Heap grew up playing music from an early age, and by her eleventh birthday she was writing her own songs. From the age of 15, she studied at the BRIT School Of Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon, South London, recording three tracks for the school's annual CD between 1994 and 1995, "Aliens" being the title track of the latter.
After being introduced to Nik Kershaw by his manager Mickey Modern, Heap and Kershaw recorded four demos that Mickey Modern took to Rondor Music. Consequently, a few months later Heap signed her first record contract at 18 to independent record label Almo Sounds. During 1996, Heap began working with an experimental pop band called Acacia, which featured her future collaborator Guy Sigsworth and was fronted by the singer Alexander Nilere. While never a full member of the band, Heap was a guest vocalist (as a counterpart to Nilere) and contributed to various Acacia single and album tracks in 1997. One Acacia song, "Maddening Shroud", would later be covered by Frou Frou.
Heap enjoyed a prestigious live début, performing four songs (backed by friends Acacia) between sets by The Who and Eric Clapton at the 1996 Prince's Trust Concert in Hyde Park, London. Her début album, I Megaphone (an anagram of "Imogen Heap") was internationally released in 1998 on independent record label Almo Sounds and garnered critical acclaim. However, as production of the album neared completion, it was announced that the record label had been sold and would be shut down. I-Megaphone featured collaborations with Guy Sigsworth and Dave Stewart. In Japan, the regional distributor, Zora, re-released the album in 2002, featuring "Blanket," her collaboration with Urban Species which was released as a single in the United Kingdom, and a Frou Frou remix of one of her B-sides, a video to which was released exclusively to Japanese media. Following the disbanding of her UK and USA record label, I Megaphone was scarce in circulation, having not been re-printed until November 2006. An independent Brazillian record label has rights to the record, and has issued limited copies, some of which are available on eBay. It has also been released through the iTunes Music Store under the Almo label.
At the same time as the Japanese re-release, Heap was working on new tracks with producer Guy Sigsworth, who had collaborated on "Getting Scared" from I-Megaphone. Together, they formed an electro-pop group Frou Frou, releasing an album called "Details" and singles, "Breathe In", "It's Good To Be In Love" and "Must Be Dreaming." The album was a full collaboration between the two artists. Frou Frou were approached to cover "Holding Out for a Hero", originally performed by Bonnie Tyler, for the soundtrack to the highly successful movie Shrek 2. An album track, "Let Go", was featured in the movie Garden State in 2004.
In December 2003, Heap announced on her web site that she was going to write and produce her second solo album, using her site as an online blog to update fans on progress, even seeking them to be her A&R team for the lyrics to "Daylight Robbery". Heap set herself a deadline of one year to make the album (she booked the album mastering for December 2004), and re-mortgaged her flat to fund production costs, including the use of studio time and instruments (which she purchased as a birthday present to herself). Having been burned by previous challenges with record labels (Heap had been spurned twice by record companies, when Almo Sounds was sold and when Frou Frou's label staff focused on promoting other acts), Heap decided to form her own record label on which to release the new record. At the end of 2004, Heap premiered two album tracks online, enabling fans to pay for a digital download, entitled "Just For Now" (which was up for a limited time as a Christmas gift), and "Goodnight And Go", which had been featured on the second season of hit US TV drama The O.C.
In April 2005, The O.C. season two finale featured another track, the sparse vocodered-vocal track, "Hide And Seek". The track was released immediately to digital download services such as iTunes where it became an instant fixture in the chart. The track was released as a digital download on the 5th July 2005 in the UK and peaked at #8 on the iTunes download chart.
The album, entitled "Speak For Yourself" was then released in the UK on July 18th 2005 on her own record label, Megaphonic Records. The album was also released on iTunes UK, where it entered the top 10, selling strongly. "Hide And Seek" also received radio attention from the popular UK radio station BBC Radio One, with DJ Scott Mills featuring it as his "Record of the Week", and provoking strong reactions ("love it or hate it") from other DJs at the station. Due to popular demand, the track was commercially released on a special limited edition (1500 copies were printed) 7" vinyl in the UK in September. Speak For Yourself was licensed to Sony BMG imprint RCA Victor in August 2005, enabling the record to be released in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It was released in those territories in November, and Heap appeared on the Hotel Cafe Tour promoting the record. Imogen also performed "Goodnight And Go" on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 11, 2006. Heap is slated to continue touring in 2006 in the US and UK to support the record.
As well as TV soundtracks (Frou Frou and Heap's solo records have been featured in shows as varied as The O.C. to CSI, among others), Heap has also contributed solo tracks to movie soundtracks. Her cover of the song "Spooky" (made famous by the band Classics IV, and previously covered by Dusty Springfield) for the soundtrack to the Reese Witherspoon movie Just Like Heaven. Heap also wrote a special track entitled "Can't Take It In" for the soundtrack to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She has also appeared on the second soundtrack for the HBO television series "Six Feet Under", entitled "Six Feet Under Vol. 2: Everything Ends" with a 50-second track that closed the Season 4 episode "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)". Three versions were recorded and are available from Heap's official web site.
In addition to producing her own records, she has also produced a track for Nik Kershaw and has collaborated with artists as diverse as Joshua Radin, Jeff Beck, Temposhark, LHB, Way Out West, Jon Bon Jovi, Mich Gerber, Sean Lennon, Urban Species, Blue October, Jon Hopkins and Acacia.
Heap's 2009 album 'Ellipse' features Canvas, Aha! and Half Life.
Sites: Twitter
www.imogenheap.com
Clear the Area
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one's out here and I was not followed
Love love, you're already home
Party's over and you don't look so good
[Chorus]
You'll find your way back down
And I'll keep the area clear
When you find your way back down
In one piece
Then I'll just be waiting here
Right here
Low light, mercury morning
No need to stay as it's always nothing
But your eyes tell a whole other story
And I feel the weight of the world
I won't talk
I won't try
Just move
It's too still in your sadness
Cry
Give up
It's okay
You've just got to trust me
[Chorus]
Slowly, darling
Nobody means any more to me than you
If you're in, baby then I'm in (into this)
With you always
Careful, close to the edge (you're scaring me)
Fall into my arms (where did it all fall)
Fall into love (love)
[Chorus: x2]
In Imogen Heap's song Clear The Area, she sings about being there for someone who has hit rock bottom. The opening lines "Knock knock, are you alone? No one's out here and I was not followed" suggest that the person she's addressing may be feeling paranoid or unsafe. Heap reassures them that they're already home and the party is over, implying that they may have been engaging in self-destructive behavior or substance abuse. The chorus "You'll find your way back down, and I'll keep the area clear" shows that she's willing to support them through their struggles and create a safe space for them to come back to.
The verse "Low light, mercury morning, no need to stay as it's always nothing" paints a picture of a bleak and unremarkable scene, but Heap acknowledges that her friend's eyes tell a different story. She feels the weight of the world on their shoulders and knows that things are harder than they appear to be. She wants to offer comfort without intruding and encourages them to cry and give up, assuring them it's okay and that she's there to help them through it.
Line by Line Meaning
Knock knock, are you alone?
Asking if the person is alone and trying to make sure no one followed them.
No one's out here and I was not followed
Assuring that there is no one around and that they are not being followed.
Love love, you're already home
Noticing that they have already arrived home.
Party's over and you don't look so good
Noticing that the person looks unwell after the party.
You'll find your way back down
Assuring the person that they will recover and come out of their current state.
And I'll keep the area clear
Promising to support them and provide a clear path for them to recover.
(Please clear the area)
A plea to others to give space and let the person recover in peace.
When you find your way back down
Reiterating that the person will recover.
In one piece
Expressing the hope that they will recover fully.
Then I'll just be waiting here
Promising to be there for them when they recover.
Low light, mercury morning
Describing the ambiance of the moment.
No need to stay as it's always nothing
Reassuring that there is no need to dwell on negative emotions.
But your eyes tell a whole other story
Noticing that the person is actually feeling down despite what they may say.
And I feel the weight of the world
Feeling empathetic towards the person's struggles.
I won't talk
Being there for the person even if they don't want to talk about their feelings.
I won't try
Not pushing the person to open up before they are ready.
Just move
Encouraging the person to take a step forward.
It's too still in your sadness
Observing that they are stuck in their sadness.
Cry
Acknowledging that it's okay for them to cry and release their emotions.
Give up
Suggesting that it's okay to give up control and let someone else help.
It's okay
Reassuring the person that it's okay to feel how they feel.
You've just got to trust me
Asking for their trust and promising to be there for them.
Slowly, darling
Speaking in a gentle and caring way.
Nobody means any more to me than you
Expressing how much the person means to the artist.
If you're in, baby then I'm in (into this)
Promising to be there for the person if they are willing to let the singer help.
With you always
Assuring that they will always be there for the person.
Careful, close to the edge (you're scaring me)
Expressing concern for the person who seems to be on the edge and in need of help.
Fall into my arms (where did it all fall)
Offering physical and emotional support for the person to lean on.
Fall into love (love)
Encouraging the person to lean on love and support for recovery.
[Chorus: x2]
Repeating the chorus for emphasis and as a reminder of the singer's promise to support the person through their recovery.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IMOGEN JENNIFER HEAP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind