Imogen Heap with Tim Exile and Back Ted N-Ed
Where: Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW
When: 8 p.m. Monday
Info: Various prices; at press time, show is sold out, but tickets may be available online through various ticket re-sellers; 202-408-3100; sixthandi.org.
The third time will likely be the charm for Imogen Heap.
Certainly her music — a quirky, inspirational and eclectic sound that defies classification — has gained her critical and popular appeal. But there’s something besides her unique sound that has pushed her into luminary status — whether it’s never-give-up story, her overall vision of her work or her constant social networking with fans.
“It’s a little bit for them but it’s more for me,” Heap said of her interaction with fans. “They are my formula for success. When I was in the studio … I couldn’t live without that [social media] connection to the outside world. They got me through the day to day with their encouragement, love and advice.”
The road to popular success and Grammy nominations hasn’t been easy. Although she released her debut album “Imegaphone” at age 20 — which was produced by David Kahne, Eurythmic Dave Stewart and Bjork/Madonna collaborator Guy Sigsworth — and built a loyal fan base the road to success wasn’t smooth.
She began a collaborative with Sigsworth — forming electronica duo Frou Frou, which released the album “Details,” — but soon decided to return to solo work.
Her career was almost derailed when she was told by record company executives that her second album “Speak For Yourself,” lacked potential; they cut promotional funding and left her in limbo.
“There has never been a point where I thought I would quit music,” she said. “I knew what I wanted and this is the album I wanted [to create]. I want to have a body of work that I can live through.”
Working almost entirely alone with money she gained from re-mortgaging her apartment, she eventually released the 2005 album on her own label. She had used fan input to guide the creation of the album and also used MySpace, YouTube and other social media sites to promote her album, which eventually led to licensing deals with Sony BMG.
Her third album “Ellipse” — which she began writing the day she finished the tour for “Speak For Yourself” — was released in August and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Top 200 charts.
Many believe this will mark Heap’s major breakthrough in recognition. Whether that’s true, Heap is so content with her musical progress, she plans to slow it down to more fully develop her next release.
“I’ve put my whole life on hold,” said Heap of her rapid-fire releases. “I’m not going to do that now. The next album will be slowly trickled out over four years. In the back of my head I will still be thinking of the body of work, the beautiful portrait and then in four years I can connect them all together,” she said. “I much prefer the idea of that.”
