Frou Frou () are a British

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

duo composed of musician

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at ...

and producer/songwriter

Guy Sigsworth Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis M ...

. They released their only album, ''

Details Detail(s) or The Detail(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Details'' (film), a 2003 Swedish film * ''The Details'' (film), a 2011 American film * ''The Detail'', a Canadian television series * "The Detail" (''The Wire''), a television epis ...

,'' in 2002. The duo wrote, produced, and played instruments on the tracks, while Heap also provided lead vocals. In 2004, they recorded a cover of "

Holding Out for a Hero "Holding Out for a Hero" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for the soundtrack to the 1984 film ''Footloose''. It later featured on her sixth studio album, ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' (1986). The track was produced by Jim S ...

" by

Bonnie Tyler Gaynor Sullivan (née Hopkins; born 8 June 1951), known professionally as Bonnie Tyler, is a Welsh singer who is known for her distinctive husky voice. Tyler came to prominence with the release of her 1977 album '' The World Starts Tonight'' a ...

, which was used in the credits of the 2004 film ''

Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the seco ...

''. Frou Frou amicably disbanded later that year. In 2017, Heap and Sigsworth reunited as Frou Frou for Heap's ''Mycelia'' Tour. They released an EP of unreleased Frou Frou demos for ''Details''' 20th anniversary in 2022.

History

1997–2002: Introductions

Heap and Sigsworth met in 1996 when Heap was 17 years old after Sigsworth was given a demo recorded by Heap and asked to meet with her. The two first collaborated when Heap contributed guest vocals to Sigsworth's band

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

. Sigsworth later wrote two songs for Heap's 1998 debut studio album, ''

I Megaphone ''I Megaphone'' is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Imogen Heap. It was released on 16 June 1998 by Almo Sounds. The album was primarily written by Heap, starting when she was 15 years old, with co-writing from Guy Sigsworth ...

'', including her debut single, "Getting Scared". As Heap went on tour throughout North America and Europe to promote the album, Sigsworth continued to write and produce for other artists, including

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

and

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

. As Heap's record label

Almo Sounds Almo Sounds was a record label which was started in 1994 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss after they sold A&M Records to PolyGram. The intent for the label was to recreate the initial concept of A&M Records as a small, "boutique" label. The label ...

lost funding, they asked Heap for a second album, and dropped her soon after being acquired by

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

, while Acacia was disbanded. Sigsworth began work on an album in 2001, which he initially envisioned as a solo album consisting of songs written and produced by Sigsworth with features from various singers, poets, and rappers. After working with Heap on a song, Sigsworth instead decided to form Frou Frou with her, and the two began working on an album together.

2002–2003: ''Details''

In 2002, Frou Frou signed a record deal with Universal Records on the

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

imprint in the UK and Europe, and

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

in the USA. They released their first and only

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

'' in June 2002. An album of

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

with elements of

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

, pop and rock, the eclectic, intricately produced tracks use a wide range of traditional instruments including cellos,

autoharp An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of ...

s, guitars, keyboards, and Indian drums, with layered vocals from Heap. The album received critical acclaim, but this did not translate into mass sales the duo had hoped for. "Breathe In" was released as the first single internationally. It reached number two on the Italian radio airplay charts, and debuted in the Top 50 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The follow-up singles "Must Be Dreaming" and "It's Good To Be in Love" were shelved from commercial release in the UK, however, through lack of radio and TV interest. "Breathe In" and "Must Be Dreaming" did become minor hits in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, particularly in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, where both singles made Top 10, peaking at number 7 and 5 respectively on the Indonesian Airplay Chart. A video was made for a fourth single from the album, the closer "The Dumbing Down of Love", directed by

Joel Peissig Joel Peissig is an American film director. He signed to Ridley Scott Associates production company in 2001 and was reported to have signed with bicoastal Notorious Pictures in 2004. He was in the New Directors Showcase at the Cannes Lions Intern ...

(who later directed Heap's solo video "

Hide and Seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...

"). After touring the record extensively across the United States, where the duo had established a cult fan base, Frou Frou amicably disbanded in 2004. Sigsworth was contacted in 2004 by music supervisor Chris Douridas, an early fan of Frou Frou, who asked him to record a cover version of

's 1984 song "

" for the ''

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

. Although Frou Frou was no longer active, Sigsworth reached out to Heap to record vocals for the cover, and the duo was briefly reformed. Frou Frou also gained popularity in the United States in 2004 after

Zach Braff Zachary Israel Braff'Scrubs' Star Zach Braff Wows ...

used "Let Go" on the soundtrack for his film, '' Garden State''. The duo also worked together in 2003 on a track for

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

's fourth album ''

In The Zone ''In the Zone'' is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Britney Spears. It was released on November 12, 2003, through Jive Records. With the conclusion of her Dream Within a Dream Tour in July 2002 and the end of her relationship wit ...

'', entitled "Over To You Now". The track was written by Sigsworth, Swedish pop star

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

and her long-term songwriting companion, and Sigsworth asked Heap to come in and make the song more suitable for Spears, adding backing vocals and making the track more electronic music-infused. Despite not being used on ''In The Zone'', the track was released in late 2005 on the Japan CD single of Spears' single, "Someday (I Will Understand)" and on the UK and Japan bonus CDs of the DVD release of her reality TV show, '' Britney and Kevin: Chaotic''.

2017present: Live reunion, ''Off Cuts''

In November 2017, it was announced that Heap and Sigsworth would be reuniting as Frou Frou during Imogen Heap's Mycelia Tour throughout 2018 and 2019. In April 2019, Frou Frou released a live recording of "Guitar Song", their first single in 15 years and one of two singles not released at the time of the band's initial break-up, through

We Are Hear We Are Hear is a Los Angeles based record label, music publisher, and artist management company founded by producers Linda Perry and Kerry Brown. Partnerships We Are Hear has collaborated with artist Kii Arens on several occasions, including ...

. In late March 2022, Imogen Heap partnered with

Symphonic Distribution Symphonic Distribution is a digital music distribution company launched in late 2006 by Jorge Brea, in Tampa, Florida. Symphonic Distribution delivers music from independent record labels and musicians to online retailers such as Spotify, iTune ...

to re-release previous material, including a handful of Frou Frou demos, which have been compiled into the ''Off Cuts'' EP, released on 3 June 2022, just shy of ''Details''' 20th anniversary. The first single "A New Kind of Love (Demo)" was released 8 April. A studio version of the "Guitar Song" demo released as the second single on 6 May.

Artistry

Frou Frou's music has been described as

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

, and

alternative pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

* Vincent Jeffries
Frou Frou.

MTV.com MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. Accessed 29 August 2004.

External links

Frou Frou

Imogen Heap

Guy Sigsworth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frou Frou British electronic music groups Island Records artists MCA Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups established in 2002 Trip hop groups Electronic music duos Musical groups reestablished in 2017 British ambient music groups Downtempo musicians fr:Imogen Heap#Frou Frou