i & r

Imogen Heap
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Imogen Heap is a twenty year old with extraordinary musical talent that is sure to reap great benefits in the coming years. From an early age Imogen was surrounded by music and eventually went to the Brit School in Croydon, England. There was interest in her ability before she even left the school, and she carefully made the decision to sign for the Almo Sounds label. She gained critical acclaim early this year when her first single "Getting Scared" was aired on MTV and gave her the initial notice. That song is a spaced-out radical pop tune. Now, she has released her second single "Come Here Boy", a glorious ballad which exemplifies Imogen’s beautiful voice. Her debut album "i Megaphone" is soon to be released, and it is a gorgeous album that attracts instant appeal. When Imogen was in Melbourne recently, for a promotional tour, I had the pleasure of meeting her. When I arrived at the hotel, she greeted me very warmly, almost as if I was part of the family. She is a tall, striking young woman and I knew then that we’d have an enjoyable discussion.

  1. Tell us a little about your musical background?

  1. I was brought up in a musical household in Essex. I started learning classical music from the age of eleven. It became difficult because of a break-up between my parents, but I set myself a goal of learning various musical instruments. I undertook piano lessons at school. It was quite unusual because hardly anyone else studied music there. I gradually became aware of the cello and clarinet and learnt them also. I was very confident in my ability to do these things. Brit School provided me with this opportunity. It was nice to have got that far. Then I started to write songs and the record deal came about quickly. I’m glad that it’s now reached this stage.

  1. What process did you go through in gaining the record deal with Almo Sounds?

  1. It was through a demo tape. It ended up being very easy actually. I was just jamming around after school, playing piano, and my current manager, Mark Wood noticed me one day and asked if I write and sing songs as well as playing. After a week, I gave him a demo tape, and he liked it. It got through to Jerry Moss (head of Almo Sounds) who was also impressed. He stated that, in his belief, my songs and voice would do well in America, so I was very happy about making this initial progress.

  1. The first single you released was "Getting Scared" and I had seen it on MTV earlier this year. It should have been a Top 20 hit. Now, you have the new single "Come Here Boy", a beautiful power ballad. Is that being released worldwide?

  1. Yes, it’s being released in Australia, America and Japan. England is always the last it seems. To create the vibe and get the media happening in England, you’ve got to have the right material, something that sounds cool. That’s what we (management and I) aimed for. First, we had to get a band together and go through the right processes to get that start in England. With "Come Here Boy" being a ballad, we had to look at attracting a different market. We released "Shine" as the single in England. It wasn’t the ideal choice for a single. Yet, it was a bridge between "Getting Scared" and "Come Here Boy". The former being pretty left field, and other being a ballad, so "Shine" fitted in somewhere in between.

  1. Is songwriting a way for you to let off steam, dealing with personal and emotional issues?

  1. It definitely is. The songs tell of the uncertain periods that occurred in my life. You need to confront issues by writing about them. Many things have come and gone, and you can easily end up in an emotional mess. I don’t talk about these things if I can help it. It’s good to release it in music.

  1. There seems to be a lot of thought that goes into the music and the production. It’s great that someone so young shows this perception. Do you have a particular formula for writing songs?

  1. Well, I did have previously. I used to have a lot of time alone when I was younger. I’d just sit around playing the piano. Things in my life were going all over the place for a while, and I liked to piece together melodies and words. You don’t tend to concentrate much when you’re in that position, so all these thoughts were coming out of my head. I had so many ideas that I had to hold back the length of my songs. Some of them were going for 5-7 minutes. Of course, there are times when you get ideas for a song late at night in bed, and you can lose it very easily instead of getting up all the time to write it down. That can be a real headache when you need to rise early. I always take a notepad with me when I’m out. A song like "Sleep", however, was different. There was no need for a song structure. It’s just a simple song that I played.

  1. What do you think about being a pop star at twenty? How has it affected your lifestyle?

  1. I have been to do a lot of travelling already and there hasn’t been a need to worry about many things at this stage. I started in the record business when I was seventeen. You just need to be sure about yourself because you can be led astray. I have to be on the ball and keep control. I’m lucky to have a great manager in Mark (Wood) who has been a real friend. He has been managing me for about three years. He keeps me at it, doing all the publicity rounds like talking to you now. He emphasises that it must be done. It’s all happened as well as we can make it so far.

  1. Do you have any time for hobbies?

  1. Well, I have a boyfriend. He’s my spare time. Apart from that, I do like playing pool. Most of the time, though, is playing piano.

  1. Who are your current influences?

  1. I Like listening to P.J.Harvey, Radiohead, and a band called Subcircus. I never really grew up buying records and didn’t get into listening to Beatles songs. People can’t believe that I have hardly listened to The Beatles.

  1. What has been the interest in America so far?

  1. It’s going quite well. I have been over there to do interviews and promotional work. I haven’t performed there as yet. Whilst I was there, I did have the pleasure of seeing P.J.Harvey perform. I met and spoke to her for a while which was valuable, in gaining a bit of an insight into her. I am hopeful that, with Jerry’s (Moss) influence with Almo Sounds, that the whole thing will go well there.

  1. I’ve read that you play several instruments such as the piano, cello, and clarinet. Will you consider incorporating them into your performance sometime down the track? What is the current band line-up?

  1. I play the piano on a few tracks when I perform live, although I mostly like to move around a bit on stage. I would be interested in playing the cello on stage. It’s a lovely instrument. Depending on the nature of the lyrics, I would like to incorporate strings into a performance. As for the band, there is me on vocals and piano/keyboards, another keyboardist, a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. They are a brilliant band, and the nicest guys you could meet.

  1. What are the plans for the future?

  1. I would like to take things as they come instead of mapping out a big plan. I’d like to have another album ready in twelve months. I will be coming back to Australia in January next year. My main goal is to improve my songwriting and keep ahead of everything.