In 2016, Florence Welch and guitarist Rob Ackroyd of London indie-rock band, Florence + The Machine performed one of the most important gigs of their career — to a 15-year-old high school sophomore battling terminal cancer. Karinya Chen, who was described by her hospice nurses as just being “skin and bones,” had all her fangirl dreams come true as her favourite singer, Florence, sat on her bedside for an exclusive acoustic set especially for her.
Karinya last saw the band live in 2011 and had tickets booked for their upcoming gig in her hometown of Austin, Texas. But whilst in the Christopher House Hospice, one nurse, Christie Kremer, had to break the tragic news to her patient: “All week, through setback after setback, she asked if she would be able to go. We tried to entertain the idea and it felt so scary and overwhelming for the medical staff and her mother that finally I said no, and my heart broke again.”
After the terrible revelation, Karinya’s mum, Cat Shiang Chen, reached out to the band herself. Florence (aged 30 at the time) and Rob (34) arrived at Christopher House the day after their Austin gig for a VIP meet-and-greet and private show, gifting handfuls of merch to the young superfan and even signing her arm in Sharpie!
Surrounded by Karinya’s nurses, family, and a choir of classmates, Florence + The Machine performed a scaled-down rendition of their 2011 single, “Shake It Out.” Florence’s voice sounds extra folky in this pure, acoustic setting; every fiber of her voice rings profoundly lush, seamless, and powerful, and by the time the outro rolls around, Karinya’s harmonies are just as confident, earning the praise of her flame-haired fave.
While this vid has amassed an incredible 1.8M views on YouTube to date, an additional vid of Karinya and Florence singing a rare, acoustic edition of her debut album hit, “The Dog Days Are Over” went viral with 27.6M+ views! You can check out this video on The Music Man above.
Karinya, who battled paraganglioma, told KVUE: “It was a dream come true, it was the best day of my life, easily … Florence is this Amazonian of a woman but she’s such a kind and lovely and beautiful soul, lovely person, there’s no one like her.” Her mother added in an interview with Today, “I was very grateful that they could be so generous and kind to take time out and spend it with my daughter. I was floored, thankful and very impressed by their act of benevolence.”
Karinya’s five-year cancer battle led to constant pain that impeded her ability to go to school. Yet, in this moment, Karinya was finally able to forget and feel free. Melinda Marble, a hospice worker, noted that, “Our patient went from not feeling well and being very lethargic to sitting up, talking, laughing, knitting — a different person entirely.”
Tragically, Karinya died in October that same year, five months after singing with Florence and having her story go viral online. She’d spent the last nine months of her life at Christopher House hospice and was aware of her reality, telling interviewers, “We’ve decided to just let God — give it to God. And just let Him take care of me. No matter what, if you just put your trust and your faith in Him, all will be well. And that’s my main message to everyone.”
If you would like to hear more from this amazing band, you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel for more incredible music. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates. Don’t forget to check out their official website for more information.
