Guest blogger Marv D’souza, who is also a huge Imogen Heap fan, wrote this feature on his blog and was kind enough to share it with us! I saw Imogen Heap perform at Nokia Music Connects last week and was absolutely blown away by her use of technology in her performance. As you all know she’s been performing across India and will be at Blue Frog tonight in Mumbai, anyone going?
One random night I was watching Shrek and during the end credits I heard a tune. It sounded like a voice I hadn’t heard before. It was breezy and unfamiliar. It was the voice of Imogen Heap and the track was Holding Out for a Hero by FrouFrou. FrouFrou was Imogen heap and Guy Sigsworth. Though Guy continued to collaborate with music legends like Bjork, Madonna and Alanis, Heap chose to carry on to be a Solo Artist.
I started collecting everything Imogen did, from the demo tapes to albums, collaboration to covers. It seemed like I could not get enough of her. She had a sense of humour to tease through the intriguing use of familiar sounds in the most enchanting ways. And then there was the classic, Hide and Seek. A perfect attempt of acapella mixed with electronic sounds, it was a style in itself. Imogen’s strength lies in her ability to play several instruments at a go, on stage and in the studio. And in addition, being a skilled sound engineer, she manages to mix it all up and dish it out like a hammer to the brain.
So who is Imogen Heap Really?
She is a free musician who plays along as she goes. When I met her at Zenzi for a meet and greet, I wasn’t prepared. As a fan for over 5 years, I had already made up my mind of who she would be. And true to that imagery, there she was in her humble glory. She was dressed in a black tunic and legging and a golden scarf around her neck. While having a chat with her fans and fakers, she stopped to groove to the music, sip her drink and soak it all in. Could she be writing a song while all this was happening…? I could only wonder.
Imogen anecdote:
on her way to Pune during the shoot for The Dewarists, the producer drove alongside her car, waiting for an ‘Imo-mEnt’. Rightly so, she stuck her head out of the moving vehicle, emptied a bottle of water into her hair, shook the excess off, blast dried it by the wind and tamed it into a loose updo. And that was her hair for the day.
Style icon for the eclectic:
Free soul is as a free soul does, Imogen does really take herself too seriously. Or so I believe, either ways she has fun with her expression through her fashion choices. Be it her Mary Poppins look for the Grammys or the tech savvyAcrylicLED twitter update neckpiece the next year, Imogen has a laugh. I love people who don’t take fashion too seriously and yet have so much style.
Musical style and stage persona:
Wikipedia will tell you the facts. But as far as my opinion goes,she is a product of Bjork mating with Sarah Mclachlan. A genius with sounds and a warrior with words, heap constantly nudges the envelope further with every note. Some artists do it all for the sake of music.
On stage, Imogen is the same girl as she is everywhere. Eclectic, quirky and full of her music. Watching her play several instruments at one go is like watching a chef cook up a storm in the kitchen. I missed her NH7 Gig but would love to see her at Blue Frog performing some of her most played hits and a couple of new tunes.
Journey from here…..
Imogen really pays attention to her fans. Not only does she reply to their tweets, she carries them virtually with her on the red Carpet. She has taken it a step further by asking them to be a part of her song writing process. On her website, Imogen asked her fans and enthusiasts to send her sounds, all kinds of sounds. As a result, her new album, ‘Heapsongs’ features a number of those in every track.
A poet, musician, maybe even a diva with a twisted mind, Imogen Heap is an artist who listens. Constantly in touch with her fans, her mind and her surroundings. She remembers a sound and reproduces it as a song. Imogen plays to her heart’s delight and her listeners sit there with starry eyes and a stupid grin..A.K.A me.
