UK indie-pop darling Imogen Heap is no stranger to social media.
Between countless video blogs, live Ustream sessions, Twitter chats, meet-ups and even going so far as to wear a fully functioning ‘Twitter dress’ to the 2010 Grammy Awards, Heap has always been one step ahead when it comes to interacting with fans on an innovative level in the 21st century.
Now, Imogen’s about to take her fan interaction skills to the next level with her upcoming fourth studio album.
Starting tomorrow (March 14), Heap will begin crafting the very first song from her upcoming effort: Tentatively titled “#heapsong1,” the unique collaborative project will integrate sound, images, lyrics and videos sent in from fans, which will then be combined and crafted together into a brand new track.
This process will then be repeated every three months over the next 3 years until an entire studio album is complete.
From Heap’s #heapsong1 website:
Why am I doing this? Well, there’s so much going on in my life with touring, talks and tech that this was both a necessity coupled with my passion for collaborative, spontaneous and creative projects. I also love the idea of turning the tables in that the seeds of the song begins with you, making a full circle when you experience it as a finished piece.
Plus… I often thrive on a deadline (Speeding Cars + Can’t take it in both written / recorded in a week) and creative limitations (Glittering Cloud – a song about locusts using purely locust samples as the rhythm track!). I want to really put myself to the test and I’m going to have fun doing it, with you!
I wonder where your ‘seeds’ are going to lead me?
Fans will be able to submit their sound bytes (“seeds”) tomorrow to Heap’s SoundCloud during various time slots during the day. Heap will also be Ustreaming every day for the next two weeks, which you can catch according to this schedule.
To see Heap’s full proposal for formulating the new song, check out this interactive plan she’s laid out–leading all the way up to the song’s premiere and release party on March 28.
Insane? Potentially. Amazing? Most definitely. I can’t wait to hear it!
Go, Heap. Go!