Normally "delight" follows along the lines of things to see, taste, smell. But music is a huge part of my daily happiness and it is time to tell you about my favorite musician ever: Imogen Heap.She is a British singer/songwriter who writes and sings exactly what I want to hear. How's that for an endorsement?
You know how when you eat a piece of chocolate and think - yes, that's it. I feel that way when I hear her music - yes, that's the pitch, tone, layers of sound that I want to hear.
I have followed her career for years (nominated for "Best New Artist" in 2007 and won a Grammy for "Best Engineered Album - Non Classical" for Ellipse in 2010) and love how she connects music and technology. You can hear a terrific interview with Imogen about her creative process here on National Public Radio.
YouTube had lots of her videos - this link should show you one titled "Headlock." It is a perfect example of my mantra - Beautiful and Interesting.
She was in concert last weekend (she hadn't been back to Detroit in three years) and it was wonderful. She had offered ticket holders the chance to vote online for the 12 songs they wanted to hear "live." The website tallied the votes and each city gets a custom playlist based on their votes - isn't that modern? I love stuff like that.
She also solicited nominations for charities in each city. After reviewing each one online, she chose one charity per city to receive the proceeds from the sale of an "improvisational track" created during the concert. She explained onstage that she didn't want to come to a city, perform and then leave - she wanted something good to be left behind. Neat, eh? When the track is released online, I will put a link here.
The Detroit, Michigan charter of Urban Farming (planting gardens on un-used land) will benefit from the sale of the track composed by her on-stage in Detroit.
Plain and simple - Imogen Heap is a delight!
