May Florance is a Dutch singer-songwriter, creating fusionpop with cinematic touches and warm, expressive vocals. Her songs often read like short stories, sometimes imagined, sometimes drawn from her own life. Always meant to capture emotion in an honest and vulnerable way. She brings her stories to life in intimate live performances, using storytelling to connect directly with her audience.
Growing up in the Netherlands in a Surinamese-Dutch household, May turned every family gathering into a performance. At twelve she taught herself to play piano and began writing her first songs, later adding guitar as another way to bring her stories to life.
Inspired by artists like Billie Eilish, Finneas, Raye and Rosalía, she creates music that is intimate, minimalistic and experimental. While her current sound leans towards acoustic simplicity, May thrives on growth and experimentation. She is actively exploring bigger productions and broader dynamics as she continues to shape her own voice, both in the studio and on stage.
Through her music, May hopes to connect with people who feel unseen or misunderstood, while also standing as representation for women of color and artists with a multicultural background. She dreams of making an international impact, not just to be part of the mainstream, but to help reshape it.
For May, art comes before business: music should move people, shift perspectives and open space for what the world still needs.
The Journey
2023
In 2023, after graduating from De Theater HAVO/VWO in Rotterdam, where May Florance completed her VWO with a vocal profile, she briefly started studying Musicology at the University of Amsterdam. During this period, she realized she did not fully feel at home in the academic side of music, but it confirmed her desire to pursue music in her own way through creating it herself. That year, she decided to take a gap period and fully focus on developing her music, marking the beginning of her journey as an artist.
At the end of 2023, she had her first live performance at an open stage in the Central Library of The Hague, and also performed live with a band for the first time at the Monday Night Jam at De Doelen Studios in Rotterdam.
2024
The first half of 2024 was a busy period for Florance, filled with music, live performances and early career milestones. In March she gave her first solo live performance at the Rabo Open Stage at TivoliVredenburg.
From March till April she participated in the Kunstbende Zuid-Holland '24 competition, where she received third prize for the music category.
In May she participated in another contest: Talent op straat festival at Spijkenisse. She ended up in the top 3 of best talents.
Her first single 'Bad Year Baby' was also officially released on Spotify and other streaming services in the same month. In June she was able to provide a showcase at New Skool Rules, the biggest international
urban music conference and festival in Rotterdam.
And on top of that she was accepted into the AMP (Albeda Musician Producer) study, where she continues to develop her music career.
The second half of 2024 was full of new music. In september she dropped her new single 'Light me up' and in December, she released 'The FLORANCE Project'. The FLORANCE Project is May Florance's first live EP and is a collection of her oldest and most played acoustic songs. She produced and released the EP independently.
2025
Florance kicked off the year with a live performance of her EP 'The FLORANCE Project' at MCA Rhoon. In early May she opened for RAVEN at pop stage De Beuk and released her single 'Red and Blue'.
In September she followed up with her single 'Rain', accompanied by her first official music video. That same month, she performed at the festival Spot on Sciebrouck for the first time.
In November and December she released new music: 'Speak your mind' and 'Designer of Dreams' (part 1 & part 2) on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
2026
Florance started 2026 with a series of live performances, continuing to build her presence on stage. In January she performed at Girlpower Radio at de Kroepoekfabriek and took the stage at Mamarazzi Live in Rotterdam. Shortly after, she participated in Gluren bij de Buren, performing in an intimate setting and connecting with new audiences.
After that, she was asked to perform at the Albeda Open Dag Festival, where she played two live sets in March that year.
In April she performed in her theatre school production Moodswings: The Concert at podium Islemunde, where she hosted the show and performed her new unreleased song ‘Curtain Call’.
That same month, she was one of six artists accepted into The Academy of Music Matters, an intensive talent development program supporting emerging artists in building their music careers.
Alongside her live performances, Florance is currently in her second year at AMP (Albeda Musician Producer), where she is actively working on her music and developing her musical career while exploring her sound and creating new music.
