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
Missing you
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For something like this to go my way-
And it always felt so right,
And then you take it all away!
Tell me how will i fall in love like that again!
I'm still singing my way through tears in the pouring rain!
I'm still dreaming about those nights of us together,
Now i'm hiding myself behind this shattered veil,
And i know it's only me to blame,
And i'm swimming through this ocean of grief,
And i'm sailing up your way...
Yah!!
Tell me how will i fall in love like that again!
I'm still singing my way through tears in the pouring rain!
I'm still dreaming about those nights of us together,
You see i thought i'd found the love i'd have forever...
(Missing you, missing you, missing you, yah)
(Missing you, missing you, missing you, yah)
(Missing you, missing you, missing you, yah)
(I'd have forever!! That i'd!!!)
And everything in this house is something of you,
I can't escape even though i try,
Photographs of memories;
I never knew i had so many tears to cry...
And i... yah... die (die, die, die)
I never knew i had so many tears to cry!!
Tell me how will i fall in love like that again!
I'm still singing my way through tears in the pouring rain!
I'm still dreaming about those nights of us together,
You see i thought i'd found the love i'd have forever...
(I'd have forever)
The Imogen Heap song "Missing You" reflects the sentiments of a woman who is grappling with the end of a relationship. She admits to having longed for something to go her way for a long time, and when she found love, it felt right. However, her joy was short-lived as her partner took everything away from her. She cannot fathom how she will fall in love like that again and mourns the end of something she thought would last forever.
The singer's grief is palpable in the lyrics, as she is unable to escape the reminders of her lost love. She has tried to hide behind her shattered veil, but the waves of grief keep pulling her back to the memories of the good times she had with her ex. She is left with nothing but tears and photographs, and the pain is almost too much to bear.
In conclusion, "Missing You" is a moving ballad that captures the heartbreak of losing a love that seemed so perfect. The song's power lies in its ability to evoke raw emotions in the listener, making it a must-listen for anyone who has ever experienced heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, i've been longing for as long as i can remember
I have yearned for this for as long as I can remember
For something like this to go my way-
I have wanted something to finally go my way
And it always felt so right,
It always felt like things were on track
And then you take it all away!
And then it all came crashing down
Tell me how will i fall in love like that again!
How can I love again the way I loved before?
I'm still singing my way through tears in the pouring rain!
I sing my way through my sadness in the rain
I'm still dreaming about those nights of us together,
I still dream of the nights we shared
You see i thought i'd found the love i'd have forever...
I believed I had found a love that would last forever
Now i'm hiding myself behind this shattered veil,
Now I am shielding myself behind a broken facade
And i know it's only me to blame,
I understand that I am to blame
And i'm swimming through this ocean of grief,
I am struggling through an immense sadness
And i'm sailing up your way...
And I am headed your way
And everything in this house is something of you,
Everything in this house reminds me of you
I can't escape even though i try,
I cannot escape it no matter how hard I try
Photographs of memories;
Memories captured in photographs
I never knew i had so many tears to cry...
I never knew I had so many tears to shed
And i... yah... die (die, die, die)
And I... succumb to the pain
Tell me how will i fall in love like that again!
How can I love again the way I loved before?
I'm still singing my way through tears in the pouring rain!
I sing my way through my sadness in the rain
I'm still dreaming about those nights of us together,
I still dream of the nights we shared
You see i thought i'd found the love i'd have forever...
I believed I had found a love that would last forever
Contributed by Cole M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@glw100
''see i thought i'd found a love i'd have forever'' :( This is a fantastic song!
@FinalFantasyFan300
Can't believe this was in 1994, it's amazing hearing her voice from such a long time ago and how much it changed! <3 It was always amazing!
@VampireAngelFreedom
Imogen Heap is truly a unique artist, no doubt about that! It seems like she'll always change, but forever keep that special and amazing voice of hers .
@jfvt05
I still think this is probably my most favorite song she ever did, even though all the others are also really good. I wish it was on an album. It is so impressive!
@Ikiloshi
quite shocked to learn she was 15 when she wrote/sung this!
@trexx63
Another stunningly beautiful composition by this remarkable artist. Imogen floors me with this one.
@dreamworx94
She's beautiful. Her voice is beautiful.
@NishHammer
I had to put her music away for the last 2 months. Glad I did, sometimes I can listen to fav music to much...such as Imogen's. Love everything thing she does. Can't wait to see her for the first time ever, hopefully this year she will come my way in Toronto.
@kalkiwolf
allways in love with her work......
@tasslebear82
this song is almost as close to perfect as music gets!! her vocal harmonies are always amazing, but there particularly special in this song!! cheers for posting it!!