A Paste Conversation: Imogen Heap

It began as a late assignment with a narrow focus— with a deadline approaching, Paste called contributing editor Brian Howe and asked for 200 words on Imogen Heap, whose single “Hide And Seek” was setting tongues aflutter among viewers of The OC, where it played over the closing credits to Season Two’s finale.

A few emails later, we had a 2,500-word Q&A with Immi (as she calls herself) that was just too good to relegate to the cutting room floor. So enjoy this web-exclusive conversation with the queen of soundtracks, who’s contributed songs to Garden State (as half of the duo Frou Frou), The OC, and the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and is plotting to craft an original score of her own.

Paste: From what I understand, you're almost entirely responsible for Speak For Yourself, handling the songwriting, playing, recording and production. Is this accurate, or did you have some help?

Imogen Heap: I had this big bee in my bonnet about getting help on this album. There's this thing that happens when a female artist puts a guy’s name on an album as tech or mixer or producer... most times people assume that person must have done most of the album as girls don’t do that kind of stuff do they?

There were plenty of moments during the course of making this album I could have really done with a sidekick geek boy to help me out when it comes to computers misbehaving and not getting along with me or something I'm trying to get it to talk to but [the] stubborn—possibly slightly control freak—side of my studio personality would never allow that no matter how bad it got.

I do utilize my boyfriend in more ways than one as he happens to be a great drummer, [and] doesn't look too shabby playing them either! He'd be summoned once a month or so to come and lay down some loops for me to mangle with. Also this amazing trumpeter Arve Henriksen makes a small appearance. I've used a lot of the stuff that he recorded in that one session for an instrumental I wrote to complement the a cappella single “Hide And Seek.” A guy who I wrote a few songs with for his album, Mich Gerber, who is this fabulous classical double bassist also lends his tone to a couple of tracks to give the “virtual” strings a realistic air. My now very good friend Jeff Beck—who I met under the stars in a 12th-century chateau about seven years ago playing the guitar with a bottle of wine—also played the craziest 12-bar guitar solo on the planet in “Goodnight and Go.”

Do you prefer working alone to working with a partner in Frou Frou? Speak For Yourself is very detailed and controlled; do you work better having absolute control?

They are totally different and I love both. I like to swap around, though, and not stick with one thing for too long. I love collaborating with others and every time I have I've gotten so much from each experience. I do love working alone, though, too. I've really, for the first time in life, challenged myself. I've always been curious how far I could get with doing an album entirely on my own and the answer seems to be ‘all the way!’

Control is a good and bad thing. Control can be spending four weeks on one lyric. I found myself starting up a blog (www.imogenheap.co.uk/iblog) on my website to set myself goals publicly. There's something about the feeling of people watching you that makes you not dilly-dally.