Hub of Human Connection

HUB OF HUMAN CONNECTION Stories of connection from the fans of Imogen Heap

Hub Of Human Connection In May 2012, when the Listening Chair was unleashed into the world, Miriam Mason and I were brainstorming song ideas together. We began to discuss how you are a connector for a million different people, and how there are a million different possibilities of friendship and love that can come from that. It’s like you are this hub that people stream through, meet, twist and interact. We decided to make a video for the Listening Chair sharing these thoughts.

A few weeks later, after you sent me the message saying the video lifted your spirits, I decided I wanted to gather other people’s stories of how they have connected with others because of you. I wanted to make you a book that you could go to whenever you needed your spirits lifted. So I sent out Tweets, messages on Facebook, a post on iBabble and emails, asking people to answer a set of questions.

I got wonderful responses from people all over the world. The connections range from online friends around the world, work opportunities, artistic collaborations, to growing closer to loved ones, support through hard times, travel, new experiences, deep friendships, and love. Along with responses to the questions, I also got people sharing ideas and offering to help with the book.

Jennifer White-Torres, you may remember her from the image she took for Lifeline (Heapsong1) offered to help with the design of the book. I’m so thankful she did. I couldn’t have put this book together without her help.

We all truly love you Immi, and are so thankful for the love and friendship you have brought to each of our lives.

I hope you enjoy the book and all the beautiful stories that all began because of you!

Love, Sarah

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IMMI’S MUSIC? I was a HUGE fan of the OC in 2004, and when I heard “Hide and Seek” I fell in love instantly!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IMMI AND HER MUSIC? I love the uniqueness about everything she creates. Everything is SO soothing and relaxing. She is one of the most talented people I have ever met. Seeing her do her thing at a concert is mind blowing. I just get speechless. She is truly gifted.

HAVE YOU CONNECTED WITH OTHERS VIA IMMI’S MUSIC? IF SO, IN WHAT WAYS? Yes I have! When I was part of “Lifeline” I met a TON of other talented peers. And some that I met at the party at Immi’s house are some of my best friends. Even though “Lifeline” happened and was completed in March of 2011, I still keep in touch with everyone that I have met in person and virtually.

Alexandra Arnold 21 years old New Orleans, LA, USA

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I have met so many amazing people from this whole entire experience, and when I went to her house, I met so many more. The friendship that stuck the most was with my friend Alan Davis. I met him at Immi’s house in October of 2011, and we have been SUCH good friends since. He lives in Canada, so we would Skype literally EVERY night. I don’t know what I would do without him. We made this friendship work and last despite the distance. I’ve also kept in touch with his friend John that he brought to her house as well! Love both of them.

I also met Ingrid Williams (from Oklahoma) at her house too. We had spoken a few times since we were both part of the “Lifeline” bundle, but finally meeting her in person was so great. We had a lot in common and still keep in touch to this day! Another friend I still keep in touch with is Ylva Bengtsson from Sweden. We bonded at Immi’s house and kind of stuck together most of the night, and once we all went our separate ways, we still every now and then would Facebook each other. I studied abroad this past fall in the South of France, and before I went home I spent a week in London, so I contacted Ylva, and we spent a day together and catching up! It was so amazing to hang out with a friend I had not seen since we were both at Imogen’s house and also getting to know each other a little better. It was so amazing!!

And I also talk to Jennifer White-Johnson every now and then even though we haven’t officially met in person. She’s the sweetest! While in London this past November, I also met Jose Cuervos (sp?) who’s from Mexico currently living in London. He was part of Lifeline too and I would have met him in person at the first party but I was not able to get there in 24 hours, you know, since I was coming from America. But we’ve talked a lot on Facebook, and when he heard that I was going to be in London for a week, we decided that we should officially meet, so we did! Each and everyone person that I have met through Imogen have a place in my heart. They are some of the most amazing people!

All of the connections that I have made with these new friends have made an impact on my life! I will honestly never forget the new friendships that were made during that time. All of these new friends have made an emotional and physical impact on my life. Including Immi.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

GRATEFUL, BLESSED, HOPEFUL, CREATIVE, PRODUCTIVE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY TO IMMI? I just can’t thank Immi enough for letting me have this AMAZING opportunity to live my dreams and actually believe in some of my older work. The photograph that Immi chose was a very old photograph that I didn’t really like anymore. And then when Andy Carne favorited two of my photographs and started saying certain things that he liked about it, it made me realize that even though I considered it “old photography,” it still had some great values and things about it. This whole experience has changed my life and I am so grateful that you allowed me to be a part of “Lifeline.” I will never forget the time that we met and you invited me to your house. Such an amazing moment. You are one of the most talented people I have ever met and I will cherish the short memories that we had together. Thank you so much again for including me in the beginning of this upcoming album!

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IMMI’S MUSIC? The first time I heard it, was on “Shrek 2” in the final credits, with her song “Holding Out For a Hero” from Frou Frou. Then, I heard it again, when I was searching for a song from another group called “I Must Be Dreaming” and I found a surprise, another Immi song. So, when I heard it, I fell in love with her.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IMMI AND HER MUSIC? I love her concepts and lyrics, but the thing I love most from her songs is the magic I can feel inside every one of them.

HAVE YOU CONNECTED WITH OTHERS VIA IMMI’S MUSIC? IF SO, IN WHAT WAYS? Alfonso Espinosa 16 years old Yucatan, Mexico

A few times. The first time, was with a friend of mine that told me something about good music. We began to talk about “underground” music, and started to talk about Imogen.

I felt a spiritual connection with him, because, we were both fans. That was so special for me.

HAVE ANY OF THOSE CONNECTIONS MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE? IF SO, WHAT KIND OF IMPACT?

@AlfonsEd

A spiritual impact.

FOR THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE CONNECTED WITH, WHERE DO THEY LIVE? Some of them live far away from Mexico. In fact, little people, here in Merida, Yucatan knows anything about Immi. (It’s sad, I know)

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

FABULOUS, INCREDIBLE, MAGIC, SUPERB, LOVELY. ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY TO IMMI? “Imogen doesn’t make music. She makes MAGIC”

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

As a designer I worked with other artists in Immi’s field of music during the first half of the 00’s, and that’s when I was first introduced to her music. Then a couple of years ago Immi’s manager Mark thought that she might like my Streemliner product (called 3DiCD at that point) so he introduced us via a Skype call from Detroit. What sticks in my mind from that first Skype call was how the combination of webcam position, Immi’s hair at the time and the fact she had to lean in to study the Streemliner on the screen, meant I was mostly looking at a mass of hair throughout the call and barely caught a glimpse of her face!! We finally actually met in person at a music event in Cannes, South of France.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Andy Carne In the morning 85, in my head 21, but in reality 43 East of England, north of London, on the North Essex / Suffolk border UK

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Personally - Immi is a wonderful person, generous in so many ways, with her talent, with her fanbase, with her team etc and by generous I mean trusting, giving, accepting and sharing ...I’ve worked with some people in the industry who are constantly on their guard about protecting their input, but Immi is the complete opposite of that... she is the ultimate collaborator, so working with her has been a total joy, our creative conversations always spark something special... plus we both have an “if it’s possible, we can do it” approach to creativity, so we’re either a great team or just dangerous for each other!

Music – Immi has impeccable quality control within all aspects of her creative world, especially the music, lyrics, production etc and she will not stop until it’s right, and that shows in the results.

Plus she’s not afraid to go out on a limb to reach something new i.e. ‘the safe route’ just doesn’t feature in her dictionary! But somehow out of all of this apparent mayhem she creates amazing music, it’s quite incredible.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music?

If so, in what ways?

Yes, I’ve met some great people through Immi and her music, too many to list really! But one great pleasure has been connecting with so many talented creative people through submissions for the various Heapsongs, the photographers, painters and designers particularly. Another highlight would be connecting with Laurence Duff, a talented musician from LA who I would never have connected with had it not been for Immi’s music. And of course ‘Team Heap’ who are all individually lovely people, it’s great to have worked with such a genuinely supportive team.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

Yes, some in obvious ways, others subtle, but difficult to explain!

Do you have any stories of a moment of Connection you have had with any of these people?

Talking with fans at the first Heapsong party was particularly great, especially hearing about their stories as fans. One American lady had just spent 3 days in a nightmare of chasing passports across different states so that she could fly into England purely for the party evening at Immi’s house, then immediately fly back... it was an incredible demonstration of dedication. But my great reward was finally meeting the people from this incredible pool of creative talent we’d collated with the Lifeline seeds. However, the bizarrest had to be a Guide Leader from Oklahoma telling me her entire Guide Group were now fans of mine after seeing the ‘bouncy ball’ video blog from Lifeline... I’m just the visuals guy, I don’t get ‘fans’!!?

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

INSPIRED, INSPIRING, INSPIRATIONAL, INSPIRITING AND, OF COURSE, INSPIRATION ITSELF. Anything you want to say to Immi?

Yes, I would love some cheese...

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IMMI’S MUSIC? I was driving home from work one evening in 2005 and heard “Let Go” on KBCO (a massively popular station out of Boulder) and was absolutely floored by it. Since that was back in the days before digital radios were in every car, I looked up the playlist online when I got home and found out who it was.

I’ve been lovingly and happily entangled with immi’s voice ever since.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IMMI AND HER MUSIC? This is virtually impossible for me to answer. It’s like trying to answer why you like sunsets, or trying to describe the way it makes me feel when I see breeze moving through the leaves of a tree on a sunny day. Some things escape definition. One of the things I like about immi is her fearlessness and her willingness to try and fail/succeed in the public eye. She seems so confident in so many ways, yet vulnerable and painfully, heart-crushingly unsure in others. I think she’s loyal and fierce and loving, smart, playful and funny, but also someone you probably wouldn’t want to piss off. I get the impression she’d literally give you the shirt off her back and not think twice about it, or expect anything from you in return.

Amy Pritchett 49 years old Denver, CO, USA

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As for what i like about her music, it all boils down to her voice. immi’s voice is everything.

Sometimes when I hear it, it feels like it resonates on a cellular level; it makes my molecules dance.

A lot of her instrumental music hits me in a similar way, though maybe more in my head and less in my heart. “Cumulus” and “Wireless” take my breath away everytime I hear them. It’s funny how each way immi chooses to express herself, either vocally or instrumentally, the end result is just about almost always perfect.

HAVE YOU CONNECTED WITH OTHERS VIA IMMI’S MUSIC? IF SO, IN WHAT WAYS? I’ve been SO lucky to meet and connect with some really amazing people through immi’s music. Most of the people I’ve met in real life I’ve met through two other hubs of human connection, the iBabble, and Twitter. When I finally worked up the nerve to stop lurking on the Babble and join up in March of 2006 (right around the time “Speak For Yourself” was really starting to gain traction), I was lucky to start making connections almost immediately. People were very open and generous with their time, honest (sometimes painfully so) and funny and so, so in love with immi; it was an awesome time to be on the forum. Straight away I met didi (@darthsocke), as well as Damonica (@damonica) and Doug (@mindswept), who introduced me to the thrills and agonies of collecting immi’s music (which I thought would be a realtively quick and easy endeavor; seven years later it’s been neither quick nor easy, but is always on-going labor of love I enjoy tremendously), Olaf (@Olaf_HB) and James. Poor, poor James. Boy, did he put with a bunch of bitching and complaining from me on the forum. He was always gracious and professional and always listened politely when I ranted about whatever, and somewhere along the line I had the chance to meet Steph, too, and get to know the people behind the profiles a little more.

I met Fiona (@seldoo) on another forum, and when I left it for the Babble, she left with me; I met Noelle (@pansygrl), Simon (@energyUK) and Mike (mike page), who loved immi and believed in her more than almost any other person on the forum I had the chance of getting to know. In 2008, Mike died suddenly from a heart attack, and I always thought it was sad that he slipped away without immi knowing, or ever knowing how much she meant to him. I honestly think she rescued him from some of the darker, scarier places he could get lost in sometimes, and to him, immi was always a bright, shining beacon of goodness and love and music. He always said he thought she and Richie (who immi was with at the time) would have wonderfully huge, musical Amazonian babies, and though he passed away before immi met Thomas, I think he would have loved Thomas and been thrilled that immi had finally found her Forever Man. We formed another forum away from the Babble when loads of new people started joining up around the time immi was working on "Ellipse," and when Mike died it nearly blew our new little collective apart, but what kept us together and connected and in each other's lives was immi. By now we've established strong enough relationships they exist independently of immi, and I've had the pleasure of meeting Didi, Damonica, Fiona, Simon, James and Steph in real life.

Another series of relationships were formed after immi joined Twitter, which I did (reluctantly) myself after she joined. It was the perfect platform for meeting other people post-"Ellipse," because by that time the Babble was on the demise and had lost the community feel it used to have (to me, anyway).

When immi threw her "Love The Earth" gig at the Royal Albert Hall, Twitter was absolutely invaluable in helping coordinate and connect several us of at and after the show. I got to meet Emily (@ekappel), who traveled to the gig from Wyoming, and with whom I've remained in close contact with since (along with Allison, @jacellist), Eduardo (@elwoood, whom immi knows fairly well ;)), Alexis (Senescence on the Babble), Patricia (from the Netherlands), Nicoleugenia (from Italy), fellow musician Madeleine Bloom (from Germany). I continue to meet new people all the time on Twitter and through immi (like the creator of this fine book, Sarah :)), which is a benefit I've come to love and expect after all these years, but one I hope to never take for granted.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Beyond a shadow of a doubt the immi connections have impacted my life, in a most positive way. I’ve met extraordinary people I wouldn’t have otherwise, I’m convinced of that. For instance, Didi came all the way from Germany to visit me and my family, the first time he’d ever made such a long trip by himself. It was a big deal for him, and a big deal for us, and now that my children are a little older and able to retain more about their vacation experiences, we’re looking forward to reciprocating Didi’s generosity and visiting him in Germany within the next few years. This entire, amazing web of connections have sprung up around immi, and while the Grateful Dead and Deadheads may have pioneered forging connections among strangers around a common muscial passion, immi has done a wonderful, magical job bringing people together all on her own :).

WHERE DO THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE CONNECTED WITH LIVE? Everywhere! The Pacific Northwest, California, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Minnesota, Connecticut, Mexico, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy and Australia :).

DO YOU HAVE ANY STORIES OF A MOMENT OF CONNECTION YOU HAVE HAD WITH ANY OF THESE PEOPLE? WOULD YOU PLEASE SHARE SOME OF THEM? The first time I met Didi I was so nervous! He had traveled all the way to Denver from Germany and I didn’t know him very well, so we decided to meet at a local landmark because I was unsure about having him meet me at my house. Turns out he was just as nervous as I was, so we made awkward introductions in a parking lot but spent lots of time together (when he wasn’t busy criss-crossing the state and seeing the sights in his LARGE SUV rental), getting to know one another. He made another trip out the next year, too, and since he’s quite the motorcyclist, he rented a bike so he and my partner could go out on trips together, which they did at least twice, that I remember. Didi’s been a good friend for a long time, and I really hope to visit him soon on his home turf.

When we were in London for the LTE gig, I recall making plans to meet James and Steph for the first time in a pub before the show so we could all kind of arrive together at the same time. It was dark and I was having trouble messaging people on my iPhone and it was getting late and I was freaking out about getting seated on time and it was rainy and I had no idea where I was going and and and...we finally found the pub (it was in some famous hotel over by the Royal Albert Hall where the Rolling Stones had filmed something once, or something along those lines), and being the over-confidant American, brushed off the doorman’s advice to watch my step, caught a toe on the step I was being cautioned about, and literally stumbled into the people I was hoping to make a good first impression with. Remember in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” when Indy falls into the pit full of snakes? That’s what that felt like. Sitting there, watching me stumble about, were James, Steph, Simon and his lovely girlfriend Georgie, and Didi. I’m sure I looked like a complete idiot, but to their credit, they never made me feel anything less than welcome, and I’ll always be grateful for their gentle and forgiving natures :).

ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY TO IMMI? First off, thank you for the music and the beauty you add to the world; it’s a better place because of you. Second, did you end up using the Mbira windchimes I sent you in “Tidal?” Third, knowing we’ll never be friends, I’ll take this opportunity to wish you the best of everything in life and love, because you put so much positivity out there and deserve it all back, times infinity. I’ve loved getting to know your music and the bits and pieces of yourself you let show through, and being able to connect with so many wonderful people across the world through our shared love of your voice.

My life has been enriched because of you, and for that and the gift of your beauty, I thank you. Also, I love you.

Here’s picture James’ mom took of us in London the day after the “Love the Earth” gig.

In it, from left to right, are Did, Steph, James, me, Gail (a friend from college who works for United and who got us smoking deals on our airline tickets) and Sherry, my partner of 30 years :).

WHAT ARE 5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE THE CONNECTIONS YOU MADE WITH OTHERS VIA IMMI?

LOVING, REWARDING, CHERISHED,

BEAUTIFUL AND SPECIAL.

These connections are not just a life intersection ... they are little ribbons of relationship that are weaving themselves through moments in daily life.

- Ingrid

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Ready for a little story? I reconnected with a former music partner from afar who was shocked to find I was no longer doing anything in the realm of music. I had been broken by a life tragedy and music felt dead. He asked if I had heard of Imogen Heap and said she reminded him of me 20 years earlier. He STRONGLY suggested I listen to her and see what happened. I looked her up and started to listen. It wasn’t until I heard “Daylight Robbery” and listened to it nearly nonstop from Indianapolis, IN to Tulsa, OK that something started to turn inside of me. My imagination and my heart seemed to start to beat in sympathy. But it was still just a fluttering moment. I didn’t see why he thought she reminded him of me. BUT ... as I got to know about her, I could see it more and more ... her process, her presence, her creative inspirations ... YES! I could relate. While music is still an extremely wounded place in my soul and I’m even now just starting to barely squeak a voice to my own private world, I CAN connect secretly absorbing and enjoying everything that comes my way from Immi’s world. And when there was the opportunity to be part of #heapsongs, I found time to participate in some of it. And it seems like there was some kind of wavelength ... I think eight of my photos were in the final group compiled for #heapsong1 and one of my images was used in the 3DiCD artwork (plus two video clips projected on her body for the video). Then two photos for the next song ... Then being accepted on the Garden Angels team ... Then one more photo for the Neglected Spaces song from the garden ... WOW. So wonderful to be part of something - even if my heart was beating in images rather than music!!! BUT ...

I had profound moments in the garden, which is a story for another time. http://indigobleue. blogspot.com/2011/09/abandoned-spaces-keep-out.html

Ingrid B. Williams Tulsa, OK, USA

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Lasting. Significant. Precious.

Humbling. Reviving. @indigobleue

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Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

YES! I have connected with some WONDERFUL people via Immi’s music. From talented musicians and artists to fans with amazing gifts to share with the world, I’ve had the pleasure of not only getting to know some from afar, but meeting some in person. In fact, I was in England for a few weeks in 2011 to be part of the Garden Angels team. GEMS! Everyone was truly wonderful.

And those who had the privilege to stay together in the hotel found some wonderful moments to bond that made it feel like we had almost a tribal community feel (as much as you can have in a matter of days). Lifetime friends! Laughter that still rolls with the memories. But even beyond something extra special like that. Many contributors to recent projects I now consider to be long distance friends. If they every came to my part of the world, my door is wide open to them!!

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

There is an ongoing impact, I think. These connections are not just a life intersection ... they are little ribbons of relationship that are weaving themselves through moments in daily life. A photo, a post, a text, a message, a tweet, a call ... and life looks a little different, a little brighter, a little bigger. One day, as I was working, Google Talk lit up and it was a Garden Angel friend. Little did she know I had just been going through very difficult times with my daughter. I had no idea her life experience embraced similar things. She gave me concrete advice and wisdom that calmed my soul ... and still does. I started to blog about profound moments I experienced with Garden Angels ... but it quickly grew to be too much and I was lucky to capture what I did in my handwritten journal! I STILL laugh about cheese jokes and live vicariously through international friends who share via social media. I have Slovakian music on my ipod now. And a sweetheart of a young girl feels like my little sister sometimes - I’m watching her have adventures as she blossoms into the world. I can find inspiration at any moment on Instagram. I can find thankful smiles at any moment by checking Facebook statuses. I can find humor and progress and expand my horizons at any moment via Twitter. There is a world that is connecting and growing all because of Imogen Heap ... and it’s beautiful.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thank you for being you! THANK. YOU.

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IMMI’S MUSIC? I first heard about Imogen Heap through Frou Frou and of course, the film Garden State.

England is famous for their slightly nutty, lovable eccentrics and I would definitely classify Imogen as one of them! Her dedication to her craft is exemplary and serves as an inspiration to all creatives. I most admire the attention to detail in her music, in which she carves and sculpts all the noises that no one else would ever imagine of using and transforms them into expansive soundscapes which engage and envelop the listener, transporting them to wherever Imogen has in mind - from the local corner cafe to the middle of a crop field, amongst a swarm of destruction-bound locusts. Of course, I most admire her willingness to collaborate with artists of other genres, which gave me the opportunity of working with her on the album packaging for Ellipse.

Most of my followers and followings on Twitter are made up of fellow Imogen Heap fans, which has brought me in contact with a Technicolor spectrum of people, from students at school to music executives.

Andy Hau 29 years old London, UK

Through following Imogen on Twitter, I was introduced to Gabby Young, who asked me to be the Creative Director and packaging designer for her album, “The Band Called Out For More” in 2012, which had the accolade of being described as “…this year’s most beautifully packaged CD” by the Financial Times.

The contacts I have made through Immi have proven to be the most vocal and supportive when it has come to my own work, for which I am highly grateful!

Immi, thank you for the opportunity and thank you for the music.

@AndyKWHau

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ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY TO IMMI? I just can’t thank Immi enough for letting me have this AMAZING opportunity to live my dreams and actually believe in some of my older work. The photograph that Immi chose was a very old photograph that I didn’t really like anymore. And then when Andy Carne favorited two of my photographs and started saying certain things that he liked about it.

It made me realize that even though I considered it “old photography,” it still had some great values and things about it. This whole experience has changed my life and I am so grateful that you allowed me to be a part of “Lifeline.” I will never forget the time that we met and you invited me to your house. Such an amazing moment. You are one of the most talented people I have ever met and I will cherish the short memories that we had together. Thank you so much again for including me in the beginning of this upcoming album!

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

PROGRESSIVE, ENLIGHTENING, EDIFYING, UPLIFTING, ENTERTAINING

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

My North American friend Jamie Ferguson played me the accappella Youtube version of ‘Just For Now’ back in 2006. I couldn’t believe the simplicity, originality and personable-ness of the music and went through all the You Tube stuff I could find.

Immi was writing Ellipse at the time and I got really involved in the VBlogs over the next few years.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Immi reminds me of me :) When I was at school I was the music kid, I played the piano rather than work or interact with people. My parents split up, music was my life, but I realised I wasn’t competitive enough to be a concert pianist, so I got very into music technology but that isn’t the path I ultimately followed. We are the same age, and I feel like she’s that life I never lived. I created similar stuff many years ago and I find Immi’s songs are so genuine and easy to relate to and ingenious, I’m delighted that other life has been taken and made so wonderful by someone else.

Catherine Bertrand 29 years old Mountains of Mourne, Northern Ireland

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

I am a Garden Angel. These guys are all Facebook friends and I know that I have wonderful, creative, open hearted friends all over the world having amazing adventures. We chat regularly and inspire one another. I’ve seen Rory Cyclist in London and caught up with mad Lindsay of the Holes completely by chance when she was over from the states. They are marvellous people and I feel so privileged to have been part of that experience.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact? @Catherine_B

A group of inspirational people I know I will always know. Every time we hear ‘Neglected Space’ we remember sitting in Immi’s living room in the dark getting goosebumps at the awesome breathtaking beauty of the music, Sarah’s artwork and our memories of birthdays and brilliance :)

@Catherine_B

Anything you want to say to Immi?

God bless you missus. You work too hard, you sleep too little, and I’m sure you lose yourself and Thomas regularly despairs. Look after yourself. It was an honour to meet you and be part of your life for a few hours last year, keep being amazing.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Life-long, inspirational, heart-lifting.

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IMMI’S MUSIC? I had my father watch a movie called Garden State. At the end of the film, we were both taken by a most unique and alluring and even tear-jerking piece of music by a duo we discovered was called Frou Frou. We haven’t stopped listening to Imogen since.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IMMI AND HER MUSIC? She’s fiercely imaginative and independent. I am so inspired by her ability to produce as well as create.

Her music is a perfect balance of organic, fluid art and punchy technology. I also take some pride as a woman that there indeed ladies who can rock hard.

HAVE YOU CONNECTED WITH OTHERS VIA IMMI’S MUSIC? IF SO, IN WHAT WAYS? I’ve definitely felt more inspired to create and more importantly to draw others in my creative world and collaborate to create something than I could ever produce alone.

WHERE DO THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE CONNECTED WITH LIVE? Anna Ponto 23 years old Portland, OR, USA

All over the United States and Europe

DO YOU HAVE ANY STORIES OF A MOMENT OF CONNECTION YOU HAVE HAD WITH ANY OF THESE PEOPLE? WOULD YOU PLEASE SHARE SOME OF THEM? Overall, I really just felt more connected to humanity as a whole since the Heapsong projects started taking place. I talked to many strangers and talented musicians I would have never otherwise met. I felt like a part of something important at the pinnacle of human ties. I even became closer to my own dad through our strong musical bonds.

@annaponto

ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY TO IMMI? CaptinCordis

You are an enormous inspiration in my life; musically and others. I feel I have the power to do more than I thought possible and to connect with people and extend a hand, even if I don’t know them.

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IMMI’S MUSIC? The first time I heard Immi’s voice was in 2004, when Frou Frou’s version of ‘Holding Out For a Hero’ appeared in the end credits of Shrek 2. I was fascinated by this beautiful voice that I had never heard before and remember just playing the end credits of the DVD over and over again. Back then I tried to find more of their music online, but without any luck. 3 years later in 2007 I heard ‘Hide and Seek’ for the first time on the radio, while I was going to school. Not knowing that this was the same artist I’d been looking for 3 years earlier, I once again started searching the internet. After a while I finally found the song and the artist. ‘Speak For Yourself’ was the first digital album I ever bought and the music of Imogen Heap became part of my life from then on. – and to my big surprise the long lost voice from the Shrek 2-end credits had also been found.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IMMI AND HER MUSIC? Cecilie Kamp 22 years old Denmark

@Cecilie90

cecilie.kamp

Cecilie Kamp

I think what fascinates me about Immi and her music, is a combination of a lot of things: the voice, the lyrics, the music, the communication and interaction with the fans, the process of making the music and so on...

On March 15th 2011 Immi’s music ended up changing my life quite a lot. My sister asked me if I knew that Immi was doing a live broadcast about the new album, - I didn’t. We watched the broadcast together, and when Immi told the story behind the song and said that she would like people to submit images for the artwork, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. For years I’d been experimenting on/ off with doing paper-cut-outs, but I’d been finding it hard to come up with motives other than flowers and butterflies. But that night things changed. I drew a quick sketch of what I wanted to do, and went straight to bed after that. The next day I made the paper-cut-out. I had no time for breaks and didn’t get anything to eat, but I finished the cut out shortly before midnight, submitted it to the HeapSong1 group on Flickr, and started waiting.

All of this has truly changed my life. Before that evening in March 2011 I had no idea what I wanted to do, but now I know. After the first cut out ended up being in the artwork I haven’t stopped. I’ve been doing paper cut outs in all shapes and sizes ever since and I love doing it.

These projects has also made me realize, what the internet and social media like Twitter can do, opening up the possibilities of crowd sourcing and projects like this book.

Just imagine the way these projects has changed my life, and I haven’t even met any of you people, yet J

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I don’t know really, i think while surfing on the internet.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Her unique sounds, little percussions, strange samples. The whole feel and texture of the music is awesome. And Immi’s merging of technical stuff with art (like her gloves, or the heapsongs) is what i specifically like about her.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Yes! Via Heapsong parties via which i met many people with who i talk from time to time. Everyone there had kind-of the same interests which was really interesting.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

Not really a huge one, but it allowed me to see there are other people also doing this kind of (music/ art) stuff, people who are just like me in some ways.

Daniël Dos 19 years old The Netherlands

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people?

Not really specifically i think, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. I constantly see things popping up on facebook, photo’s from Jose Cl, music from Stu Henderson, design-things from Ty Carson, and inspirational things from you. These are all great inspiration-points(?) which help me find out new things, and also see other people struggle with the same things in their creative process.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

All over the world! That’s the coolest part. @iamsmaland

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Creative, interesting, unique, familiar & honest.

Anything you want to say to Immi? dolsdaniel

iamsmaland

Keep doing this! There’s so much more about ‘Immi’ then just the music, there’s a whole community of people.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

My daughter was listening to her.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

It takes me somewhere else when I put my headphones on and listen to all of the sounds and rhythms. I just love the textures , sounds and rhythm patterns she interweaves. She also writes about real life and her experiences of life in general and makes social commentary too. She’s also a lovely lady.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music?

If so, in what ways have you connected?

I met a young guy called Joshua who is a musician and designer who I now follow on Twitter.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

Dave Tighe 60 years old Birmingham

I think more deeply about my own lyrics and how they affect other people when they listen to my musical creations.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

All over the world.

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them? @DaveOwenTighe

I made a deeper connection with my daughter and a memory of meeting Immi and her sister at her house. I just followed Josh on twitter and listened to some of his tracks on a variety of sites.

Imogen let me play her very old guitar, which I was over the moon with. She also asked me to make a cajon for her, which I did last year. (www.davetighe.com) I am awaiting a photograph of her playing it when she records with it, which will be absolutely superb.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Keep doing what you are doing and stay honest to yourself.

Imogen does not just cre experiences, memories and that happens at key mome if not all, of her songs.

eate music, she creates d that adrenaline ents in most,

-steve sinclair

How did I hear about Immi’s work?

As far as I recall, I first heard about her in a 2005 interview/article in the (UK) Times newspaper. It was shortly before the UK release of Speak For Yourself, and I bought the album when it was released.

That led me to catch up on her previous albums (Details and iMegaphone). Although I liked them a lot, I didn’t follow her activities very closely until around 2008. One reason for that was that until 2007 I didn’t have a broadband internet connection, and things like YouTube were impractical for me to use.

Then some time in early 2008 (I think) the BBC broadcast a part of Jeff Beck’s ‘Live at Ronnie Scott’s’ concert. I watched this because I’m a fan of Jeff Beck, and it was a totally unexpected pleasure to see Immi performing Blanket with him. That revived my interest in Immi, and as I did now have a broadband connection, I started watching YouTube videos, etc, and at some time discovered Immi’s vBlogs. That opened up a whole new perspective on her - her charm, her wit, her openness, and of course her beauty - that was not so apparent from her records. (I must admit that for a long time I assumed that the woman on the cover of Details was some random fashion model!) I also started exploring her website, and catching up on her collaborations and other less-well-known works. And of course since the release of Ellipse I have followed her activities closely.

What do I like about Immi and her music?

David Burbridge South of London

Where can I start? One of the most striking things about Immi is that she is strong in so many directions: as a singer, a songwriter, an instrumentalist, a producer/arranger, a live performer, and an improviser.

And apart from her purely musical strengths, she is funnier than many comedians, more beautiful than many models, and (as far as one can tell without knowing her personally) a kind and generous person.

But to focus on the music, I would single out a few special merits:

@DavidJayB

1. The Voice. Immi has one of the most distinctive and attractive singing voices in modern music. It is instantly recognisable from just a few words or sounds. I can’t really analyse what makes it so attractive.

It is soothing (post-iMegaphone!) without being weak or sentimental. It can also be emotionally powerful, as in ‘TMISI’ or ‘Speeding Cars’. And who else could sing Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ acappella and not sound vapid or pretentious? Nina Simone, maybe Joni Mitchell or Annie Lennox, but not many others. That puts Immi in very select company indeed.

2. The backing vocals. Worth mentioning separately because they are so important but easily overlooked. Even leaving aside purely vocal tours de force like ‘Mic Check’ and ‘Earth’, the average Heap song will have many layers of inventive vocal harmonies. This helps make them endlessly listenable, because there are so many levels of detail to enjoy. (As a fairly ‘average’ example, listen to the last minute or so of ‘Telemiscommunications’. Is there any other singer today who could do this kind of thing?)

3. The piano. I don’t think Immi is a virtuoso pianist, compared to the likes of Mike Garson or Keith Jarrett, but she is a very *musical* pianist. She can play a few notes or chords and they just feel ‘right’.

It is like B. B. King playing guitar or Miles Davis playing trumpet: they don’t play a thousand notes a minute just to show off. Like many other people, I wish Immi would make an album of just piano pieces not necessarily pure improvisations, but tidied-up versions of her ‘noodles’.

4. The melodies. Again I can’t really analyse this, but some people have a gift for melody and others don’t, and Immi’s gift is bigger than most. I wouldn’t put her quite in the very highest class of melodist, with the likes of Lennon and McCartney or Burt Bacharach, but she stands out far above the general herd of modern songwriters.

5. The lyrics. This is a slightly awkward one, as her lyrics can be clumsy and obscure. Exhibit A: ‘I want to Play-do waveforms in the Hideaway’. Exhibit B: ‘Cue in the grande ballabile’. Exhibit C: ‘Cut back to horizontalisms.’ On the plus side, at least with Immi I am confident that her lyrics actually do have a meaning, if only to her! (as in Exhibit A, where you need to know that her studio is called the Hideaway, and that she likes to manipulate waveforms on screen like Play-do). It is worth making an effort to understand them, whereas with most songwriters the reward would not justify the effort (and since Bob Dylan made ‘surrealist’ lyrics fashionable in the 1960s, there is no guarantee that obscure lyrics have any meaning at all). For example, with Natasha Khan (Bat For Lashes) there seems to be some obscure private mythology going on in most of her songs, but I am content to let the music (which I like a lot) wash over me, without spending hours puzzling over the lyric sheets.

Before leaving the music, I should mention one slight reservation: I do wish Immi would be more adventurous with her chord progressions, which seldom use more than four or five chords per song (not counting slight variations like major 7ths or pedal points). Of course this is not unusual in modern commercial songwriting, but songwriters used to be much more adventurous.

Consider e.g. the Beach Boys’ ‘God Only Knows’, or the Beatles’ ‘Strawberry Fields’, or almost anything by David Bowie. I’m not suggesting that Immi should make every song as complicated as ‘Life On Mars’, but it would do no harm to throw in a few more chords from time to time. (And on Ellipse there are a few songs which do, for example ‘Little Bird’.)

I will conclude with how I ‘connect’ with others via Immi’s music. In my case the connection is mainly online, though I have occasionally recommended her music to people I know personally.

I started ‘connecting’ through the forum (iBabble) at Immi’s website, some time in 2009. There was a lot of news, interviews, etc, to follow at that time, and I checked into the forum regularly to see if anyone had got new information. I also started making comments and linking to news reports myself. It has become part of my daily routine when I log onto the internet in the morning (at home) that I search for Immi-related news (among other things). It doesn’t take very long. I search Google News and Google Blogs for any new items in the last 24 hours, then the latest postings on YouTube, then the search facility within Twitter. If there is anything new and interesting, I used to post it on the iBabble, but I haven’t done that much recently. I joined Twitter mainly in order to share Immi-related news, and I think most hard core Immi fans either follow me or I follow them. I occasionally use Direct Messages for things I don’t think should be really public.

As to the ‘impact’ it has on my life, I suppose it has become a significant activity, but I am interested in a lot of other things, so it hasn’t taken over my life completely!

Finally, is there anything I want to say to Immi?

Well, the most obvious one would be ‘get more sleep!’ But apart from that, I wish there was some way that fans could contribute ideas for Immi to promote her music and her career. She gets far less public attention, especially in her own country, than an artist of her importance deserves.

How did I hear about Immi’s work?

The first time i’ve heard Imogen Heap was while i have watched “Garden State” I was so facinated from her beautiful voice so i searched the internet and figured out that Zach Braff used Frou Frou’s Let go for his movie.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IMMI AND HER MUSIC? The outstanding things about immi is for me her voice and her will to try something new, especially to use and intigrate new technologies into her music.

Dietmar Wittfeld 47 years old Moers, Germany

@darthsocke

dietmar.wittfeld

darthsocke

darthsocke

i found new friends worldwide on immi’s forum “ibabble” a few of them became really close friends of me and i was lucky enough to meet them during my vacations to the US and England in real life . i must say i had never the urge to see an artist live in concert but this changed with Imogen Heap. The only gigs she played at this time was in England or the US so i decided to flee over to London, my first flight ever to my first live gig ever :) i was a little afraid and excited at the same time because i done this all alone and i felt a little bit lost in the big city but after all i was happy that i’ve done it. The best thing happenend with Imogen Heap. When she played 3 years ago in Denver i was there for a vacation and had the chance to go with a few wonderful local firends to that gig. A year later the friends from Denver were in London for immi’s Royal Albert Hall Concert and we meet up again with other friends from England. It was a great time...i wish i could do this one day again. Nothing beats to meet great friends and go to a concert from your favorite artist :)

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I had the Frou Frou album and later found one of her video blogs via Twitter - the one where she’s playing the lighting panels in her studio :-)

What do you like about Immi and her music?

I love that she’s a woman doing engineering and producing as well as song-writing, it’s typically a very male field. The way she involves her audience in the process and the writing; her voice; the songs; the fact that the live performances are so imaginative and different from the album versions; the fact that she performs with mics on her wrists and loops live; her honesty... all of it :-)

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Ian Shepherd 40 years old Small village outside of Cambrigde, UK

With other fans online in general, but also I was one of the people in the “Propeller Seeds” video - the seven of us got on really well together and still keep in touch via Facebook and Twitter.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

I think I may have made some connections that have lead to work ! I’m a mastering engineer and have a website helping people make their music sound great - I know some of them have found me because I write about Immi and her music.

Anything you want to say to Immi? @ianshepherd

ianshepherd

I’d love it if she allowed a little more of the rawer quality of her live performances into the studio versions - and I’d like her to cut herself some slack :-) Also, she should know that there aren’t many people in the world I’d have worn that tinfoil toga for :-)

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Friendly, musical, random, quirky, eclectic

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

The first time I had knowingly heard Imogen Heap was when I was feeling low at university and a friend called over webcam to cheer me up. The conversation quietened after a while and my friend sat there singing songs while we both got on with work, one of which was ‘Headlock’. I loved it and she sent a few of her favourite tracks over to me to check out. The next day I went over to HMV to pick up Speak For Yourself and fell in love with it.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

From the first time I heard it, it was fresh and stands apart from the crowd. My tastes have always been quite eclectic, ranging from heavy metal, to chilled synths, concert piano and everything in between.

Immi’s style stood out and I very quickly found myself entangled in finding every tracks she had done so I could appreciate more of this music that I wanted to define.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Simon Gibbs 26 years old Lincolnshire, UK

I started becoming a regular on the iBabble forum and fell in with a group of similar like minded fans.

We created our own separate forum and began to discuss everything in life. There was only around 14 of us, spread across the globe, and the one thing we had in common was the love of Immi’s music.

We discussed everything from the day to day mundane, to our life goals, to our favourite tv shows and music. Then when a new immi track was released we’d dive in and dissect every note.

There is also the friends I’ve met at gigs and through other avenues; people like James Clarke are always nice to have a catch up with. Then their is the wealth of online fans I’ve met and speak to regularly. There is often many things to talk about when waiting for tracks, blogs or albums!

@energyUK

EnergyUK

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

Particularly the fans that we shared the special forum with have made a great impact on me. What friends don’t make a positive impact?

One of the members tragically passed away shortly before Elipse was released, and I don’t think that the death of someone who I had not met has ever affected me greater. It might not come across as a positive impact, but it was, the love between us was very strong and we all consoled each other and celebrated the life we had known. The friendships were made and I’ve been lucky enough to now meet these people and we still talk regularly via twitter and other social media. This group of friends all came about due to the love of music by imogen heap and it’s been people I can turn to, and I can be open to them too.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Global love connections via heap Anything you want to say to Immi?

I could write books of what I would like to say / talk about to Immi, and normally when I meet her, I do... I did a very quick iphone app for her, and since then she recognises me! I’m sure she thinks ‘oh no... here comes the talky one’. It’s normally full of wanting to discuss the latest rare track I’ve found or something or similar. Maybe an idea I’ve concocted or to introduce a friend... I’m sure that I’m often just noise, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. “Thank you”.

Can you share a story of a moment you’ve had with some of the people you have connected with?

I think what I’ve mentioned is my piece, but another was meeting Amy/lovehound at the royal albert hall gig. It was a very precious moment to meet someone who I’d talked so long too - yet never met.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Hide and Seek was on a compilation album a friend sent me. I listened once, puzzled, and then again, intrigued, and then again and loved it. I bought Speak For Yourself immediately afterwards.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

She’s always innovative in her approach to music and always gives the impression that she cares about people and our planet.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Yes. I have made so many wonderful online friends through Twitter. We’ve had inspiring conversations, shared art and ideas about good music, life and even had a chocolate exchange by post (yum).

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Elizabeth Hentze 32 years old Namibia

Immi fans are generally intelligent, good-humoured and kind in my experience and I just appreciate having these people in my life, even if only virtually.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

Mostly the US, UK and Germany.

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them? @lizzy1e

Living as far away as I do, I haven’t really been able to meet any online friends yet. I did, however , get my brother to join me for Immi’s Cape Town concert and we had one of our best conversations there. I will always cherish that as we have never been very close before.

@lizzy1e

Anything you want to say to Immi? @lizzy1e

@lizzy1e

@lizzy1e

Thank you for sharing your talents and allowing us to be a part of some projects.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Inspiring,fun, caring, creative, international

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I actually heard Immi’s music without realizing when I watched “The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe” and her song “Can’t Take It In” was at the end credits. The first time I actually realized I was listening to her music was through the Pandora radio website. The song I had listened to was “Breathe In” which is technically Frou Frou, and the first solo work I heard was “Headlock.”

What do you like about Immi and her music?

When I first listened to “Breathe In” it was so ethereal, like life was being - well, ‘breathed in’ - but I also got that good music vibe. The one where your hair stands on end, and gooseflesh pops up, and you get chills up your spine and it prickles your scalp. It was like being on fire with ice in my veins. The feeling was such a rush that I knew I was quick to get addicted to the drug that was purely Immi’s creating.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Megan Salisbury 19 years old Lanesville IN, USA

I have connected with others, but in just small ways. Along the lines of following each other on Twitter.

However, I do feel like as a community (the ‘Heaples’) we are more connected than we let on.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Well, if any, the connections I’ve made have shown me that I’m not the only one bitten by the HeapBug.

Anything you want to say to Immi? @werewolfbites

alexandra.arnold.39

benedictarnold9

thebenedictarnold

thebenedictarnold

Immi, I am so glad that you have come into my life from out of nowhere (because everyone who has ever used Pandora Radio knows that it has spit out a couple of artists in a station that we were NOT expecting). Your music has affected me deeply in so many ways and I will never get tired of listening to it or anything else that you do. I think I could seriously just sit and listen to you play whatever comes to your mind on the piano and be set for life on listening to music. Xx

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Creative (more than usual, in all actuality), happy, belonging, connection, and fun.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I was working with another band that her management company represented.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Having worked with Immi for over 10 years, I can say she’s a genuinely lovely person. She’s a great ‘boss’ and cares about everyone that works with her, she often sends Birthday and Christmas gifts / personalised messages and she’s always warm and welcoming, even when she’s in high pressure situations herself. I’ve never heard her bad mouth anyone, ever...and whilst I’m sure like the rest of us she gets annoyed by people, good on her for never showing it!

Her music has sound-tracked the past 10 years or so of my life and I can relate periods of my life to whatever album campaign we were on at that time! For me, her voice is what I love about her music the songs themselves twist and turn and change a lot, but her voice is the one constant throughout and that’s what I love most about her music.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

James Clark 31 years old Wolverhampton, UK

Yes! I’ve met people who’ve also worked with Immi, as well as dozens of fans of her music, a few of whom I consider good friends. There’s the whole touring crew, various band members, musicians, technicians...it’s kind of like a large extended family with everyone centred around Immi’s artistic force.

I’ve connected with people online and in person....some of the people I’ve worked very closely with and never met in person, others I’ve spent years working with and see regularly.

I’ve met with fans at both Immi gigs and outside of these and have made some good friends during this time.

@jamesdclarke

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

jamesdclarke

I think most people you meet have some impact on you........in terms of work there have been lots of other opportunities that have arisen from working with Immi, so that’s been a positive impact and the people I’ve met and now consider friends have also had a positive impact as they’re people I would not have ordinarily met, so I have friends in places I’d never have expected.

jamesdclarke

Where do the people you have connected with live?

UK, America, New Zealand, Germany and beyond!

jamesdclarke

I guess a moment of connection would have been the RAH show when I met several people who I’d been talking with online for some time, but had never met in person. We had a bit of an international meet up with people from the UK, US and Germany and my family (who came to the show) also met them - it was a really great couple of days!

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Sorry I send you so many emails! ;-)

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Interesting, friendly, kind, loyal, individual.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Somewhere around 2005, after discovering Frou Frou and wanting more.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

She’s the most creative pop musician I know. She is a phenomenal songwriter who can strip down its parts and rebuild it with both traditional instruments and recorded organic sounds from anything and everything. It takes an extremely dedicated and patient artist to allow their surroundings to speak and infuse that breath of life into their works. She does it consistently. Not only that, but she’s now taking the time to infuse culture, grand ideas, and themes into her songs. Basically, she’s become more ambitious and conscientious with the subject matter in regards to the presentation, thoughtfulness, impact, & precision of its final audial & visual delivery. After all of the endless tedious and meticulous work is complete, she has to make it work live, which presents new entirely new challenges in rearranging and recreating with new gear and gig-mates!

Jeff Dicken 31 years old Altamonte Springs, FL, USA

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected? Not really. I’ve only just begun to get involved in twitter,

which seems to be one of Immi’s preferred networks of communication. I’ve met a fan who lives near me via Twitter, so woohoo! Leslie’s an Apple tech-head so we both have a deep appreciation for Immi’s process and all it encompasses.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? @jwdicken

YES! Through Leslie, I’ve met another friend, Trent. Leslie and Trent are both vegans and I have been a vegetarian for a few years now. They’ve both inspired me, among other friends, to go that extra step in being more even more compassionate by attempting a raw and vegan lifestyle. Very cool connection!

jeff.dicken.5

Where do the people you have connected with live?

jwdicken

Just down the road in Central Florida. :)

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them? Leslie and I are both super avid cyclists, which may be considered another common

connection with Immi. lol I think Immi more or less piddles around town on a bike, while Leslie and I go on 50 to 100 mile races; slight variation of intensity. HA! I ride for many reasons, but a few would be good health, better mode of travel for Mother Earth’s good health, fellowship with like-minded friends, and I can see so much of the world that I wouldn’t see otherwise. Keep riding, Immi! It’s easier on those lovely knees and back of yours too. :)

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

tech-based, radical, invigorating, life-affirming, & humbling Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thank you for all you are and all you’re becoming.

You’ve made some really great decisions that have not been easy on you, but it’s really shining through in your music. All those endless hours of toiling are what have made your music so special.

You wander and come back enlightened. What you share with us all is so deeply appreciated by so many of us. Your life is an inspiration. Keep up the bold work. We need more brave artists like Immi!

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I heard it on KCRW (in California when i was a grad student at Stanford in 1998)

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Sprezzatura

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Yes. I’ve formed new close friendships with her and her collaborators, fans, friends, and family through my daily interactions in her life and projects. Probably too many to describe. I have started new creative projects with some, found new like-minded musicians and scientists/technologists, and just in general had my life enriched by these people.

Kelly Snook 43 years old Havering-atte-Bower, UK

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

Most of them have made an impact, from finding new friends around the world (including in India, China, the US, Mexico, and of course the UK) to finding partners in various aspects of my life’s work and dreams.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi? @kellysnook

Creative, close, dynamic, inspiring, lasting

Anything you want to say to Immi? hifisonify

kellysnooksnook

Nope. :)

How did you hear about Immi’s music? - Probably the same way as a lot of people: The Garden State Soundtrack

What do you like about Immi and her music? She is supremely creative. I don’t ever hear her release anything that makes me think “Hmmm... that sounds a lot like (any other artist)

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music?

If so, in what ways have you connected? - Ha - yes. I’d say I owe a lot of my career success to having toured with Imogen. I’d say a solid 75% of my fans found me through that tour. She also put me in touch with Kate Havnevik, who I toured with a few years later.

Levi Weaver 32 years old Nashville TN, USA

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

This is probably the same answer as above. I owe a fair amount of my career to her.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

All. Over. Probably 22 of the 28 cities we toured in. @leviweaver

leviweavermusic

leviweaver

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

One of the people I first met during the tour just sent me an e-mail to let me know that their new baby (arriving in May) will have the middle name “Levi”. That’s pretty awesome.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

- Meaningful / Friendly / Lasting / Helpful / Career

Anything you want to say to Immi? I can still out-wrestle you. Any time. : )

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I first heard Frou Frou’s ‘Let Go’ on Garden State and fell in love with it. After Speak For Yourself was released, I came across ‘Hide and Seek’ without knowing that Imogen was a part of Frou Frou. I felt a strong connection to it’s simplicity and then looked into more of Immi’s music, the rest is history!

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Besides the harmonized, melodic electronica and her unique approach at songwriting, I feel that it evokes an emotional reaction. I crave that connection with music and Imogen’s is one of the few who can achieve that every single time.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Yes, I’ve met really great people because of Immi. First, on the iBabble (in it’s glory days) and after twitter came along, through there. I’ve formed life-lasting friendships with amazing people from around the world that go way beyond our mutual interest in Imogen and her music.

Leo 22 years old Guatemala City, Guatemala

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

Definitely. Meeting and interacting with people that have a different lifestyle, background, interest and careers has inspired me to be more ambitious, powered my wanderlust and given me new ideas on how to solve issues that present on my day-to-day living.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

All over the world: France, England, the US, Mexico, among others. @lionl

leonel.leon

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

Yes, I remember the day ‘Ellipse’ got released. My friends and I had created a fansite (The Hideaway) and did a group chat where people could, join, listen and live-comment on it. The excitement was beyond the charts and everyone was extremely ecstatic while experiencing to the new album. It felt like a conclusion of sorts; after 2 years of diligently following it’s creation, we were finally experiencing the album in it’s full form. It was a day filled with lots of positive energy and great feelings, so you kinda felt like you weren’t alone, but a part of a bigger creature of sorts.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

- Life-altering, inspiring, unnerving (at times), supporting, unexchangeable.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Only thank her. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for her music, the inspiration it brought and the people I’ve come across because of it.

I don’t think any other artist has had such a positive effect on me.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

A friend sent me the Youtube video of Just For Now, Live at Studio 11.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Imogen brings what she does in the studio fully to a live venue.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Lindsey Nelson 29 years old West Lafayette, IN, USA

Absolutely. I solidified friendships when traveling to see Imogen in concert and had an incredible time as a Garden Angel during Neglected Space.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

Working with Imogen in the garden gave me a lot of hope that community life is still thriving in our modern age.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thanks for all you do to involve so many different people and places in your music!

@annaclimacus

nelson.lindsey

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

enduring hopeful promising friend memorable

Living as far away as I d able to meet any online however , get my brothe Cape Town concert and conversations there. I w as we have never been v

do, I haven't really been friends yet. I did, er to join me for Immi's we had one of our best will always cherish that very close before.

-Elizabeth Hentze, namibia

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I heard a high pitched version of the”What You Say” part of “Hide And Seek” in an animated video, around 2009.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Her music is absolutely brilliant, very inspiring.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

I met many people through the lovely Heaples Collective group, (where got support with my song on the iBabble forum, a member there forwarded the idea to Imogen, can’t thank you enough), but also through Twitter and the HeapSongs.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Maja Nilsson 16 years old Sweden

It’s been a huge impact on my life, for example I’ve been talking on Skype with a friend from the U.S.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

Many people from the U.S. and the U.K.,but also from Northern Ireland, and Hungary,

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them? @MajaNilsson1996

The friends I’ve met via Immi are really nice, they helped me with my song project to Immi back in 2011.

Some of the friends are musicians, so that means we’ve been discussing each other’s music and been trying to collaborate if it’s been possible.

majanilsson1996

I’m talking to my friend Ricardo Flores on Skype, and helps him with music advices and Swedish “lessons”, but also just talking about general subjects. I’m also supporting his different projects such as Whatever Photography and RF Music. He’s helping me with design for my website in return.

majanilsson1996

I just would like to say; I’m very happy that I met these wonderful people!

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Thank you for being here.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thank you for the amazing music you do, inspired me to work with the “Covered In White� song to you, you still inspire!

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I didn’t “hear about” Immi’s music, I actually heard it. Someone had put “Goodnight & Go” on a Doctor Who Youtube video I watched once. I wondered who the band was and especially who the lead vocalist was, so I looked it up. Low and behold, this tall pretty lady called Imogen Heap was not only the lead vocalist, she was the whole band, too. That was it. My heart melted all over the floor, and, of course began to catch up, absorb more and more. As someone once said, she is a musician’s musician.

I felt I’d found the most recent incarnation of Mozart on some level. It was brilliant. Still is.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Miriam Mason 51 as of this book. Not quite old enough to be Immi’s mom.

Teehee Greater Portland Metro Area, OR

@MimAbbyMason

mimabbymason

mimabbymason

Love is a better word for my experience. I love the whole package, a strong independent woman who does her own thing, dances to the sound of her own heart, who also happens to be a brilliant musician/ composer/arranger/vocalist, and who knocks down the wall between performing artist and audience member or fan. Immi knows us and we know her, and I hope very much she keeps it that way because it makes her unique, unusual and accessible. It makes the sharing of the whole experience more exciting, more circular, more filling, I hope, for both sides.

I love her piano playing especially, it strikes a note in my heart I haven’t felt since I was a little girl sitting at the foot of my best friend Annie Minner’s piano, listening to her brilliant compositions. She was 12, I was 7. She was amazing and I was completely in love with her playing. I couldn’t believe that anybody could make such beautiful sounds come from a piano. It is exactly like that with Immi. She’s speaking my musical language.

Also, there is a complexity to the sounds she produces, there are endless layers of beautifully choreographed aural wizardry, so that the music, especially for someone with classical training, is always profoundly interesting. Much like Bach or Mozart is still interesting still, I think Immi’s work will far outlive her, and will be considered deeply filling to listen to for a long time to come.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Yes! I am so pleased to be part of this group of people. My connection have mostly come from Twitter through Immi’s fan base, but have now expanded well beyond twitter into real life. You attract pretty awesome people. And not just attract them, keep them close over long periods of time.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Dear sweet online friend Laurel, who I love like a daughter and a friend, and will always be there for, and for whom there is a spot on my lap at all times. I have a wall of the most beautiful hand done cards from Laurel, that I cherish and often reread. She has knitted me a most beautiful scarf, and in one of the pictures, you might notice a knitted Dalek. That is Laurel’s wonderful handiwork!

MJ Rieman, sharp, intelligent, evolved and talented, we connected as mothers with unique children and experiences and we explore and share new and different paradigms that are respectful and loving towards children. Where rewards and discipline are two sides of the same bad idea, where instead effort focus is on making a joyful relationship with your child. This is a harder way of parenting. But in the end, the benefits are incalculable. MJ has taken to it like a fish to water. I love this lady so very much.

Sarah. Sarah Sarah Sarah, who’s doing this book for you, Sarah. Our Sarah. A beautiful lady with a beautiful and loving soul. A natural nurturer and also, a also natural at understanding a gentle paradigm shift around children. Beloved of our whole family, and really a part of our family. hard to qualify or quantify how much gratitude I have that you attracted our beloved Sarah.

I’ve really enjoy Stu Henderson, a wonderful musician in his own right.

Melissa Cavileer, a sweet and very talented girl who I wish I knew a better, and am delighted to count her amount my friends.

Lovehound, who says they are nobody in particular, but from whom I have found a friend and a extraordinarily interesting soul. I really appreciate Lovehound being in my life.

Rio Tomlinson-Curley, who also has a permanent spot in my heart. She is utterly brilliant, and super smart, and I think of her as an amazing human being, an old soul, in a young body.

Elizabeth Tórsdóttir Hentze who I love my interactions with. I very much want to travel to Namibia to visit her. And through her, I met Charleen Esterhuizen, and she and I are so very much “of a mind.” I have deep respect and affection for these ladies.

Samantha Hale, who made me use up an entire box of tissue watching “Map the Music,” and because of that, whose career I will follow and support and cheer for all my days to come.

Without you, I’d never have heard the music of or seen the amazing and breathtaking Zoe Keating, who I go to see every time she graces Portland with her music and sweet family. Nor would I have had the pleasure of hearing, meeting and collecting the music of Ben Christophers.

If not for you, I’d have no idea who the amazing Kelly Snook is, nor James Clark. Your team of wonder-peeps is ever-evolving and filled with talent and brightness.

Then there are those friends I already had who I’ve introduced Immi to, and whose lives have changed because of it. Immi is without question a hub of human connection.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

One day, we shall have to sit down for a few amazing moments with a glass of wine, together, I hope. Your music heals my soul, and the souls of my children and husband. We love you here, you’ve given us courage, calm, resolve, peace, and fortitude. You remain our shelter in the storm.

If I had one wish, it would be to curl up near you and a piano, close my eyes and open my ears and heart and just follow wherever you go for hours on end.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Humbling, healing, complex, enlightening, filling, treasures

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I first heard Imogen Heap in 2008, so I am late to the party. My husband Kurt and I were watching all that we couldof the the Bejing Olympics that summer; and in the middle of the coverage there was a story about a compilation album which had been released entitled “Songs For Tibet” which the American athletes were discovering they were banned from downloading while in China.

Imogen’s “Hide and Seek” was in the article as a sample track from the compilation. Kurt and I listened to it; completely silenced and transported by what we were hearing. As song writers and singers ourselves, and given Kurt’s life-long passion for and career in recording, we felt we had much to learn from this exotic “Imogen Heap” person. Yes, I was sure based on “Hide and Seek” that English was not her first language, and that she would turn out to be Scandinavian; or Eastern European, or something.

Could be anything, really. :-) After a two or three day “Hide and Seek” trance; it was time to find more, and I then purchased “Speak for Yourself”. This album continues to reveal itself in layer after brilliant layer. There isn’t a lazy five seconds anywhere on it. Extraordinary. At this point I discovered Imogen’s weekly posts on You tube, as she was building her studio, and recording what turned out to be “Ellipse”. I watched all those videos; and connected with her on Twitter as well. So much sharing!

Mary Jane Riemann 45 years old Anchorage, Alaska Newfoundland, Canada.

@MJinAK

mj.penton.riemann

We participated in the “Song That Never Was” fun, and developed a full and rich arrangement. We had great fun doing that; and ended up with an impressive demo for Kurt’s studio! Link to our version here: http://soundcloud.com/nightworks/tracks?format=html&page=7 Also, somewhere in this time, with Imogen on Twitter a lot, I noticed others talking to her and interacting with her; and somehow, I can’t remember how, I had a brief exchange with a lovely man named William Mason on Twitter. Then I connected to Miriam Mason, his equally lovely spouse. This lead to me reading Miriam’s blog, which made me realize that we had much in common. I can honestly say Miriam (Mim) has become my first Internet friend. I prefer to say unmet friend, actually. This connection has enriched my life. I have connected with some others in her community, including the lovely Sarah Mabe, who has put this project together, and this has also been deeply enriching. Mim and her friends practice a parenting style that is in sync with my parenting style; it was powerful to connect with a group of people who walk tall and strong with the courage of their convictions concerning compassionate parenting. It gave me the courage to go further in the direction that is the healthier path for my son.

Hard to pick just five words that describe all that this means, Sara!

My husband Kurt sent in nature footage when Imogen put the call out for it; and she used quite a bit of Kurt’s footage in the Love The Earth project, and sent Kurt a lovely note about it. Needless to say, we are devoted fans, and shall remain so.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I heard of her, when she was part of frou frou, and the more of her through the OC, i fell in love of her voice, after hearing hallelujah

What do you like about Immi and her music?,

I love the fact that she does all the work, makes it feel more rearl an authentic, I love here voice, the versatility if her voice, how creative here music is, and i love that she is a great tune smith

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Eduardo Madrid 23 years old El Salvador, Central America

Actually with my boyfriend i present immi to him, and now we both love her and buy all hear albums and the heapsongs

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Of course in my relationship having some common grounds makes it easy, and more enjoyable

Where do the people you have connected with live? in my country, and some other i meet via ibabble live mostly in Europa, and Argentina @EduMadrid

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people?

Would you please share some of them?, thanks to the forum i meet a guy who lives in Argentina and we started dating, he travel here to met and we have a lovely week in my country

edumadrid1601

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Admirations, good time, playfulness, smiles

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thank your for the world class word you are putting up, i sincerely admire your work and talent, keep on and don't pressure yourself

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I could say I found Imogen Heap by myself. I heard her for the first time on MTV Latin America when the music video for “Must Be Dreaming” by Frou Frou was playing. By the time I was an 8 year old kid so I barely remember it, but I surely remember me watching it because I thought it was a really colorful video with good music. A long timepassed by and I heard her again on the soundtrack of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” with “Can’t Take it In” and there is where I began searching for her music. I found her album Ellipse, then Speak for Yourself, then iMegaphone and finally her collabs with other artists. Now I’m trying to keep up with her last album of heapsongs and other projects she might be on too.

What do you like about Immi and her music?, I like the variety of her music. She has a song for almost every mood I have during the day. If I want to be crazy in my room, I wouldlisten to Daylight Robbery or Tidal; If I want to be in total relax, I would listen to Little Bird or Hide And Seek; If I feel a little down, I listen to Goodnight and Go or First Train Home to feel happier. Ijust love her music and style.

Ricardo Flores North Bergen, NJ. Originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music?

If so, in what ways have you connected?

Yes, I have. I met a friend online who is from Sweden, Maja Nilsson. We met after “Lifeline” was finished. Now I’m helping her with her music by doing some artwork covers for her songs.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact? @innovatemyworld

ricardofloresoliva

Yes, this connection has impacted my life. I wasn’t able to establish a connection with people from other countries. I could barely have connection online with the people I knew, who were close to me. I knew only some people from other countries because they went to my High School. When I met Maja I could establish an actual friendship with someone in other country.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

Sweden

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thank you Imogen! You have been inspiring me to become someone better, to develop my skills and to pursue my dreams. I love your music and I’m sure someday I will go to one of your concerts. Have fun with the gloves! :D

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Interesting, interactive, creative, distant, cool.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

For the first time when I was a teenager in the late 90’s.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

I love her constant evolution. She doesnt play safe at all. She could easily create a wealth of beautiful music in a familiar and safe format, but instead chooses to make each new piece a challenge which pushes boundaries. Her music is so diverse yet it still sits together perfectly as a body of work. I think that is a rare skill.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music?

If so, in what ways have you connected?

Meeting the Gloves team working both at my studio and at Immi’s Round House. I would definitely like to go on to work with them all again in the future! I reconnected with a couple of relevant people from my past to work on The Gloves project: tweed designer Guy Hills and Lightpainter Aurora Crowley. I was also introduced to a brilliant costume designer Annike Flo, who worked on a similar glove project, and she became part of my team, sewing Immi’s performance gloves.

Rachel Freire 33 years old London, UK

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Yes, a huge one actually! I have always wanted to work on wearable tech and explorative future fashion. The Gloves project really made me realise I should focus my efforts on this, and also that it was something that I had enough knowledge to pursue. It literally changed my direction for the better.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

London, Berlin and New York.

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

@RachelFreire www.rachelfreire.com

Meeting Hannah Perner-Wilson was brilliant for me, she really inspired my work and brought a new logic to my studio practice.The ‘Me, The Machine’ images on Immi’s site were taken by photographer Ellen Rogers. I had previously spoken to her via email but never met in person. I arranged for Imogen to shoot with her, so due to this project we finally got to meet! I reconnected with a wonderful fellow, Guy Hills, who makes reflective tweed: we used his wonderful Dashing Tweeds in Immi’s outfit, and he then came on board for the live performance to dress the cyclists. Also an old friend, lightpainter and photographer Aurora Crowley, was visiting from NYC during the madness of the Gloves project. He came and lightpainted a portrait for the team, and ended up coming back over to London to head up the lighting team for the performance of Me, The Machine.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Inspiring, serendipitous, addictive, challenging, invaluable.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

They way Imogen creates her work, for me, is very much the future of how we need to think as artists.

Recieving an email from her on a friday evening during a very odd turning point in my life really made a difference to me! Her ability to bring people together with art and creativity is amazing.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I first heard Imogen’s music while I was still in sixth grade, through my older sister. My older-older sister passed down a bunch of music to her, which my older sister uploaded onto our family computer (jn my room) to listen to while doing homework. I was actually a bit iffed about the music; it sounded so gritty, and I didn’t know how I felt about it (it was iMegaphone, haha). My sister told me to bother away somewhere else (“who the hell is Imagine the Heap? Is that a band???”), though I couldn’t resist peaking through her music files while she was gone. From then on, iMegaphone became an instant favorite of mine (I later listened to Speak For Yourself, and Frou Frou’s details, not knowing it was the same artist for about a year lol).

What do you like about Immi and her music?

What I enjoy the most about Imogen’s music is the process into its execution. Though, I didn’t really appreciate the whole creation process until Ellipse’s development, so instead I’ll say what I like the most about her music is that it can throw in so many eclectic styles and methods of melody together without sounding too cantankerous (very few artists I know of have done that, and I deeply respect that).

Everything just flows so well. I think two of her latest songs, Heapsongs Minds Without Fear and Xizi She Knows, are the best examples of such.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Ray Decadiz 16 years old States (West Coast)

ray.decadiz

To be honest, I’ve connected to other Imogen fans to a very minimal point. I am still apart of the official forum iBabble, but that is a bit nebulous at the moment. Some of her latest Heapsong projects, though, have brought me (and many others) together to help contribute in the development of a song.

I’ve met a few friends online from it, but not too much. The iBabble group here on Facebook seems pretty lively, though.

I don’t have too many stories about these connections with other Imogen fans, but I can say that the atmosphere of the concert I attended almost three years ago was outstanding. Such a wonderfully mixed crowd; awkward kids with their sisters (mememe), extremely happy drunk girls (Headlock got them GOING), seniors who are very appreciative of the process, engineering, and output of music live and on stage, all of them together. It was wonderful!

5 words to describe those connections:

diverse, appreciative, progressive, technological, and universally-savvy

Anything I want to say to Immi?

Well, I just want to say that I am amazingly fascinated by your work ethic, creativity, and overall style.

No exaggeration, I think she is one of the most outstanding artists I know of.

Her projects are amazing! Love the Earth was pretty awesome, the Heapsongs are attention grabbing, it’s all just adsdgdthj. It’s like the world is an open canvas, and that’s pretty damn cool.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I work at RjDj and Imogen mentioned RjDj as her favourite thing to listen to in an interview with Billboard TV. I had heard Hide and Seek before that, but afterwards I checked out Ellipse and liked it a lot. I’ve since met her a few times and we have had some great conversations about music and where it can go. I look forward to many more.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

I like how fearless she is about deviating from convention and embracing unusual and innovative ways of approaching making and releasing music.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music?

If so, in what ways have you connected?

Yes a number of Immi’s fans have also become fans of RjDj and our apps. Some of them are also now following my personal music and activities. Its all a happy family!

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

One of Imogen’s fans has become a big fan of our Dimensions app. She has Aspergers syndrome and I have learnt a lot about the condition through my dialogue with her. She is also a musician and its great to see her being inspired to get involved and make Dimensions and Imogen inspired music and artwork.

Robert Thomas 38 years old London, UK

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Genuine Inspiring Interesting Positive Invigorating Anything you want to say to Immi?

Keep it up!

@dizzybanjo

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Through Frou Frou. At the end of Shrek 2, I came to love the cover of “Holding Out For A Hero” in the credits, and found that it was done by a duo band called Frou Frou. I researched both members, and fell in love with the music Imogen created, and Imogen’s style. That was back in 2004 when I was 9 years old, and I still love her to this day.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

It’s very unique. Unlike many artists, she writes her own lyrics, and her own songs. She loves to involve her fans in the making of her music, therefore she and her fans have a close relationship.

Her lyrics are extremely metaphorical and creative that have infinite interpretations. Her songs often contain normal household items, such as the kitchen sink in the song “Wait It Out”.

“Speeding Cars” is very special to me. People often sing it to me when I feel depressed. It often helps me to see some sort of faint light at the end of the tunnel, however long.

Rio Tomlinson-Curely 17 years old Scotland

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

I have indeed connected with others through her music. Through the internet, I have actually made friends with other fans of hers due to having the same passion for her music. I feel connected to all of her fans, actually. Despite not knowing or talking to them, I feel like I belong whenever I’m at her concert and we’re all standing together, all connecting and being as one as we enjoy her soothing melodies.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact? @ImmiHeapFan

rio.tomlinsoncurley

Through very troubled times that come to the point where I want to take my own life, other fans I have managed to make a connection with have put their time and effort into convincing me that I should keep living. It shows that most of Immi’s fans are a caring bunch.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

Some of them are in Scotland. Some of them in England. One is in the Republic of Ireland, and the rest are in the United States.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

I’d like to thank her for her music. For her creativity. For her contribution to saving my life and helping to build it. I’d like to thank her for giving me the strength to just be myself, and for helping me connect with so many wonderful people. I hope that, one day, I can meet her, and I can thank her in person for everything she has done. Keep making music!

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Trusting.

Unregretful.

Much-needed.

Lovely.

Homely.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

A musician friend of mine, Terami Hirsch, gave me I Megaphone. I completely trusted her taste in music so I gave it a listen. I remember listening to “Sweet Religion” for the first time and getting the chills.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

How creative, inventive, and outside of the box she is. She finds incredible sounds in the most random of places and in the least utilized of instruments. She is fearless in her pursuit of honesty and originality.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Samantha Hale 28 years old Los Angeles, CA, USA

Well, that’s a big question for me. Her music changed my life. It got me through my father’s passing, and inspired me to make a film about music. Her support of Map the Music really made it possible.

Her believing in me and giving me a chance opened so many doors for me. For that I will ALWAYS be grateful. I have met so many amazing people through my film. The people I met while waiting in line for her shows were the backbone of everything I would create with MTM. She has the most wonderful, open, creative fans.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

Absolutely. I found my identity as an artist and filmmaker through the connections I made with MTM. And she was there from the very beginning...

Where do the people you have connected with live? @MapTheMusic

I can honestly say all over the world ;)

MaptheMusic

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Inspiring, honest, thoughtful, emotional, and humbling.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thank you for giving a young girl with a camera and an idea a chance to create something beautiful in her life, and for providing a gorgeous soundtrack to so many of our lives.

“I have met so many amazing people through my film. The people I met while waiting in line for her shows were the backbone of everything I would create with MTM.�

-Samantha hale

Caledon Ontario, Canada

baltimore

Eugene, Oregon

los angeles New Orleans austin mexico guatelamala city

Mountains of Northern Ire

the netherlands london

f Mourne, eland Paris

Lisbon, Portugal

namibia

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

My first exposure, like many in the U.S., was through the soundtrack of the film, “Garden State.”

What do you like about Immi and her music?

There are so many aspects I enjoy: her multi-layered mixing; beautiful harmonies, unexpected melodic leaps; varied song keys (not just “guitar keys”); sometimes uneven phrase lengths; striking vocal range and color; interesting use of rhythm; attention to detail. Her music stands up to many listenings.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Robert Ponto 56 years old Eugene, OR, USA

Along with the wonderful people I met through the “Lifeline” project — and I remain in contact with many of them — her music sprouted branches that led to my getting to know other wonderful and creative people such as Guy Sigsworth, Fiora Cutler, and Kelly Snook, to name but a few.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact? @rponto

Most dramatically, hearing my daughter, Anna’s, viola soaring with Imogen’s voice in “Lifeline” moved me to tears. It has also affected me as a classical musician as Imogen has helped confirm

RobertPonto

for me (along with Guy Sigsworth, Bjork, Fiora and others) that the distinctions we draw between classical and popular music are arbitrary and need to be broken down once and for all. This attitude has undeniably crept into my work as a college professor of music.

rdponto

Anything you want to say to Immi?

I have shared some of this in a previous letter to Imogen, but I believe some of it bears revisiting.

Clearly, we respect her art. She has produced a body of work that demonstrates high standards, unrelenting creativity, diverse modes of expression, and dazzling technical skills. For me however, the most vital significance of her work extends beyond the songs themselves (crazy idea, I know) to something deeper. Here are a few of the reasons I believe this to be true.

The late American humanist psychologist, Rollo May, wrote a book called, “The Courage to Create.”

This title could easily describe what Imogen shows us. She does not hang back in the safe zone of creativity. Instead, she challenges herself to experiment, to risk, to become fully engaged with the thing she is creating – and is clearly transformed by that experience. To me, this represents the best of what truly gifted artists do.

Imogen is often willing to “show her work.” Many artists are terrified of revealing anything but finished products that are well-vetted by producers and music industry representatives. With Imogen, we meet an artist who will sometimes share sonograms of her works in utero, long before even she knows what the song is going to be. By so doing, she reveals not only her humanness, but also the inherently messy process of creativity itself!

Most listeners are accustomed to hearing only finished songs and have little experience with their gestation. Few realize the inspiration-versus-perspiration struggles that go into creating an artwork from nothing. How do you sense when you’ve found a rich seed for a song? When should you let ideas flow and when should you be highly critical of them? How do you let go of an idea to which you’ve grown very attached — but it just isn’t working? At what point is self-criticism improving your work — and when is it destroying it? And exactly when do you release your new musical child into the world? Do you cling to the notion that it can ever really be “finished,” or can you learn you trust it enough to let it tell you when it’s ready to leave the nest? These are the kinds of complex issues to which Imogen has allowed us a rare glimpse.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

unexpected, diverse, branching, unselfish, nurturing

I believe that Imogen’s work ethic and determination also serves as an example for all of us, but especially women. As a father of two daughters, and a teacher for more than 30 years, I have observed some of the particular struggles women face in a maledominated world. I believe Imogen’s transparency about her work — her struggles, her frustrations, her determination despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles — can serve as one possible blueprint for the modern woman. More than once I’ve referred struggling musicians — especially women — to Imogen’s “Speak for Yourself” blogs for inspiration.

While collaboration characterizes much of Imogen’s work, her current album breaks new ground. “Lifeline,” for example, reveals how community can play a part such that the final work is really something that no one — not even the architect of the whole process — can fully imagine at the point of conception. Talk about the courage to create! It is only after the various collected sound objects are sorted, weighed, selected, and finally heated together in her musical crucible that a new “noble metal” can emerge. At a more technical level, the same can be said for her work with her musical gloves.

I love the fact that Imogen engages in an artistic process where the “creator” and the “created” are treated as equal partners. That takes a remarkable balance of ego and humility. Instead of forcing her materials into predetermined molds, Imogen appears to both shape and listen to her materials. Obviously she has strong ideas, but she also asks her materials what they wish to be. By so doing, she and her music engage in a kind of dance where both take turns leading. As Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once wrote, “we are one, after all, you and I, together we suffer, together exist and forever will recreate each other.” By working in this manner, Imogen has opened herself up to countless experiences, journeys, and inventions that would have been closed to her had she chosen a safer, well-worn path.

As far as a personal message is concerned, I would only like to tell Immi that, while I am the joyous recipient of her art, I also ask that she continue to nurture herself along the way. As a listener, I am like a small child — prone to being demanding according to my own needs and wants. But, as I would advise any artist or mother: you have already given much; be sure to save enough for yourself during this long journey.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Immi’s music? An ex girlfriend introduced me to immi; I think hide and seek eventually became the sound track to our break up....in a good way; that kind of knowing someone has been through it before thing and your not alone.

Have you connected with others?

Well, made some great mates through being a garden angel! Seen Naomi and Catherine a couple of times in London. Fantastic people on very different walks of life to me but joyus people to know!

Rory Huston 34 years old London, UK

5 words?

Beautiful sonic loving worldly creatures!

Moment of connection I met Catherine BertrAnd from Ireland yesterday, and introduced her to her first burrito!

Naomi and I exchange geeky information on electronic music.

@roadtomodane

Roryhuston

Something to say?

Thanks so much for the garden angel project; it was great to meet both you and Thomas, and such a fantastic buzz from the volunteers! It put my faith back in volunteering and took me to being an Olympic dove of peace in the 2012 opening ceremony (see photo!), has got me digging in my local park, and I might even be doing a bit of sound art with Naomi(she has no idea what she’s in for!).

Oh, and the music keeps me warm when I’m weary.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

A friend made me a cd of various tracks, about seven years ago, and also through films and tv which used her songs.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Continually experimental, unusual signature sound, atmospheric and playful.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Sarah Maycock 24 years old Near Hastings, on the South Coast

I met a group of her fans who helped her and Thomas Ermacora on the walled garden project while I stayed with her to make the video for ‘Neglected Space’

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

It was lovely to meet a group of such hard working people, and we stay in touch via Facebook

Where do the people you have connected with live? @sarahmaycock

sarahmaycock

All over the world!

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Enthusiastic, determined, open, kind, supportive

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Working on the video was a challenge that pushed me and we produced something that thoroughly surprised me. I was welcomed into your home and am so proud of what we made.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Recommended by a friend

What do you like about Immi and her music?

I like the stories that are told and the openness of the Imogen to her fans in the creative process, I also like the tech, seeing music being made in unique and exciting ways.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Steph Jennings 32 years old Wolverhampton, UK

@Essitam

essitam

I have made connections with others via Immi’s music, mainly through conversations on twitter but this has spilled over to other platforms such as Facebook, Flickr and Instagram. I have met people at gigs and even spent a weekend in London around the time of the RAH gig especially to meet up with people who had traveled to the UK to see the show who I had previously connected with social media.

Some remain just “Immi connections” who I only have conversations about Immi but others have developed into friendships where conversation is about everything and anything but Immi, and the Immi link is only how we met, not the only basis for conversation. I have shared my love of photography with some sharing hints and tips and feedback on each others photos, and parenting woes with others who have children the same age as my son, conversation and connection is as varied as any other friend you make

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Every friend you ever make, however you make it impacts your life whether you realise it or not. There are some people I have connected with via Immi’s music I would very much consider friends not just connections and they enrich my life by being loving caring amazing generous people.

Where do the people you have connected with live? therealessitam

All over really but specifically UK, USA, Germany,

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi? therealessitam

Enriching, Fulfilling, Open, Generous and Creative

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I heard about Immi’s music through Frou Frou (which I guess you could say is “Immi’s music”). I remember I heard “Let Go” somewhere when I was in junior high school, and I kept the name of the group in the back of my mind (this was before I had an iPod, or a computer, so if I heard a song that I liked, I wrote it down or just remembered it). Eventually, when I got around to using the computer more, I looked up Frou Frou, and who made up the group. I saw Imogen’s name and thought “my, what a peculiar name”. I looked her up on Youtube, and then found her vlogs. I guess you could say that the rest is history from there :D

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Laurel 20 years old Southern California, USA

@Laurel_Alyson

laurel.enix.1

laurelalyson

What I like about Immi as a person is that she isn’t afraid to be different. She is very innovative, personable, and real. She brings these factors to her music, that makes for a whole new listening experience. What I appreciate about her is that she can take everyday sounds and use them to create something that is so much more (a masterpiece). Her musicianship is out of this world. I would pay for a whole album of just Imogen playing the piano with no vocal accompaniment. The way that she plays the piano really holds my attention and makes me wonder “how did she do that?” or “I wonder what notes she’s playing right there”. I feel like I hear something new, something hidden in each layer every time I listen to her music. She also has a way of writing her lyrics that is very smart. She finds a ways to say things makes her music seem more personal and you definitely “get it”. A few months after Ellipse came out, my father passed away. I already had been playing Ellipse relentlessly since I purchased it, but during the time when he was sick, and even after, I just kept playing the album. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back (and listening to the songs, analyzing the lyrics), there was something there that was personal. With Immi’s music, she can write the songs having one meaning in mind, but it can mean something different for someone else, which is beautiful. Her songs also range from a wide variety of musical styles, so there is always a song that I can go to when I’m feeling a certain way, or want to listen to a certain “type” of song. I also appreciate that Imogen makes the fan feel important, like their voice is actually heard. With Immi, I don’t feel like I have to go through A, B, and C just to get to her. I know that if I send a message or a note, she will see it one way or the other, and to the best of her ability try to reply to it. The same thing goes with her recent venture into crowd-sourcing for her new music. I don’t know of any other artist who actually goes out of their way to include their fans in the creation of something new. It is amazing, and I love Immi for it. I am so glad that she has decided to share her talents with us.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

I have connected with so many people because of Immi. Most are in the United States, but there are some who are international. I have met the most wonderful, loving people through Immi, some of which I know I will be friends with for life. I have connected with most of them online (for example, the lovely @MimAbbyMason on Twitter, who I am “pen pals” with) and Sarah Mabe (who is putting this awesome book together! :-). There are many others, too, who are very fascinating people that I know I would not have met if not for Immi. I also met Airika through Immi (when she played at Humphrey’s in San Diego back in 2010). She had opened for Immi, and sung “Earth” with her. I met her after the show, and got in contact with her, and we found out that we were from the same area! Now I try to get in contact with her every so often, and she keeps me updated whenever she is playing local shows. I have truly met some wonderful people because of Immi and her music and I am grateful to her because of that.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

These connections have definitely made an impact on my life. For example, with Miriam (@MimAbbyMason), I found someone who I could confide in, and just be open with, and not worry about being judged or ignored. I really needed someone like that (who was an older adult) who wouldn’t just try to shove their beliefs down my throat, but actually listen to me without judging and offer wisdom. She has had a positive influence on my life and I am so glad that I’ve met her. Also, I met Sarah Mabe who is equally as awesome. We both love other artists as much as we love Immi, and it’s great just being able to have someone to talk to about how the artists have impacted our lives, how the lyrics made us feel, or how we found a rare performance on Youtube. My family really doesn’t want to hear me go on and on about the artists I like (though I don’t feel like I’m talking too much). If I didn’t meet Sarah, then I wouldn’t have someone to talk who would know what I was talking about in reference to a song or something. It’s just really nice to have someone like that.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

The people who I have connected with live all over, Washington State, Colorado, Utah, New York, London, Scotland, California, and the list goes on...

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Inspiring, Awesome, Fun, Interesting, Friend-discovery

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Immi, I would just like to say thank you. For everything. For being you, for sharing your talents with us, just thank you. You are an amazing amazing person and your music has helped me through all kinds of things, from high school drama, to just feeling bad about myself, and I just want to say thank you so much. I really don’t know what else to say, because it is hard for me to put my love and appreciation into words. It’s like I have an abstract, cloud of emotion that is floating over my head and I have no idea how to transcribe that to written words. I will just thank you instead and send hugs your way. Thank you Immi!! *hugs*

Through very troubled times that come to the point where I want to take my own life, other fans I have managed to make a connection with have put their time and effort into convincing me that I should keep living. It shows that most of Immi's fans are a caring bunch.

- Rio Tomlinson-Curley

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Back when Shrek 2 was released, I remember seeing it at the cinema - I was about 16 years old. I watched the film, and as we always do, we sat through the credits while people filed out. ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ is, as well known, one of Imogen’s contributions to the film, and I was instantly struck as soon as it started - I knew the song, the original, and I just marvelled out how it had been produced to become its own. I remember turning to my Mum and saying, “That song is brilliant! Who sings it?!” - alas, we waited for the song credits to scroll up the screen. A while later, we purchased the soundtrack for the film, and I went straight to the song to play it.

Skip forward a year or two - I’m 17 or 18 and in town with my friend who decides to play ‘Loose Ends’ out of his phone - adored it. A few weeks later, I’m getting ready at the same friend’s house and he puts ‘Daylight Robbery’ on. He blasted the song out of his stereo and that was it, I was hooked. “Is that...

Imogen Heap, did you say?”. He confirmed. In fact, both of these songs remain my favourites.

Steven Sinclair 24 years old Dundee, Scotland

The next day, once I’d returned home, I purchased both Imogen’s album, and upon discovering she collaborated with Guy in Frou Frou, immediately bought ‘Details’ too. ‘Speak For Yourself’ and ‘Details’ were the first to arrive, and I listened to them through there and then. A short time later, about a week actually, ‘iMegaphone’ arrived. It took approximately a year for the album to grow on me, having been instantly hit with Imogen’s unique newfound talent in ‘SFY’ and ‘Details’ - though regardless, ‘iMegaphone’ is now no less played.

It took a while for me to realise the connection Imogen had to ‘Holding Out For Hero’. It made a remarkable sense, that the song should have a profound effect on me.

@silverinstance

AddictedToLifeAndCoffee

In 2007, I began tuning into Imogen’s vBlogs via YouTube as she began her musical venture of ‘Ellipse’. At that point, I realised that the music she created was done so with a personality harboring experimentation and a little bit of the wacky, the daring to push musical and personal boundaries, a grounded mentality and an awareness of the rapidly growing fanbase to her music.

Until 2007, the most music that I had bothered with was the radio, played at inconsistent moments, and a few spare CDs lying around in the cupboard. At the point of joining Imogen on her journey, I began to branch out and explore music and its various styles, firstly through Zoë Keating, Kate Havnevik, Milosh and Jon Hopkins, and so forth. Now, I have a huge taste in music and, just like how I found Imogen, I keep to the non-mainstream highways, seeking the unique, hidden gems that are overlooked in pursuit of income.

I still listen to her, to this day, religiously and without unwavering adoration for her work.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Undoubtedly, her unique style. I adore her approach to music, her ethos, her attitude and the want, need and drive to push herself and her capabilities in creation and production. Not only does her music appeal to the senses on so many levels, she makes it personal, more often than not to the wider population whereby they can step into her shoes and relate. I admire her pursuit of independence to write, create, produce and master her own music, thereby steering away from the mainstream means which can be unjust and stereotypical. And lastly, unlike many other artists, she allows others to help in the creation of her music, through experiences and moments that not only allow the creation of music with depth and meaning, but as a lasting memory for all parties. Imogen does not just create music, she creates experiences, and memories and that adrenaline that happens at key moments in most, if not all, of her songs.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music?

If so, in what ways have you connected?

This is a difficult one - I had to think for a few minutes on how this had happened, which undoubtedly it has. Shortly after April 2007, I became obsessed with Imogen’s music, her personality, her vBlogs and her ethos - it had awoken this insatiable thirst for the eclectic, the abstract and for new music. It was inspirational, and soon after that began to influence my artwork as I found a way to express the eclecticity in myself. I have never been one to conform, and always strive to find a way that allows me to express myself, unrestricted and to full potential.

I wanted others to experience that.

For approximately a year and a half to two years I roamed the Hallowed Halls of Heap, via the iBabble forums - it was here I became cyber-friends with a few fellow iBabblers and spoke on countless topics regarding Imogen’s work.

Some of these were also musicians, some artists, but all sharing that appreciation. Here, my knowledge grew even more, to other rarer collaborations, projects, gigs and artworks associated to Heap.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Soon after my discovery, I started sharing her name to my Mum and Sister, and to close friends at university. More often than not, her music would be playing in the background - and I searched for more of her music, hearing that she had collaborated on other projects.

My Mum and Sister, having had to listen to me bleating on about Imogen, soon grew tired of her name and my endless chatter! Friends would listen to her music, some dabbling in exploration, some appreciative and others who admitted that she did not appeal to their music tastes. But that happens.

Now, when I meet new people, I explore their music tastes, asking them if they have heard of Imogen Heap. I experience this little rush of excitement when I find out they do, knowing that to like Imogen Heap, to have even heard of her, is to have a taste and mind for eclectic music, to be open to exploration and for there to exist this small plain of understanding that both of you know of her musical talent.

Now, with my iBabble (:D) having subsided, my Mum and Sister are appreciative of her talents, and enjoy a song or two here and there - this was a shock, as my sister until two years ago was into heavy metal, etc.! I follow her music, still, religiously and continue to post her music on Tumblr, Facebook and my Listening-count on LastFM and iTunes grows ever larger!

I follow a lass on Twitter, Lizzy, who is an artist and fellow iBabbler too. I was also introduced to Madeleine Bloom through the Heap Experience!

Where do the people you have connected with live?

All over the world - honestly. There are so many of them, but so far between. I’ll be lucky if I come across someone every few weeks who knows of Imogen’s music.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Remain true to yourself, to your music, your talent and your friends. Enjoy every moment of what you do, and remember to take the pain with the gain. While trying at times, such as that painful moment during the creation of ‘Ellipse’ - which was felt by fans, trust me, you gain an outlook that holds many perspectives, and that’s what helps in the creation of such fantastic music. You are an absolute gem of a musician, and I count you as one of the most inspiriting people in my life.

I hope, at some point, that my path will overlap yours in one way or another, and to contribute even the smallest thing to any of your work is a dream in waiting.

Keep creating the music you do, and bloody well have fun doing it! In peace, love, Light, and joy.

Steven xx

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

Actually, some of the connections that have been long lasting are with Imogen Heap herself, as well as those who work closely with her. While through Twitter, I’ve posed questions and Tweets to Imogen and had at least 3 or 4 replies from her personally. I spoke to her Webmaster James on Twitter, as well as Dan Gennoe who was posed with writing a promotional piece on her. I’ve also posed Tweets to Zoë Keating, Kate Havnevik, Temposhark and Milosh and had replies from all of them! :D I attended a gig, my very first, and last since (!!!) in September of 2009 - Imogen was at the Glasgow ABC and myself and a friend, Linda, waited for an hour and 15 minutes to meet her outside. I was total awestruck - I just spouted babbling appreciation! I also met Ryan Breen (Back Ted N-Ted) outside after the gig. He was Imogen Heap’s warm-up gigster and collaborated with her on stage. He was ridiculously modest, and his music was unbelievable.

The most personal, however, belongs to someone I really liked. That person also knew of and adored Imogen Heap and her music and on that level alone, I warmed to him. He had a very profound effect on me, even to this day even though it didn’t last very long. He plays piano too.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Inspiring Exciting Liberating Soulful Explorative

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Like many others, I first heard Immi’s voice in the Garden State trailer. I was utterly entranced, and I’ve followed her career every step of the way since.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

She pushes so many boundaries of genre while maintaining a sound that is unique, exclusively unto herself. Also, I have severe respect for any artist who arranges, produces, and performs all of the instruments on an album. Speaking from experience, it’s a daunting task, but one that Immi consistently makes joyous for her listeners. It’s also the little idiosyncratic nuances; adding layer upon musical layer for one song while knowing when to be as minimal as possible for another. And her use of seemingly random vocal syllables (“elegant scat singing” as I like to call it) is just wonderful. Songs like “Earth”, “Mic Check”, and Frou Frou’s “Flicks” that feature those vocal gymnastics show a very playful, very coquettish side of Immi.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

John Orr 30 years old Austin, TX, USA

I have, but not as much as I would still like to. I was involved in the first two Heapsong projects, during which I chatted with many talented Immi devotees via her vlog chats as well as Twitter. We would give each other constructive crticism about music, advice about performing, and help with life in general.

Unfortunately I’ve fallen out of touch with most of the Heaple, but I hope to get back on the trolley for the next few crowd-sourced tracks and rekindle old fires.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

Right here in Texas, all the way across the pond in the UK, and everywhere inbetween!

TheLastDomino

johnthegozerian

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

One person, whom I’d prefer to keep nameless, was dealing with a stressful and depressing situation during the Heapsong 1 (Lifeline) weeks. He asked for help, and I was happy to do whatever I could.

Having dealt with anxiety and depression in my life, I don’t believe that anyone should have to suffer the trenches alone, so I was instantly willing to listen and help in any way I could. Our shared experiences are what allowed us to create a bond, but our mutual love of Immi’s music is what initially brought us together.

On a lighter note, I was also introduced to a dedicated music lover named Samantha Hale, who founded a recurring documentary series called Map The Music. We’re currently Facebook friends, but I just can’t seem to ever find the time to contribute anything to her cause. Maybe writing this piece is exactly the kick in the pants that I need to get back in touch!

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Please keep doing exactly what you’re doing. Invent new instruments, shatter generic confines, and be the sweet, humble person I’ve come to see you as through the Heapsong process.

You’re an inspiration to the true musicians around the world; those who still have a love for the art at its purest and most basic, yet also for its progression and future. Thank you for being you.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

enlightening, supportive, genuine, unforgettable, human The Last Domino www.thelastdomino.com (official) www.reverbnation.com/thelastdomino (listen) thelastdomino.bandcamp.com (discography)

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I’m not entirely sure. Probably just randomly searching for female singers on the internet. I still remember buying the Speak For Yourself CD in the store and loving the white cover and pink back cover then looking through the CD and falling asleep to it (in a good way, the music was very relaxing) in the car radio as my Dad drove me home.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

It’s different. It’s complicated but easily accessible. I love hearing new sounds every time I listen to any song of hers.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Ty Carson 22 years old Michigan

Definitely. The Imogen Heap fanbase is huge. Not as huge in America, but it’s huge online. I’ve connect with Eduardo Fitch, whom I admire as a Graphic Designer and a friend, my friend Madeleine Bloom whom I’ve done a few remixes for, Sarah Mabe who helped start this book, Royal Sapien, the wonderful remixer, and Stu Henderson and Toby Barnett, who are wonderful musicians and so many others it’d be hard to list.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

Definitely. Eduardo Fitch has inspired me on so many levels Graphic Design wise. I long to do what he’s doing. Madeleine Bloom has reminded me how much I love making music and remixing as well. @with_headphones

ty.carson

Where do the people you have connected with live?

Eduardo Fitch lives everywhere. Currently in Mexico. Madeleine Bloom lives in Berlin, Germany. I’m not sure where Royal Sapien lives but Stu Henderson and Toby Barnett live in London.

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Online, Warm, Welcoming, Long-lasting, Treeple

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thank you for not being afraid of who you are and what your music is. You have inspired my numerous times to be a better version of myself, whether it be in music, graphic design, etc. Thank you.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

A big friend of mine introduced me to Imogen’s “Hide and Seek”. It was one of the best feelings ever, hearing that song for the first time.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

About Immi: I really like people that can be creative and actually create the things that they have in mind. About her music: I love the melodies and the capability of always adding something new to them, either its a new instrument or simply a new lyric subject.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Yes, mainly via Internet. That’s the best way to connect with other fans, though I wish there was a little bit more chatting in iBabble and in other Immi related forums :( I also connected with some fans on #heapsong1, those livestreams were fun! In real life, I only talk about Immi with that big friend that introduced me to her music.

Zeze 22 years old Lisbon, Portugal

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

They have! Having a good friend to talk about the things we love makes the day so much better.

Sometimes those moments have such an impact in our life that I just wish I could travel back to them.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

Portugal. unfolias

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

unfolias

Sure, i remember going through the field with my friend and imagining that we’d both make a video clip of an Immi song. Turns out to be rather sad because we both grew separated and actually never had the chance to do it.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Friendship, interaction, sharing, dreaming and “the heaples” :D

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Immi, your live shows are truly unique, you always find ways to impress your fans! But have you tried to surprise yourself by doing something different and ended up using it on new projects/songs?

In this time of my life I am going through changes as an artist, father, witness of world art, and follower of great leaders of humanity. Imogen Heap has come out of nowhere, gently like a summer thunderstorm’s advancing wind that has guided me through mountains of emotions, musically, lyrically, artistically and visually. Being a tall women, fair, beautiful and seemingly intensely intelligent...she reminds me of how Tolkien described the Elves. “the most beautiful and oldest of all the races of Middle-Earth and they possess great magic. They have the ability to make objects of great beauty, ingenuity and enchantment - among whom music, language and sacred knowledge flow from them. They dwell by the rivers, and they have invented poetry and music. At first the elves sang with grace and merriment without speech but soon they developed a speech and spoke with words, elves were the first creations of the gods”

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

First ever encounter with Imogen’s Music was the Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scotts DVD

What do you like about Immi and her music?

So much to say, everything, fresh, honest, creative, positive, love, morning music, so much more to say and I will in another email, William Cann 45 years old Caledon Ontario, CANADA

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

Not yet, I’ve emailed others online but have kept her music very personal and never really shared except with my 9 yr old daughter.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact? @william_nish

william.cann1

Where do the people you have connected with live?

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them? Everyone I make friends with that’s usually the first thing I talk about when we get around to music is Imogen! Of course as a guy I find her incredible, so pretty and intelligent.

Intelligence is such an attractive character to me especially around tech gear, music, film, video all those things...that’s my love as well production.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi? fresh, honest, creative, positive, love, morning music

Anything you want to say to Immi?

If there was anything I could say to her It would never be enough. As a creative person who looks for freedom achieved through art, your music, art, and just being yourself have struck such a amazing chord with me, nobody has been able to do that to me and I am purely just in awe of everything you are and everything you do. You are appreciated so much in my world!

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I was browsing youtube and happened across a really low-quality 240p horribly compressed version of "The Walk" - but despite that I completely fell in love and went on a "related videos" exploration of her music. Happy to say I now own the fantastic lossless quality versions!

What do you like about Immi and her music?

On the music side of it, as a musician myself I have to say I'm completely amazed by the way she uses such complex textures and layers, but without the track ever sounding cluttered. I love the strange little intricate sounds that pop in and out, the amazing drum loops and of course all the crazy vocal layers and doublings and panning etc. She uses really creative and original production techniques (like the voices in Neglected Space, or of course Hide and Seek) and in the end even with all the electronics stripped away, it's all plain good songwriting. On top of that the fact that she is starting to take on really innovative projects such as the 3D song, or The Gloves.

She's pretty fearless. What I like about Immi herself is that she is such a human artist. She is very understated and down-to-earth about her process, it's not something secret and sacred, she shares it all with the fans, chats with people on twitter, bounces ideas off people, and instead of just releasing a song, she will explain about how she went about writing it, share previews of things she's working on and really connect directly to everyone who enjoys what she does, which is really inspiring.

have any of your connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

A lot of people I've met because of Immi are also really talented artists and creators, and I've collaborated, shared info on project ideas and learned so much from them, especially other musicians and songwriters.

Where do the people you have connected with live? A lot of them live in America or the UK, but there are people absolutely all over that love what she does.

Stu Henderson 19 years old York

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

One of my samples was chosen to be in the song 'Lifeline' and as such I met a bunch of other fans at Immi's house. It was such a special day, and I made even more new friends that I still keep in touch with. It was incredible to be stood with a small group of people, listening to a new song by one of my favourite artists in her actual home studio. Surreal!

@stuhmusic

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

stuhendersonmusic

Anything you want to say to Immi?

benedictarnold9

Creative, Passionate, Strong, Unique and AWESOME

Hi Immi, It was so lovely to meet you at the 'Lifeline' party, I've listened to your music for years and you are a truly unique artist. You really are inspiring a generation of people (including me!) who love your music to be creative themselves and simply make good art, which is one of the most wonderful things that anyone can do. I can't wait to see you when you're back on tour, especially with these new gloves you've got going on. just keep doing what you're doing, 'cause it's pretty damn good. :) xx ~ Stu

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

A friend was playing Frou Frou at a dinner party and I loved it, asked him what it was and then bought it myself. Years later I had a solo album of my own and was selling it on my website. It was a small-scale operation and I was still posting the orders myself every week. I was writing out an address label and it said "Imogen Heap" and I thought the name seemed vaguely familiar. A couple of weeks later (Nov 2005 I think), I got an email from Immi telling me our mutual friend Ryan Obermeyer (Ryan is an incredible artist and did the Goodnight and Go and Headlock artwork) had told her about me and she loved my album. I wrote back telling her I loved HER music and that she should let me know if she ever needs a cellist. She asked me if I'd like to go on tour with her.....

What do you like about Immi and her music?

Zoe Keating 41 years old Camp Meeker, California, USA

It's hard to explain, Immi has this refreshing kind of honesty about her. It just doesn't work to describe her or her music with words. Words are so...flat...whereas Immi and her music are a 4-dimensional. I think she can only be described by her music. It's incredibly revitalizing just to spend 5 minutes with her.

Another thing...I revel in the production quality of her recordings. The audio quality and the sounds are just delicious.

@zoecello

zoekeating

‘I met Imogen at TED having not come across her music and art forms. The room was silent and a tall bird stepped in moving in audacious ways leaving me curious of what was to come. After 20 minutes on stage and a ‘Just for now’ crowd sung tune I was struck by her exceptional presence and sharing ability, honesty and furious passion for innovation and beauty. After working with her we grew quickly into deeper forms of fondness… In a few years we’ve met so many people together and many she’s introduced me to I consider like old friends even if they have spent very little time with me or Imogen for that matter, just because of the ethos that she carries and transpires into all she does. I’d say the connections I’ve made with and through Imogen have been and are genuine, inspiring, kaleidoscopic, spontaneous, and intimate. She is a breath of light into much of the darkness conventions spread in this world - leading by example into the unknown with a very unique and melodious attitude. I gather it is clear she makes me fall in love with her time and time again whatever life throws into the mix. ‘ Thomas UK

@termacora

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

I was introduced to Immi’s music through a book forum, where one of the members posted about an amazing solo singer they’d just been to see the night before. They explained Immi’s music in such a way that I was compelled to seek it out for myself. Unwittingly I listened to ‘The moment I said it’ and found it smart and thorny and totally beguiling; I was also letting this new sound shape the way I would think about music.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

For me personally, I use music to manipulate my moods, reduce stress, end boredom, and create environments for social occasions. Music can also provide an outlet for emotional expression and be a source of comfort. I've especially found this with Immi's music; she has a way of reaching out with her expression and creates such an international language. This was proven by the new connections I made when I joined ibabble forum; she moves people, what a wonderful gift that is.

Fiona Dunk Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Southern Hemisphere, God’s own country.

@seldoo

seldoo

The working definition of music describes it as ‘humanly generated sounds that are good to listen to, and that are so for themselves and not merely for the message they convey’. It sounds pretty obvious, but the more you think about it, the more clever the definition is, since it excludes everything from poetry to speech to birdsong and the howling wind. However, what I admire and love about Immi’s music is her ability to craft sounds around great lyrics; custom made to house her thoughts on life and in turn move others and me. In the main, she shows clarity, consequence, frailty, silence, abstractions and elation in ways that defy the definition of her craft. I wish it was simple to explain but I’m also glad it’s not, because that would be denying the very essence of why I love her and the music.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

In the beginning I was connected with others through the ibabble forum, and from there through eruption of social media applications. However, I’d like to reflect on a special group of friends that was borne out of necessity of the time. Having been totally immersed into the ibabble forum world for the music in the beginning to the friendships that formed in time, I remember the day of not being able to log into the ibabble forum after the dreaded 404 errors. The ibabble had crashed and like lost sheep looking for their flock; a group was quickly formed and became known as the ‘Treehouse’. Remember being young and excited to have place where you could be with your friends and the outside world seemed like a life away from you? Well that was the ‘Treehouse’. A group of diverse people with different backgrounds, cultures, countries, ages but with one thing in common that brought them together—music--and in particular, Immi’s music. There were representatives from Canada, England, New Zealand, Australia, USA, and Germany, and for a brief time I felt like I had found my tribe.

So we connected through the power of the Internet, and through written words we became acquainted with each other. And as much as any rite of passage, we learned from each other and helped each other when the world seemed frightening, and celebrated together when joy entered our lives. For me, that Immi Treehouse forum gave me the ability to transcend myself, to be more than myself. Like the metaphor of ‘Treehouse’ we would fly with Peter Pan, meet the White rabbit, we rode the tiger’s back to live in a castaway’s treehouse. We would be cheeky as Huckleberry Finn or as brave as Bunyip Bluegum, or as free as Pippi Longstocking. We had our words and music that gave our Treehouse meaning and shape and intimacy in a world so large. And all this came about so organically through Immi’s music.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

You have no idea how much of an impact the Immi connections have had on my life. There is one I’d life to make special mention of because it’s the most important and treasured one that I have, and feel I’d like to share that with you. Through the Treehouse forum, there was one particular contributor whose essence was striking and persistently in a pleasant manner, who managed to punch through my mind like a shampoo commercial on high rotation (I’ll add that I love a good shampoo commercial). I had formed a fixation on this person’s words and how she wrote what and how Immi’s music was to her. I was pretty certain that my feelings had gone beyond a crush and was careening down a path of deep, unconditional love. It would wake me in the night, tug on my intestines and plant camouflaged landmines in my psyche.

To say that this connection in particular changed me would be a gross understatement. Against odds of two trillion to one, my chance encounter on the Treehouse forum blossomed eventually into love. Even though we lived in different hemispheres and were against all the odds, we have been together (although the immigration is making that ‘togetherness’ particularly hard) for four years now in a committed relationship. I just want to declare openly and unqualifiedly, that everything I am today I owe to that forum. Well, maybe not my good looks and athletic ability or my excellent school results…but everything else it can lay claim to.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

My partner lives in Connecticut, USA. Others that I have a close connection to are also from USA, in particular Denver and Las Vegas. There are some very special German friends that you can take their friendship to the bank--it means that much to me. Friends from Canada, one that is no longer with us. Awesome people from the UK, that are so passionate about Immi and the connections we make that they dedicate their time to moderating forums.

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

Well apart from the moment of connections above, there is one story that I hold dear. It’s a story of both sadness and happiness, and one that the people connected to will hopefully always remember. It’s the story of Mr Mike Page, a dedicated Immi music lover and active member of ibabble and fully-fledged Treehouse member. Mike Page would always bring a smile to my face. He was the quintessential Immi fan, and no matter how my day had been he would somehow pick me up and dust me off with his joy for life. We would learn about Mike and his connection with his son, the joy of his life, through his forum posts. We would rejoice in his Immi concert photos and his dedication to her. We would see his struggles with life, demons of his past whispering in his ears. We would laugh at his quirky way of telling a story. And we would ultimately mourn together when we learned of his untimely passing. In many ways, Mike was the glue in our Treehouse, and the lights just seemed to be permanently dimmed without him there. It’s so hard to explain, but the Immi connections we made culminating from the social arena brought emotional intelligence, the ability to convey love, trust, empathy and ultimately, mutual understanding amongst us. In the end we built intimacy, and I miss Mr Mike Page very much.

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Thank you for making the music, for providing a gathering place that participants all over the world can come and give voice to the way your music affects each of us, and how it has moved us to create words and art. How it has triggered a certain emotion within us all. Where we have formed relationships that are life long and grounded in our common musical appreciation.

Yours truly, Seldoo (aka Fiona)

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Passionate Enlightening Emotional Love Friendship

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

Garden State Soundtrack “Let Go, by Frou Frou”

What do you like about Immi and her music?

I like Imogen (Immi) because she is personable, down to earth and rooted in her music. The clarity of meaning behind her music is crystal clear. Her lyric’s make me think. I enjoy listening to her stories through the sound’s of her beautiful voice. On the other hand relating them to my own stories is where the connection complete’s as a perfectly pieced together puzzle.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected?

I have connected with other’s via Immi’s music in many various aspects of my life. I’ve connected and made some amazing friend’s and also met people in the creative community that now I’ve had the opportunity to work with.

Laurence Lloyd Duff IV 26 years old Los Angeles (Eagle Rock/ Studio City, CA, USA

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

I have to say, the impact it’s created in my life has been astounding. Not only do these friend’s inspire me, motivate me and make me smile, but I feel as if these are people that have the same ideals in life and believe in the same things I do. We all have purpose but Imogen’s fans seem to use their purpose for good as Imogen does. It maybe because Imogen inspires them just as greatly them as she does me :)

Where do some of the people you have connected with live? @LaurenceDuff

laurenceduff

laurencelloydduff

Seattle, Washington, London, UK, Los Angeles, CA

Do you have any stories of a moment of connection you have had with any of these people? Would you please share some of them?

Some moments I’ve had whilst connecting with Sarah Mabe, hmmm…. many I must admit, I enjoy our positive chats back and forth. sharing life stories and sharing creative thoughts. I personally trust her music intellect, so I like to send her some of my first versions of my song’s. She is great at critiquing :) When we meet in person, I was pleasantly surprised to find someone with wonderful energy.

Put it this way, When she walks into a room, the lights brighten. :D Some special moments I have had with Andy Carne are those in which we creatively have bounced ideas back and forth. I feel as though him and I share the same vision artistically so I send him all of my piece’s of artwork, pictures and thoughts as well as all my early song’s in progress. He always gives me great feedback along with his wife, Karen.

What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

trussed, intellect, resoluteness, fictive ,ingenious Anything you want to say to Immi?

To Immi, Imogen, I want to start with a big hug, and a thank you for being the person you are and the artist that has become my hero. You have inspired me to go for my dream’s and without you I don’t know where I would be. I’ve become such a strong artist and have learned every aspect in making a record due to watching you through your experience. And now… Where it all became!!! xx I remember first hearing your music. It was Details album “Frou Frou” times. I was just getting started in becoming my own musician, artist, singer, engineer, composer, songwriter. Growing up, I was very influenced by rhythm and blues and alternative rock. Whilst hearing your music at the age of 14, I began to realize that I didn’t need to label myself or put myself in a particular genre. Through the years and once in my 20’s I found “my own sound”. I had always followed you, but this was around the times your blogs for ellipse were up on youtube. They inspired me so greatly, I started the process of following through in making my first album. Come to find out, that at the exact same time you had just started Lifeline for your latest album in process. I was a bit late in seeing the blogs for ellipse but had the album already. Ellipse changed my life and helped me through one of the hardest transitions in my life, which was becoming an adult and knowing how to take care of “me” and blossom as an “artist”.

So as I am now half way through the process of making my album, I have met some very special people through you along the way. The first person that I came into contact with was Andy Carne. Seeing what you were doing with 3DiCD was incredibly inspiring. As a lover/creator of music and art (Graphics, Painting, Sketching, etc) I contacted Mr. Andy Carne and we began creating my first 3DiCD, now Streemliner. I have two completed Streemliners and am just finishing up my 3rd complete with, song, instrumental, improvisation, story within, music video and short 10 minute documentary on the making of the song. (Hope you don’t think I am a copy cat in anyway). Now that it’s in process of becoming an app, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing my own name up through 3DiCD “Streemliner” along side my musical hero’s, Yours :) It’s been such an inspiring and motivating experience.

Shortly after I released my first 3DiCD - Amor & Psyche (Piece 1), Andy introduced me through twitter to Sarah Mabe who has become a very coleus friend to me. As we do live far apart (but in the same country) We have managed to get together to see a live show in Los Angeles :D Also, recently, I had the pleasure of doing a google chat with friends test with You! (Thanks to Andy Carne) I don’t know if you remember me, we played Frarajaka. It was a very fun, amazing experience. So in short, no more babbling on… I’d like to thank you so much for all the JOY you bring into my life and so many others. You are someone I greatly look up to and I hope I get to meet you someday in person. Maybe beat box together ;-)

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

My piano teacher mentioned Immi to me many years ago, but I never took his recommendation to check her out. Then a few years ago I kept seeing people on Facebook talking about a documentary called Map The Music. I decided to get the documentary and see what it was all about. The documentary is beautiful, and I was introduced to many great musicians through it, Immi being one of them. I remember watching the documentary and feeling so drawn to Immi. I started to search youtube and the Internet to learn more about her and came across her blogs and vblogs. I devoured them. I just couldn’t get enough of her and her music.

What do you like about Immi and her music?

What I love about Immi is her beautiful heart. It shines through everything she does. I love how genuine she is, and how she opens herself up and lets us inside her world. She’s honest and brave. I also think she’s incredibly funny, which is one of my favorite traits to find in others. She’s also amazingly brilliant, and I love watching her process as she creates. I also love how she interacts with us all, and how everything comes around full circle.

Sarah Mabe 34 years old Renton (20 min south of Seattle), WA, USA

What I love about Immi’s music is so hard to put into words. Words are so limited at times. I love the sound of her voice; it’s so soothing and full of emotion. When I listen to her music, I feel my soul sigh a relief of whatever stressors are running around in my brain. I love all the different layers to her music. I can listen to a song that I’ve heard on repeat for ages and still catch something I didn’t hear before. Her songs don’t just have sonic layers, there are also layers of story and heart.

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music? If so, in what ways have you connected? benedictarnold9

smaybe1

rahahmaybe

rahahmaybe

I don’t know if I can put into words all the connections I’ve made and what they mean to me. As I was writing out these questions for others to answer, I didn’t realize how hard it would be for me to answer them. I guess they didn’t seem hard when I was writing them because I knew my answers; I knew what questions to ask because of what I had experienced. I wanted to hear others’ stories. The only problem was that the answers I knew were in my heart, and it’s hard to get them out on paper.

Since I was a later Imogen fan, I missed all the connecting via iBabble and during the making of Ellipse. I jumped into the world of Heap right when Love The Earth wrapped up, so the majority of my connecting has happened during the Heapsongs via Twitter. I have met so many wonderful people from all over the world, from all walks of life. Our connections all started with us talking about Imogen, but the majority of them have grown from that to including other topics as well.

The connection that has been most significant for me is with Miriam and Bill Mason and their boys, Ethan and Owen. We started talking over Twitter during Lifeline. They live in the same state as me, about 3 hours away, and I’ve gone to visit them many times. Miriam has become one of my closest friends. I feel like I can share anything with her, and no matter what it is, I will not be judged. She is full of wisdom and compassion.

I love talking with Bill, too. He is gentle, quiet, witty, and full of love. They are also amazing parents to their boys. I love watching them interact with them. They treat their kids with such respect, consideration, trust and give them overflowing amounts of love. Watching them interact with their boys and learning more about the ways they parent has shifted my thinking greatly.

I’m a nanny, and I am with kids the majority of the time. I have always tried and have leaned towards a more attached parenting style with the kids I nanny. I am not their parent, so I don’t try to take the parents’ place; that’s something I try very hard to avoid doing. I have always thought it was important to validate children’s feeling and acknowledge who they are as a person, but I was caught in some of the of the thinking of the more mainstream ways of caring for a child. From knowing Miriam and Bill, I have learned new ways to be with children. It has been a whole paradigm shift, a shift I am still in the process of. It took what I was doing to a whole other level, and tore down some of my old thinking. In the process of all of this, I have also learned ways of valuing myself more and taking better care of my health.

Samantha Hale, the director of MTM, has become a friend of mine. I didn’t really know her before I watched her film. After I watched her touching documentary, I began talking with her more. She’s amazing, and I’m so grateful to know her. If it were not for her, I wouldn’t have started listening to Immi, as well as several other artists. Sam is a little hub of connection herself. We got to hang out together a few times when I was visiting LA. She took me to Hotel Café and Piano Bar. I was so out of my element but had so much fun.

Andy Carne and I connected a bit during Lifeline. He recommended checking out a singer/songwriter named Laurence Duff. Laurence is also a fan of Immi’s. Laurence and I started speaking via twitter, and then he asked me if I would listen to some of his works in progress and give him some feedback.

He has sent me many of his works in progress over the last year, and we’ve had great conversations and become friends. I love it when I have an email from him with a link to one of his songs he’s working on. I got to meet him and his partner Josh last year when I was in LA. It was so much fun to be able to meet in person. Laurence and I skyped a bit ago, and he gave me a skype tour of his studio. He’s a very thoughtful person and is working hard on his dream. I’m excited to watch as the world gets to know him.

I also met Elizabeth (@lizzy1e) from Namibia and Dietmar (@darthsocke) from Germany on Twitter during Lifeline as well, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know both of them. We all love chocolate, and after several conversations about it, we decided to have a chocolate exchange. It was so much fun to send and receive the chocolate. I never thought I’d have chocolate from Namibia or Germany before. They were both very yummy! I get to meet Dietmar in March while I’m in London visiting. He’s coming for a weekend to visit me. I’m SO excited.

I also connected with a very sweet girl named Laurel (@Laurel_Alyson). She’s beautiful and talented, and I love that she’s in my life. She knitted me a beautiful scarf and hat for my birthday. I love it! She and I have also bonded over Tori Amos. I’ve enjoyed being a part of Laurel’s exploring all things Tori.

I also have connected and enjoyed talking with many others, like @lovehound, @Essitam, @ jamesdclarke, @emkappel, @MelissaCavi, @energyUK, @benedictarnold9, @jwhitetorres, and several others. I love that I can hop online and have people all over the world to talk to.

Through making this book, I have connected with even more people, and I certainly couldn’t be doing this book without everyone’s contributions. I have loved reading everyone’s stories of the connections they have made.

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life? If so, what kind of impact?

The impacts of the connections I’ve made have been life changing. They have changed how I view caring for children and how I want to interact with them. I am certainly a better nanny than before. I have a clear image of how I want to be as a mother someday, when I have children of my own. Miriam and Bill asked me to be Ethan and Owen’s godmother, and I am honored to take on that role. I have become part of their family. I’ve learned new ways to care for myself and to have more compassion with my humanness. I have also been inspired by all the amazing, talented people I have met. I love taking photos, and have been so inspired by seeing other Heap fans photos throughout all the Heapsong projects. I have gotten to be a part of helping Laurence with his music, which as been a very exciting experience.

A relationship that was impacted by Imogen, but the connection not caused by her, was my relationship with the little girl I use to nanny. I started to look after her when she was one year old, and it was around the time she was a one and a half that I fell in love with Immi.

We listened to Imogen all the time together; “Aha” was her favorite. I think we listened to it on repeat eight times in a row once. She enjoyed all the Heapsongs as they came out, too; Lifeline was her favorite. I told her about baby Robyn’s heartbeat being in the song, and she started calling the song “Baby’s Heartbeat”. In fact, she still calls it that today, and will run and get her slinky when the song comes on.

Having Imogen’s music has been a great thing to share together. She was so happy when I came to her house with Imogen singing “Wheels On The Bus” for her. We all were so excited and in shock about it. It was an incredibly kind thing of Immi to do. When the two year old told me she wanted Immi to sing “Wheels On The Bus” for her, I told her I’d ask, but that Immi might not be able to it. When I tweeted Immi, I wasn’t even sure if Immi would see the tweet, and if she did, I didn’t think she’d actually reply with a song. I mean, I was hoping, but I know she’s majorly busy and has tons of things thrown at her all the time. When the two year old turned three, I got her a stuffed bunny with a recording of Immi’s “Wheels On The Bus” inside of it’s paw. Now she can listen to it whenever she wants. She named the bunny Immi.

My connection with the two year old was also impacted from the connection I made with Miriam and Bill via Immi. All the things I was learning from them about being with children, the two year old benefited from. She and I had the close relationship we did partly due to the shift in paradigm I had. All of the kids I nanny for from this point out will benefit.

Where do the people you have connected with live?

All over the world - Washington State, Oregon, California, Colorado, Namibia, Germany, England, Switzerland.

What are five words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

Love, nurturing, genuine, inspiring, joy

Anything you want to say to Immi?

Through you, I have met some wonderful people and gotten very close with them, and my life has changed because of it. And the things I have learned and gained though meeting those people that I met though you is spilling out onto others in my life, so it’s this ripple effect that just keeps going on. Thank you for being you and sharing your heart and music with us all. You not only create amazing music, but you also facilitate in bringing others together and making their worlds better, worlds that start because of you, but then grow and become separate all on their own. It’s such a beautiful thing that happens. I will forever be grateful to you for all the music, love and joy you have brought into my life.

How did you hear about Immi’s music?

The year was 2003! I went to see Garden State in theaters, If there is anything I took away from that film it was the epic plane scene When Zach Braff and Natalie Portman are forced to say goodbye but can’t “Let Go” I went out and bought the Garden State Soundtrack the very next day. That was my introduction to Frou Frou, I was only a sophomore in college, Frou Frou thus became the sound of my college experience! And of course came my exposure to the amazing album “Imegaphone”, Speak For Yourself....

What do you like about Immi and her music?

She is ethereal, innovative, an all encompassing one woman band!

Have you connected with others via Immi’s music?

Jennifer White-Johnson 31 years old Columbia, MD, USA

Road trips to her concerts were always fun for me and friends. And of course Immi’s music was always the backdrop for date nights! I would definitely say the “LifeLine” experience and artist collaboration was the biggest connection I was able to have with her music. Its different going to a concert and meeting other fans, but getting a chance to collaborate with Immi and others that love her and her music just as much as I do is pretty epic. Lifeline one of the best artistic experiences of my life. Having my photo as the cover of the LifeLine single was a dream come true. All the support I received from Immi and Immi lovers was overwhelming! So glad to have made some amazing pen-pals like Alexandra Arnold, Sarah Mabe, Rob Ponto, Ashely Langely, Micky Dodds, and a host of others through this amazing experience!

The collaboration really brought out the TRUE and GENUINE Immi fans in my opinion. Those who have stayed true to Immi from the beginning and have never left her side. Those fans who are willing to contribute their art and love are the best fans!

Have any of those connections made an impact on your life?

If so, what kind of impact?

jwhitetorres

There was always an emotional connection with her music that would impact my friends and I. Her music is romantic, expressive, freeing and full of color. The artistic connections I’ve been able to make to me will be long lasting. They will open the doors and artistic collaborations that will last a lifetime! Having Immi pen pals from all across the globe has been amazing and unforgettable!

jwhitejohnson

Anything you want to say to Immi?

jwhitetorres

She will always be my favorite female vocalist and musician.

I can’t say enough how amazing the LifeLine experience meant to me. It just pretty much solidified how her music has helped to define my life, love and passion for art, photography, music and just living.

jtknoxroxs

Also where are some of the places the people you have connected with live?

ALL OVER THE WORLD!

Freeing, Genuine. True.

Global. LOVE What are 5 words that describe the connections you made with others via Immi?

“As far as a personal message is c tell Immi that, while I am the joyou that she continue to nurture hers I am like a small child - prone to b own needs and wants. But, as I wo you have already given much; be s during this long journey.�

Robert Ponto

concerned, I would only like to us recipient of her art, I also ask self along the way. As a listener, being demanding according to my ould advise any artist or mother: sure to save enough for yourself