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
Underground
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never thought it would be like me
it's left me so alone in life
you've made me so alone
you only had a few days to save me
ah
there's hope in love
there may be an angel
deep in the underground
an absent space next to me lies
up in here since it was worn
I told you it'd be like this
I've felt this way before
a fickle heart's a dangerous place
oh
there's hope in love
deep in the underground
there may be an angel
deep in the underground
get back in here
(back here)
get back in here
(back here)
get back in here
(back here)
get back in here
(back here)
there's hope in love
deep in the underground
there may be an angel
deep in the underground
there may be an angel
deep in the underground
there may be an angel
deep in the underground
The lyrics to Imogen Heap's song "Underground" speak to the isolation that can come with bitterness and a lack of love, as well as the hope that can be found in love even in unlikely places. The first lines, "I am a cold and bitter man / I never thought it would be like me / it's left me so alone in life / you've made me so alone," convey the singer's sense of loneliness and blame others for it. The repeated refrain, "there's hope in love / deep in the underground / there may be an angel / deep in the underground," suggests that redemption is possible through love, even in places that are dark and hidden.
The second verse, "an absent space next to me lies / up in here since it was worn / I told you it'd be like this / I've felt this way before / a fickle heart's a dangerous place," speaks to the danger of holding grudges and being closed off to love. The "absent space" suggests a missing piece of the singer's heart, and the line "up in here since it was worn" implies that this loss has been felt for a long time. The idea that a "fickle heart's a dangerous place" suggests that the singer may have been hurt in the past but is also wary of opening themselves up to new experiences.
Overall, the lyrics to "Underground" suggest that love can bring hope and healing, even in unlikely places, but that bitterness and a closed heart can be isolating and painful. The repetition of the refrain throughout the song underscores the idea that love is a powerful force that can change even the darkest situations.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a cold and bitter man
I have become a person who is emotionally distant and resentful towards others.
I never thought it would be like me
I did not expect to become this way.
it's left me so alone in life
My personality has caused me to be isolated and lonely.
you've made me so alone
You, someone important in my life, have contributed to my feelings of loneliness.
you only had a few days to save me
I needed help or support, but there was a limited amount of time available to receive it.
there's hope in love
deep in the underground
there may be an angel
deep in the underground
There is a possibility of finding love or help in unexpected places or situations.
an absent space next to me lies
up in here since it was worn
There is a physical place where someone used to be that is now empty, and it has been like that for a while.
I told you it'd be like this
I've felt this way before
a fickle heart's a dangerous place
I predicted what is happening now and I have experienced this kind of situation in the past. Having an indecisive or unstable heart can lead to negative consequences.
get back in here
(back here)
Come back to where we were before, return to how things used to be.
there may be an angel
deep in the underground
Despite difficult circumstances, there could still be someone who can provide assistance or guidance.
Contributed by Isabella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
OrangeHat101
this is an amazing song. i donno about this being any better or worse than anything she does now. Its just very different. but i really do love this song just as much as anything she writes now. absolutely brilliant. I wish this had been in Imegaphone. any way to get an mp3 from you?
deadeaded
ahmg! I have been looking for this song for ages! thank you sooooooo much! *does dance*
Juliannarox
i adore this song so much!! i need this on my iPod but thats going to be a bit hard! argh! but no worries! thats what Youtube is for!
Juliannarox
so do i. oh an mp3 would be brilliant!!! i really need it for something important anyways!
Kyoober
She has certainly evolved for the better. ; )
frankieincork
:) she definitely did
OrangeHat101
i've got an mp3 now, if you'd like it.
Juliannarox
are you serious? you'd give me it? that would be the nicest thing that anybody has done for me in ages! oh please that would be so brilliant! i pormise i will do whatever you want in return! i promise! oh please may i have it? btw have you heard The Fire? its so beautiful!