Imogen Heap : Interview

No one could ever accuse Grammy award nominated Imogen Heap of being detached from her fans.  She is an artist with the kind of varied career that many of her contemporaries can only dream of, yet nothing about her suggests a starry-eyed quality, as she exudes humility, honesty and even self-deprecation, always ensuring her feet are firmly stuck to the ground.  Imogen treats her armies of fans as though they are personal friends fully entrenched within her career’s creative processes, even at times encouraging their involvement by welcoming their suggestions on aspects like her artwork, biography and even the lyrics to a particular song. And considering her twitter account is followed by over a million people that would suggest an awful lot of support.

Since her debut solo album ‘I, megaphone’ in 1998, Imogen Heap has become a widely known singer/songwriter, collaborator and producer, whose notoriety in the US has been the result of her apparent “dexterous manipulation of the US teen-tv soundtrack market”. The OC became one of the biggest driving forces behind her fame after numerous Heap tracks were used highlight the emotional turmoil being portrayed across our screens.  Tracks like ‘Hide and Seek’ and her insightful rendition of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ prompted people to seek her out and subsequently appearances across US chat shows beckoned, from everyone to Jay Leno, David Letterman and Carson Daly.   

Now over a decade later in which a tumultuous at times journey has been played out, Imogen Heap has released album number three and labour of love, ‘Ellipse’, which has achieved the often unachievable feat for UK artist's, moreover a UK female artist, of debuting in the top 5 of the US Billboard Charts.  

'Ellipse' is a 13-track opus portraying exquisite production values set around her opulent and skillful songwriting craft and haunting voice, at times effected by the merits of a vocoder.  It's musical attributes should not be overlooked either, as this self-funded, self-produced record is positively bursting with instrumentation, from strings, to piano, to the more inventive homemade sounds emanating from crackling fires or the slapping of bare skin.  In its entirety it is testament to Heap’s dedication to the DIY movement and an extraordinarily produced composite of work that will endear her to new ears whilst ensuring her old fans remain loyal.

So in the wake of the well-received release of 'Ellipse', 4or The Record spoke to Imogen to congratulate her on this remarkable third solo record and to enquire as to the reportedly arduous writing and recording process which took place during a once in a lifetime trip around the world; that hauntingly beautiful video for her song ‘Canvas’ and her obsession with all things Twitter.  

4or The Record: First things first Imogen, congratulations on the album which is an incredible achievement and an extraordinary listen. Generally how was the whole recording process for you?

Imogen Heap: Thank you so much for saying that, it really makes me feel very good about things.  Actually the process for me was very difficult on this record because the main problem was time.  It’s a lovely problem to have really, but when I did the last record on my own in my studio my life wasn’t nearly as busy, because the previous album to that hadn’t done what ‘Speak For Yourself’ had done.  So with the success of 'Speak For Yourself' slowly building and with more and more people wanting to write with me or have me produce them or even collaborate with them, it was really difficult to find time to do my own actual music.  I felt like I was constantly fighting to get any time in the studio.  

So the actual making of ‘Ellipse’ was twice as quick as 'Speak For Yourself' so that was the most stressful thing and I got very frustrated with not having enough time to do it. Actually that was why I kept putting the release back.  But you know I did have moments of great joy when I finally found the missing link and also moments of deep dark despair and self-doubt and then nothing in between really [laughing], it was hard to say the least.

4TR: Was the writing process as fraught, or did you have more time dedicated to songwriting?

Imogen Heap: Oh the writing process was gorgeous, I loved it.  It was the first time I had ever written outside of the studio alone.  I have basically been touring and making music non stop since I was 17 and in that time I haven’t really even been on a holiday, so it just occurred to me when I got back off the last tour in 2007 that I really should go on a holiday because I’d earned it.  So I decided to go away and actually write this album because the technology was ready and available for me to work outside of a studio environment.  I then bought a little writing set up and went to 7 different locations in 5 different countries with 5 different languages and 5 different cultures, and then every 2 weeks I would move to a new space for inspiration.  

4TR: So you essentially travelled the world to write the album – that must have been a fascinating experience, from a personal perspective as well as a professional one.

Imogen Heap: [Laughing] It was absolutely knackering actually with huge long haul flights every 2 weeks through different time zones. Plus I didn’t drive then either so I was booking these places in really remote places because I thought the remoteness would inspire me, but then I found myself there with no car, so it was a bit weird and the reason I learnt to drive when I got back.  But it was a great period of time.  You know I was so excited about my revelation that I didn't have to be in the studio to write, so the writing experience was absolutely brilliant for me and I had a great time.  But I didn’t meet as many kind of wonderful people as you think you're going to on a trip like that; you know when you see things in the movies when people meet their soul mates and other wonderful people on beaches and stuff, well that doesn’t actually happen [laughs].  I met like maybe 2 people that I have kept in contact with over the whole 3 months, you realise it’s actually very hard to find people that you really click with on the planet.

4TR: So in that 3-month period of travelling did you get the whole album written?

Imogen Heap: Well no actually, I wrote about 10 songs, 6 of which ended up on the record and then I wrote 6 at my house.  Then I went back to Maui where I started the writing because the plan was once I had finished the record I would go back there and record some improvised piano on the piano where I wrote the first song, ‘Wait It Out’.  Basically that would kind of create another ellipse to my traveling around the world.  But again I was so pushed for time I hadn’t written the entire record when I got back to Maui but I still went there and recorded some piano anyway.  So for the track ‘Fire’ I had the improvised piano I recorded in Maui and also the bonfire from my house which I recorded the cracklings from and they both make the combination of the Fire in the track.  So in the end there are 6 songs from my travels and one of them actually comes from both home and abroad.

4TR: Do you think the process was beneficial to you as a songwriter?

Imogen Heap: It was incredible and I have certainly come out of it a stronger woman [laughs]; I do feel like I know what I’m doing now and I know that I’m really capable of doing it.  When I was doing ‘Speak For Yourself’ I had never made a record completely on my own before, so because of that I think the pressure was off.  I just thought well I'll see how far I can go and then maybe I’ll get someone to mix it, but then realised that as you make music these days you kind of mix it as you go along if you work like I do, so I didn’t need that and then ended up finishing it and getting my own label and going all the way.  But then with ‘Ellipse’ I knew I could do it so it was harder because I really had to do it on my own.  It was a really great experience and I’m so glad because I love it.

4TR: You have utilised the true meaning of DIY even to the point of setting up your own label and putting the record out yourself.  Do you therefore put more pressure on yourself to deliver, especially because of the success of ‘Speak For Yourself’?

Imogen Heap: Yeah I did put pressure on myself, I mean there’s no reason why I need to get stressed out in the mornings and say “I cant do it anymore its too hard” you know, all I need to do is take the pressure off myself and go ok calm down, take a week off, go away and regroup then come back and you will enjoy yourself again.  But I find it so hard to do that because you get lost in this kind of spiral where you cant leave the studio otherwise you think you're never going to finish the record, so I would have to stay and do what I could, but then would end up doing not very good work for a few weeks.  [Laughing] I don’t really feel like I have quite figured it out yet as far as how to make a record on my own and enjoy it.  Mostly it was really frustrating and slightly terrifying because everyday you face yourself and the pressure of whether you have got it in you to finish it.  

4TR: Not being constrained by a record label must be incredible for the creative process, giving you the freedom to work in whatever way you choose.  Is there anything you would do differently in future? 

Imogen Heap: Oh yeah it’s great but actually as a result of the process being quite full on and massively up and down this time, I’ve decided I’m not going to do another intense record like that.  Instead I’m going to go into the studio and write a song, put it out on the internet the next day and then enjoy the fact that I have something out that is living and doing its thing immediately.  Then I’m going to go off and maybe write something for a film or write and produce for someone else and once that’s over I will come back to the studio and do another song.  So over the course of 4 years, because that’s usually the time span in between records, and after I have released 4 of my own songs a year for 3 years, I’ll have enough for an album and will then release it as a physical copy in its entirety. To me it just seems to weird to wait all this time and have this massive period where this huge monster is waiting to be released from my head.  I think to slowly release it limb by limb will be my plan because it doesn’t feel right to keep music back for so long with the means of technology available to us now.

4TR: ‘First Train Home’ is the first single to be released from ‘Ellipse’ on the 18th October – why did you choose that track?

Imogen Heap: [Laughing] I don’t know it kind of waved at me and said "pick me pick me", so it just felt like a natural outlet for me, almost like it always wanted to be the first single.  It’s the first song on the record and I like the fact that its not about relationships, its something a bit different to me, plus I really like the beat and think it has a bit of everything the record does. Plus this song is quite a good representation of me.  Whereas something like ‘ah-ha’, which is a bit kind of weird and wonderful, is only a little piece of me that I sometimes let out of the closet but 'First Train Home' is more like if I was going to meet someone and shake their hand for the first time, that would be the song emanating from me.

4TR: You've also released the video for ‘Canvas’ on YouTube. It’s such a simple, yet provoking video, and I understand that the song itself was written after watching a video by Barnaby Hoskings.  Have you used that video or just re-created in your own style?

Imogen Heap: Yes that’s true! Barnaby is a friend of Tom Kelly who shot 'Canvas' and who I live with.   I met Barny one night when we had a party at the house and we were chatting about his film, so he played it to me and I just found it so beautiful.  Our one is very different but it was just Barney in these beautiful landscapes with this rectangular canvas which got me really.  So one night when I was absolutely sick of the sound of my own voice after doing all the vocals, I put the film on and turned out all the lights in the studio and just put some sounds to it.  So it wasn’t exactly written to picture, but it is definitely inspired by the film.  Then when I finished ‘Canvas’ someone asked me what inspired me to write it, so we watched the movie whilst listening to the song and it was just amazing, it was so perfect.  So I was like Barny you have got to let me use this for my song video, but he couldn’t because it was a collection piece which he had sold, so he suggested Tom and I go and film a version of it ourselves, and that was what we did.

4TR: Let’s talk about Imogen Heap and Twitter, where you have a huge following.  Do you like it as a social and communicative medium in which to conduct a relationship with your fans?

Imogen Heap: I can’t express how fantastic twitter is in my life.  It’s not because I am checking up on celebrity’s dietary habits or gossip, it’s to do with me as an artist.  Up until now with it was me and a few little bits of press and maybe a little thing on TV or something and that was the only way people would get any kind of an idea of who I was.  I always felt frustrated that everybody was getting a tiny little nano particle of who I was and making assumptions or judgment’s about me from those tiny little moments.  Plus I would read things or see things I had done and think yes I said that but that’s not what I meant, or that interview makes me look like this kind of person and in that particular interview they asked me something and I didn’t agree with them, so now I look like a moody cow etc.  It’s easy for people to read things and make you up in their head, so I love that now I can be myself for the people that matter to me, because it really is just about me making my records and me getting the music to the people who want to hear it.  

It’s instant, I can write something and put it on You Tube and get a reaction straight away, which is just so liberating.  I don’t know how I could live without it now because it makes the whole thing complete by having that direct connection with the people I am making music for and they can then become a part of the process.  But also the biggest thing for me is they help me get out of bed in the morning.  Like when it [recording] was really bad I would dread going into the studio but if you wake up in the morning and have got like 10 tweets saying I love you or good luck today, then that to me is amazing and very motivating.  I find it invaluable on many levels.  

4TR: I read that you have also found it invaluable from a professional artistry point of view in that you have met collaborators etc through tweeting. 

Imogen Heap: Yes I’ve made some great connections through it, like there’s this fantastic beat boxer called Beardy Man who was mentioned one evening on twitter so I checked him out and thought he was great and within an hour he was calling me on my phone and now we are working together.  Loads of crazy things have happened from Twitter.  I did this Glasto show with this other beat boxer called shloamo and that was because he tweeted me.  Artists can get in touch with each other and they have the option to respond or not.  So suddenly it’s this exposed open social and musical responsive world that we live in and I love it.  Plus then sometimes it goes into the real world for example with tweet-ups and Heap Tweets.  It makes things easier on so many levels but interesting with it.  I absolutely don’t think I could be without Twitter now [laughing].

And with that, our interview over, Imogen rushes off to her next appointment and what we can only imagine will continue to be a very busy period of promotional time as 'Ellipse' continues it's inevitable diffusion through consciousness' accross Europe and in the States.

Read our review here...

http://4ortherecord.com/Imogen-Heap-Ellipse.html

Words: Francesca Strange

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