Introducing Imogen Making "genre-less" music in her London studio has taken the singer-songwriter to the surfer's paradise of The O.C. and the fantasy world of Narnia Nov 16, 2005 02:00PM EST For U.K.-based artist Imogen Heap making music is a do-it-yourself project. Not only does she wow audiences as a one-woman band of keyboards, beat-boxes, computers, and vocals, she also launched her solo career all by herself. Previously, as one-half of the reasonably successful trip-hop duo Frou Frou, Heap's voice was heard on Zach Braff's Garden State soundtrack, which generated plenty of buzz both here and across the pond. But when her label called to tell her that they wanted to work with her as a solo artist and not pursue her band, Heap had mixed feelings and decided to go out on her own. She went to the bank for a loan to cover the expenses of recording and promoting an album. "I'm [at the bank] with all my CDs and press clippings," Heap has said. And "I was sent packing." She then decided to bet her London flat on stardom by getting a second mortgage and began writing and producing her first solo album. The risk and the hard work have paid off. The album Speak For Yourself, which went on sale Nov. 1, is making a splash on the charts. It broke into the Billboard 200 and it's currently at #2 on the Top New Artist (Heatseekers) Chart and #3 on the Electronic Albums Chart. Heap's music has also appeared on television soundtracks for shows like HBO's Six Feet Under and Fox's The O.C., which featured the acoustic track "Hide And Seek" in the dramatic finale of the last season. "I'm eternally grateful to The O.C. for braving such an off kilter song to feature in that spot. The response to that episode has been amazing," Heap has said. "And I was ecstatic that suddenly, after putting so much of myself into this album and my transition to going solo again, I was going to be exposed to a whole new audience." Heap should expect even more buzz for the holidays. She's been asked to record a track for the soundtrack of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which hits U.S. theaters on Dec. 9. Her haunting electronic music and intoxicating vocals is pitch perfect for the fantasy film. The song, entitled "Can't Take It In," will play over the closing credits; the CD will be released on Dec. 6. Heap plans to celebrate her accomplishments at the Film's U.K premiere the following day.
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