen Battling Terminal Cancer

In 2016, Florence Welch and guitarist Rob Ackroyd of Florence & The Machine gave a performance unlike any other—not in a packed arena, but in a quiet hospice room. Their audience was one special fan, 15-year-old Karinya Chen, who was battling terminal cancer. Too ill to attend the band’s concert in Austin, Karinya’s dream of seeing them live seemed out of reach.

Karinya had been looking forward to seeing her favorite band live again, just as she had in 2011. She had her tickets ready for their upcoming show in Austin, Texas. But as she battled illness at Christopher House Hospice, reality set in. No matter how much she hoped, her condition made attending impossible. It was a heartbreaking moment when nurse Christie Kremer had to tell her the news.

Karinya had asked every day if she could still go, holding on to the possibility. But when the final answer was no, it was a loss that everyone around her felt deeply. But when the music couldn’t come to her, Florence brought it herself, sitting by her bedside for an intimate acoustic performance.

When Karinya’s mother, Cat Shiang Chen, shared her daughter’s story, the band responded in the most heartfelt way. The day after their Austin show, Florence Welch and Rob Ackroyd made a special visit to Christopher House, where they met Karinya, showered her with band merch, and even signed her arm with a Sharpie.

In a touching moment, surrounded by family, nurses, and classmates, Florence led an intimate performance of “Shake It Out.” Stripped down to its rawest form, the song’s acoustic beauty highlighted the warmth in Florence’s voice. As the outro swelled, Karinya confidently harmonized, creating a moment so moving that even Florence couldn’t help but smile in admiration.