Imogen Heap facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Imogen Heap
Heap at Web Summit 2024
Born	Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap (1977-12-09) 9 December 1977 (age 47) Romford, Greater London, England
Other names	Imogen Jennifer Heap
Education	BRIT School
Occupation	Musician singer songwriter record producer
Years active	1995–present
Children	1
Musical career
Genres	Pop electropop experimental pop art pop alternative rock
Instruments	Vocals piano keytar Mi.Mu gloves
Labels	Almo Sounds Megaphonic RCA

Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap (born 9 December 1977) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and music producer. She is known for being a pioneer in pop and electronic pop music.

Imogen started learning piano, cello, and clarinet when she was very young. By age 13, she was writing her own songs. While at boarding school, she taught herself how to produce music. At 18, she signed with an independent record label called Almo Sounds. She also worked with the experimental pop band Acacia. Her first album, I Megaphone, came out in 1998.

In 2002, Imogen and producer Guy Sigsworth formed the electronic music duo Frou Frou. They released their album Details that same year. Her second solo album, Speak for Yourself, was released in 2005 on her own label, Megaphonic Records. This album became very popular in the United States and Canada. It included hit songs like "Headlock", "Goodnight and Go", and "Hide and Seek". "Hide and Seek" became famous after being used in the TV show The O.C..

Imogen's third album, Ellipse (2009), was also very successful. Her fourth album, Sparks, followed in 2014. In 2017, she reunited with Guy Sigsworth to perform as Frou Frou again.

Imogen Heap also created special musical gloves called Mi.Mu Gloves. She also developed Mycelia, a way to share music using blockchain technology. She composed the music for the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Throughout her career, she has won two Grammy Awards and other important awards. In 2019, she received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Imogen Jennifer Heap was born on 9 December 1977 in Havering, Greater London. Her mother named her after a famous composer, hoping Imogen would become a cellist. Imogen started playing music very early. She began with the piano because she wanted attention as a middle child. She found she could make a lot of noise with it.

She didn't like playing classical music by composers like Bach. Instead, she would pretend to play their style to convince her parents she was practicing. As a child, she recorded herself playing piano on cassette tapes. Then she would record herself singing over it. She soon started taking lessons. She learned piano, cello, and clarinet. She attended Friends School, a private boarding school. Around age 10, she started writing Christmas carols for her school choir.

Imogen was placed a year ahead of other kids her age. She said she didn't get along with many people at school. She spent most of her time in the music room practicing piano. She felt like an outsider at school. Her parents separated when she was twelve. At the same age, she taught herself to use music software called Cubase on an Atari computer. By age 13, she was writing her own songs. At 15, she started using reel-to-reel recording to make her music. She used a home computer to program the music.

Music Career

Early Career: Almo Sounds and Acacia (1995–1996)

After boarding school, Imogen studied at the BRIT School in Croydon. There, she started singing and writing songs regularly because she felt lonely. She recorded her first song with her vocals, "Missing You." This song was on the BRIT School's Class of 1994 album. A manager named Mickey Modern noticed her after seeing her perform.

A few months later, at age 18, Imogen signed her first record deal. It was with an independent record label called Almo Sounds. In 1996, she started working with the British experimental pop band Acacia. Her future music partner, Guy Sigsworth, was also in this band. Imogen was a guest singer for Acacia. She contributed to their songs and albums. Her first big solo live show was at the 1996 Prince's Trust Concert in Hyde Park.

First Album: I Megaphone (1998–2001)

Imogen's first official single, "Getting Scared," came out in 1997. This song was the first from her debut album, I Megaphone. It was also used in the soundtrack for the 1998 horror movie I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. She released her first album, I Megaphone, on 16 June 1998 through Almo Sounds. The album was an alternative rock record.

Many producers worked on the album, including Dave Stewart and Guy Sigsworth. The album received good reviews from critics. However, it didn't sell well because Almo Sounds didn't promote it much. Soon after, Universal Music Group bought Almo Sounds. This meant Imogen was dropped from the label and didn't have a record deal. But I Megaphone was later re-released in Japan in 2002. It included extra songs like "Blanket" and "Aeroplane."

While she didn't have a record deal, Imogen appeared on two other songs. One was "Meantime," for a British film soundtrack. The other was "Blanket," a 1998 song with the hip hop band Urban Species. "Blanket" was Imogen's first song to appear on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 56. She also sang on two songs for English guitarist Jeff Beck's 2001 album, You Had It Coming.

Forming Frou Frou (2002–2003)

Imogen stayed in touch with Guy Sigsworth. They decided to create a music project together called Frou Frou. Guy's first idea for Frou Frou was to make an album with different singers on each song. Imogen explains that Guy invited her to his studio to write lyrics for a short piece of music. He had one rule: she had to include the word "love." The first line she thought of was "lung of love, leaves me breathless." This became part of the song "Flicks" on their album. A week later, they wrote and recorded their future hit song "Breathe In."

On 4 June 2002, Frou Frou released their first and only album, Details. The album had singles like "Breathe In," "It's Good to Be in Love," and "Must Be Dreaming." Their song "Let Go" was used in the 2004 movie Garden State.

In late 2003, after touring in the UK, Europe, and the US, their record label decided not to make a second album with them. Imogen and Guy are still good friends and have worked together since. In late 2003, they covered the song "Holding Out for a Hero" for the movie Shrek 2. Frou Frou became popular again in 2004 when "Let Go" was featured in Garden State. The movie's soundtrack even won a Grammy award.

In 2005, Imogen said that Frou Frou was like a "little holiday" from her own music. She said they worked together naturally. She also said she wanted to see what she could do on her own. But she was sure they would make more music together in the future.

Speak for Yourself Success (2004–2007)

Heap performing at the 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

In December 2003, Imogen announced on her website that she would write and produce her second solo album. She used her website like a blog to share her progress. She gave herself one year to finish the album. She even booked a mastering session for December 2004, a year in advance. To pay for the album, she re-mortgaged her apartment. This helped her rent a studio and buy instruments.

By the end of 2004, the album was finished. Imogen released two songs online before the album came out: "Just for Now" and "Goodnight and Go." In May 2005, she released "Hide and Seek" as the first single from her new album. This song became incredibly popular. It was used in the season two finale of the TV show The O.C. on the same day it was released. The song reached the top 40 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart. It later became certified gold. It was even sampled in the song "Whatcha Say" by Jason Derulo, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Imogen released the album, titled Speak for Yourself, on her own label, Megaphonic Records. It came out in the UK on 18 July 2005. The first 10,000 CDs sold out quickly. In August 2005, Imogen signed a deal with RCA Records. This allowed the album to be released in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It debuted at number 144 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. When performing live, Imogen often played solo. She controlled the sound with her laptop, sang, and played piano and array mbira.

In November 2005, Imogen wrote and recorded "Can't Take It In." This song was for the soundtrack of the fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Speak for Yourself was re-released in April 2006. Imogen also recorded an a cappella version of "Hallelujah" for The O.C. season three finale.

In August 2006, Imogen performed at the V Festival. "Headlock" was announced as the third single from the album. Imogen also wrote "Glittering Cloud" for an event called Margate Exodus. This song was about the plague of locusts. In late 2006, Imogen toured the UK, Canada, and the US. She held a competition on MySpace for different opening acts. On 7 December 2006, she received two Grammy nominations. One was for Best New Artist. The other was for Best Song Written For Visual Media for "Can't Take It In."

Ellipse and Sparks (2008–2014)

Heap performing in Liverpool, England in 2010

While making her album Ellipse, Imogen posted video blogs (vlogs) on YouTube. She used these to talk about the album and give updates on its release. The album's release date was moved back several times. In October 2008, she performed at an event called PopTech. There, she played one of her new songs, "Wait it Out."

Imogen announced on Twitter that "First Train Home" would be the first single from Ellipse. On 17 August 2009, she made the entire Ellipse album available to stream live on her website. Ellipse was released in the UK on 24 August 2009 and in the US on 25 August 2009. Imogen won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for her work on Ellipse. She was the first female artist to win this award.

In March 2011, Imogen started working on her fourth album, Sparks. She planned to release a new song for the album every three months. The first song, "Lifeline," was released via Ustream. "Propeller Seeds" followed in July 2011. Her third single, "Neglected Space," was part of a project to restore a garden in Bedfords Park. She also recorded "Minds Without Fear" with Indian producers Vishal–Shekhar for an MTV India show. Both songs were released in October 2011.

"Xizi She Knows," the fifth single, came out in February 2012. In May 2011, Imogen tweeted that she was working with deadmau5. Their song, "Telemiscommunications," was on deadmau5's album. In 2012, she released "Someone's Calling" as a ringtone. She also showed her Mi.Mu gloves on the BBC show Dara Ó Briain's Science Club. Imogen's fourth album, Sparks, was released on 18 August 2014.

Harry Potter and Other Projects (2015–Present)

In October 2015, Imogen released "Tiny Human" using her blockchain-based platform, Mycelia. She composed and reworked music for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a play that opened in 2016. For her work on the play, she won a Drama Desk Award.

Imogen also helped write and produce the song "Clean" for Taylor Swift's album 1989. This led to her winning a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2016. She also produced the re-recorded version of "Clean" in 2023. Imogen was featured in the 2016 documentary Soundbreaking. She narrated and composed music for the 2016 documentary Crossing Bhutan. In 2016, she helped create "The Happy Song," a song designed to make babies happy.

In 2017, Imogen wrote "Magic Me" for the animated short film Escape. She also recorded "The Quiet" for the video game The Quiet Man. She performed "Hide and Seek" at the One Love Manchester benefit concert in June 2017. Her performance was praised as "powerful." In November 2017, she announced that Frou Frou would reunite for the Mycelia World Tour. In March 2018, she won the Inspiration Award at the Music Producers Guild Awards.

Heap at The Town Hall in 2019

On 18 September 2018, Imogen released The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Four Contemporary Suites. The Mycelia World Tour began in Europe in 2018. The North American part started in April 2019. This was her first North American tour in nine years. It was also Frou Frou's first tour since 2003. That same month, she and Guy Sigsworth released "Guitar Song (Live)," their first Frou Frou song in 15 years.

In June 2019, she announced plans to release an album of collaborations in 2020. She also performed on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts series. In January 2020, she hosted the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony. In April 2020, she collaborated with IBM on the single "Phase and Flow." During the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched an app for fans. She also started working on "Augmented Imogen," an AI version of herself. She released "Last Night of an Empire" in December 2020. In 2022, she partnered with Symphonic Distribution to re-release old material, including Frou Frou demos.

As part of a new project called The Living Song, Imogen released "What Have You Done To Me?" on 1 November 2024. Her song "Headlock" became popular on TikTok in October 2024. In January 2025, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 100.

Film Work

After touring for almost two years for her album Speak for Yourself, Imogen continued traveling. She brought only a laptop and video camera. She started writing her next album, Ellipse, during this trip. She also filmed the process, as a fan had asked her to. The film Everything In-Between: The Story of Ellipse was released in November 2010. It shows the making of the album and the renovation of her childhood home into her new studio.

On 5 November 2010, Imogen conducted an orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. They performed a piece she composed. She also worked with London Contemporary Voices, a choir formed for this concert. This performance was broadcast live worldwide. It was the music for a film called Love The Earth. Fans were invited to send in videos of nature for the film.

In 2014, filmmaker Christopher Ian Smith made Cumulus. This documentary explored Imogen's background and music. It was made entirely from social media content and data created by Imogen and her fans. The film looks at her digital footprint and her relationship with fans.

Other Projects

The Hideaway Studio

In 2006, Imogen opened a recording studio called The Hideaway. It was located at The Round House in Havering, which was her family home.

Mi.Mu Gloves

Heap demonstrating her Mi.Mu gloves at the 2018 Web Summit

In July 2011, Imogen showed off a new invention: musical gloves. She presented them at the TEDGlobal conference in Scotland. She developed them with Tom Mitchell and Rachel Freire. The idea came from other musical gloves she saw at MIT. Early versions of Imogen's gloves had some problems. Imogen said the gloves help her "physicalize" sounds from the computer. This makes it easier for the audience to understand what she is doing.

These gloves are called Mi.Mu gloves. They are made from a material called Yulex. They have a special board at the wrist that tracks hand movement. They also have sensors over the knuckles, a vibration motor, and LED lights. The gloves send data to a computer. This allows them to control volume, record music, and filter sounds. The gloves come with special software called Glover. This software works with music apps like Ableton Live.

Imogen recorded her song "Me the Machine" using an early version of the gloves in 2012. She also showed them on the BBC show Dara Ó Briain's Science Club. In April 2014, Imogen tried to raise money to make more gloves through Kickstarter. The campaign didn't reach its goal. However, the Mi.Mu project found other investors. Singer Ariana Grande was an early investor and user of the gloves. She used them during her 2015 concert tour. In April 2019, the Mi.Mu gloves became available for pre-order. Popular Science magazine named them one of the 100 greatest innovations of 2019.

Mycelia

In October 2015, Imogen released her song "Tiny Human" using Mycelia. This is a platform she created based on blockchain technology. Mycelia is a decentralized music database. It allows artists to share their music and use smart contracts. Mycelia's Creative Passport program is a special profile for artists who are not signed to big labels.

Music Style

In the late 1990s, Imogen's music was mostly alternative rock. Her early songs were often compared to artists like Tori Amos and Kate Bush. After forming the electronic duo Frou Frou, her music changed. It became more pop-focused, especially electronic pop and art pop. She often writes, produces, and engineers her own music. She has said she rarely listens to other music. Instead, she gets ideas from TED conferences.

Imogen plays many instruments, including piano, clarinet, cello, guitar, drums, and the array mbira. She uses a lot of electronic sounds in her music. She also mixes everyday sounds into her songs. She believes these sounds give her music "width and space." CNN described her music as a mix of soft acoustic sounds, electronic music, and technology.

Imogen says her song lyrics come from her own experiences. But they are not always direct. She said her lyrics are like "secret messages" to her friends or family. She would never tell them which songs are about them.

Imogen's frog-themed outfit at the 2007 Grammy Awards has been called one of the most "outrageous" Grammy outfits ever.

Influence and Legacy

Imogen Heap is seen as a very influential artist in pop music. Especially in electronic pop, and for using technology in her music. NPR called her a "pioneer of electronic pop" in 2018. Billboard magazine called her an "electro-pop innovator." Stereogum called her "pop's unsung pioneer" and an "electronic pop mastermind." The New York Times called her a "pop pioneer" and an "innovator in musical technology." Paper magazine called her the "Nikola Tesla of pop music." Various news outlets have called her a "tech pioneer."

Many artists have said Imogen Heap inspired their music. These include Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding, and Kacey Musgraves. Her songs have also been sampled by many artists, influencing a style of music called cloud rap.

Charity Work

In 2008, Imogen was part of an album called Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace. This project supported Tibet and the Dalai Lama. It also highlighted human rights in Tibet. The album was released in August. On 12 October 2008, Imogen ran in a 10k race for Cancer Research UK. She raised over £1000 with help from her fans.

In 2010, Imogen started performing improvised songs at shows. She asked for donations for charity to download the songs. In 2011, she played a benefit concert in Christchurch, New Zealand. This helped rebuild a high school after a big earthquake.

On 4 June 2017, Imogen performed at One Love Manchester. This was a benefit concert organized by Ariana Grande. It was held after a bombing at Ariana's concert in Manchester. Imogen performed "Hide and Seek." Other famous artists like Katy Perry and Justin Bieber also performed.

Live 4 X Events

In 2010, Imogen Heap teamed up with Thomas Ermacora to create a series of online charity events called Live 4 X. The first event was inspired by the 2010 Pakistan floods. These floods covered a large part of Pakistan. They affected over 14 million people and destroyed many homes. Imogen and Thomas created a webcast and online fundraiser. It aimed to raise awareness and money for those affected.

The webcast included talks with experts and live music performances. Musicians like Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, and Josh Groban performed. This established the idea for Live 4 X. Imogen has continued to organize and perform at these events. They combine live entertainment with discussions and technology. This makes Live 4 X an effective way to help charities.

After the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, Imogen said she would continue to organize Live 4 X events for different causes.

Past Live 4 X Events:

• 31 August 2010 – Live 4 Pakistan: Raised money for flood relief in Pakistan. Imogen couldn't appear due to Hurricane Earl.
• 3 February 2011 – Live 4 Cape Town
• 11 April 2011 – Live 4 Sendai: Raised money for Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It also asked for ideas to rebuild.

Personal Life

Imogen started dating film director Michael Lebor in 2012. In June 2014, she announced in her video blog that she was expecting their first child. She gave birth to their daughter later that year. Imogen's sister, Juliet, passed away in November 2019.

Discography

Studio albums

• I Megaphone (1998)
• Speak for Yourself (2005)
• Ellipse (2009)
• Sparks (2014)

Tours

• Ellipse Tour (2009–2010)
• Mycelia Tour (2019–2020)

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Heap at Web Summit 2024

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  Heap performing at the 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

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  Heap performing in Liverpool, England in 2010

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  Heap at The Town Hall in 2019

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  Heap demonstrating her Mi.Mu gloves at the 2018 Web Summit

See also

In Spanish: Imogen Heap para niños