British singer, songwriter and composer Imogen Heap doesn't like to disappoint listeners. Therefore, the most favorite pastime of the member of the duet "Frou Frou" and solo albums was the search for the desired sound, the design of the sound and its processing. The vocalist and author always starts her work with live instruments. He edits the recorded sound for a long time, literally breathing his life into it.
According to Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap, it is wrong to call electronic music cold. The vocalist is sure that it's not about the music, but about who listens to it. The compilation "Ellipse" became one of the leaders in the category of electronic dance albums and brought the performer a Grammy.
Road to success
The biography of the future celebrity began in 1977. The girl was born on December 9 in London in the family of an art therapist and a building materials dealer.
The baby became interested in music in early childhood. She learned to play the piano and improvised for a long time. Then the clarinet and cello were mastered. Hip dreamed of becoming a composer. The separation of parents prompted 12-year-old Imogen to write songs.
The high school student was not attracted to the performance in the ensemble. She was tuning in for a solo career. The girl independently mastered sampling and sound processing.
The graduate continued her education at the London School of Performing Arts and Technology, "BRIT School", where she worked on her own compositions and studied the intricacies of the sound engineer profession.
Star takeoff
In the mid-nineties, a student recorded several songs with Nick Kershaw. In 1996, the girl began collaborating with the experimental pop group "Acacia". She made her professional debut as a singer on a show with The Prince's Trust. Acquaintance with the eminent colleague Guy Sigsworth in that period grew into a successful creative tandem.
Hip presented her first album "iMegaphone" in 1998. Critics admired the sophistication of the melody and the softness of the electronic orchestrations. The artist performed several times in the USA, traveled all over Europe.
During a forced break in work, the rising star wrote not only wrote new songs for herself, but also participated in the work on Jeff Beck's album.
Imogen took part in Sigsworth's new project. The album was nearly completed by the end of 2001. Hip recorded all vocals. Then both participants came to the conclusion that the duet format is most suitable for their further cooperation.
The team "Frou Frou" made its debut in the summer of 2002 with the collection "Details". It was attracted by the muffled voice of the soloist, and the stylishness of the electronic sound. However, after the premiere, everyone chose a solo career. The friendly relations between the musicians have been preserved. Together they created a cover of "Holding Out for a Hero" for "Shrek-2", and worked on songs for the next disc of Britney Spears, and wrote remixes for the group "Temposhark".
Solo creativity
The singer independently created the collection “Speak for Yourself”. The star even recorded it in her own studio, made all the arrangements herself, acted as an author, producer, vocalist and cover creator. The only deviation from the self-principle was Jeff Beck's guitar solo on Goodnight and Go.
The work was very successful. The singles from the disc sounded in the series "The O. C.", increasing the number of fans of the musician's work. The song "Can't Take It in" was included in the music for the first part of the fantasy about Narnia.
As a woman band, Imogen undertook a mini-tour of the United States. She later became a participant in the largest festivals. A new success was the 2006 Grammy nomination for Best Artist and Best Songwriter for Soundtrack.
The most complex and large-scale project was the third disc "Ellipse". Since its release in the summer of 2009, it has not left the position of a commercial favorite, entering the most prestigious charts not only in the author's homeland, but also in Canada, USA. In 2014, the artist presented a new work, the collection "Sparks".
The personal life of the star is also developing successfully. Her husband was Michael Lebor. In November 2014, a child appeared in the family, the daughter of Florence Rosie Hip-Lebor.
