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Imogen Heap

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Imogen Heap is an English singer, songwriter and producer. She was born on 9 December 1977 in Romford and had classical piano lessons. As a child she recorded herself on cassette: first the piano, then her singing on top. At sixteen she went to the BRIT School in south London. Her debut album I Megaphone appeared in 1998 on Almo Sounds, but sold poorly and she soon found herself without a record contract.

Music and breakthrough

In 2000 she formed the electronic duo Frou Frou with the producer Guy Sigsworth. Their only album, Details, came out in 2002. The song Let Go became known through the film Garden State. After that she took matters into her own hands. Speak for Yourself from 2005 she wrote, produced, recorded and mixed entirely herself, and she released it on her own label Megaphonic Records. On that album she played almost all the instruments herself. Hide and Seek became known internationally after it was heard in the television series The O.C. Headlock, too, became popular again on TikTok in 2024.

Influence

Heap works with electropop, layers of voice and a great deal of studio technique. She developed the Mi.Mu gloves, gloves with which she controls music through gestures. She wrote the music for the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. In her own work she shows how a singer can also be a producer and inventor.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Hide and Seek and pay attention to the voice. The song is made of vocal layers. How do the harmonies sound, and what role do the electronic effects play?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists