Imogen Heap Interview
How’s the tour been going?
Very good so far! All the dates have sold out, and the audiences have all been laughing at the right times so I’m happy. Most of the regional dates were this sort of size, except the London one which was two thousand at Shepherd’s Bush Empire!
Bloody hell, that’s really good! I didn’t mean to sound shocked then by the way, I just meant…
Oh, no, I was shocked by it as well!
What are your fans like in the UK?
London was very mixed, a wide range of ages. In Birmingham though there were loads of young kids, all around fifteen years old, I really enjoyed that and felt very youthful! It was just funny to have teenage girls screaming at me, I’ve not had that anywhere else!
How would you sum up your music to newcomers?
I have real trouble doing this and usually give a long convoluted hour-long answer. I guess I’d say I’m closer to Madonna than Miss Sugar, closer to Donnie Darko than Dirty Dancing – and there’s lots of wide strings, but with tiny electronic scratches and drums too.
You gained a lot of exposure with The OC’s use of ‘Hide And Seek’ – would you consider following The Killers and The Subways by actually performing on the show?
Yeah, I wouldn’t say no! They’ve done me a lot of favours.
How much of your fanbase is OC fans who’ve discovered you through the show?
Quite a lot, yeah, about an extra quarter again I’d say. A lot of people before were going “oh, that really sounds like Frou Frou” and they’ve now twigged that Imogen Heap is solo, so there’s less “God, she’s really copying Frou Frou!”.
Your music has also appeared in other TV shows and films, including Six Feet Under, CSI, Narnia and Garden State – are you picky about where you let your music be used, or do you view all exposure as beneficial?
Some things I’d draw the line on. In Italy with Frou Frou we didn’t let them use ‘It’s Good To Be In Love’ for a tampon advert, which was lucky as it was picked for a Cornetto ad the next week and got us top ten airplay!
Have you ever been asked to compose an entire film score?
Yes, I’m going to be doing the score for a feature-length documentary about flamingos, a March of The Penguins sort of thing which Heath Ledger’s doing the voiceover for.
When did you start doing your blog?
About three or four months into making the album, it was meant to just be for the fans but it ended up as a necessity for me to get through the day. It helped knowing people were keeping an eye on me!
Did you get feedback off them as you were making the album?
Every now and then I’d ask their opinions, I got their ideas for ‘Daylight Robbery’ and went with their favourite.
How long did the album take to make?
It took one year exactly. I won’t need as long next time though, I was still figuring out what I was doing.
Why did you decide to play all the parts yourself?
Just to see if I could really, I didn’t think I’d get as far as I did!
How does the live set differ to the record?
Yeah, it kinda has to really as I’ve only got two hands and one voice, sadly. It’s a lot more simplified. I use the vocoder for the harmonies and sample my voice on stage. I tend to play more piano too, so that I’m actually playing something.
Do you have any idea what direction your second solo album will take?
Part of the plan of doing the other projects first is that hopefully I’ll grow and learn from them, maybe use more lush strings, so I can do something different with it. I’ll probably use more real instruments. I got a bit obsessed with proving to myself I could do all the fancy programming stuff! Already the new B-side is a lot more free sounding.
Do you have any plans to team up again with Guy Sigsworth for another Frou Frou album?
It’s certainly not a “no way”. I’m really enjoying what I’m doing right now, and then I’m doing some music for a dance company, then another Imogen Heap album. So it won’t be for about four years, but hopefully it will happen eventually!
You’re off to the States at the end of the month for Coachella - excited about that?
Yeah, I’ve only been as a punter before. I’m looking forward to seeing Tool and Daft Punk, definitely!
Brighton Komedia, 5th April 2006.
