Sophie Alexandra Jessica Barker (born 5 November 1971) is a British singer and songwriter from London, best known for her work with the British

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may b ...

group

Zero 7 Zero 7 are an English musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. They began as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, '' Simple Things'', was released in 2001 in which their song " Destiny" stayed ...

Biography

Barker left

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

after two years to become a full-time singer, signing to Sony Records in 1996 with fellow singer Kate Holmes under the name "Sirenes". They released three singles, "Blind", "Deep End", and "Sun Don't Shine", before splitting up at the end of 1997. Barker appeared on the final two tracks of English house band

Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles "At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of w ...

's 1999 sophomore album ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

''. Barker contributed to three songs on the Zero 7 album '' Simple Things'' (2001), including their biggest hit, "

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

", which she also sings alongside fellow vocalist

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

. Barker also co-wrote and sang on "In the Waiting Line" - which appeared on the popular ''Garden State'' soundtrack - and "Spinning". She also contributed to the follow-up 2004 Zero 7 album ''

When It Falls ''When It Falls'' is the second album by Zero 7, released on 1 March 2004. The album features vocals by Sia (on tracks "Somersault" and "Speed Dial No.2"), Mozez (on "Warm Sound", "Over Our Heads" and "Morning Song"), Sophie Barker (on "Passi ...

'', co-writing the songs "Passing By" and "In Time". Barker collaborated with musician KK in 2004 to release ''

Lullaby A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowledg ...

'', an album of night-time songs for children. That same year, she appeared as a backing vocalist on Sia's album '' Colour the Small One'', appearing on the track "Natale's Song". She followed this with a solo album entitled '' Earthbound'', released in 2005. Barker has also worked with The Egg ("Walking Away"), electronica artists Grooverider ("Time and Space"),

("Inside My Mind (Blue Skies)" and "Your Song") and the acid-jazz duo Muki ("I Don't Want to Know"). Barker was featured in a 2006

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

UK television campaign, singing a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of John Denver's "

Leaving on a Jet Plane "Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter John Denver in 1966, originally included on his debut demo recording ''John Denver Sings'' as "Babe I Hate To Go". He made several copies and gave them out as presents f ...

". Barker also featured as a guest singer on ''Quiet Letters'' by

Bliss BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C b ...

, and then collaborated and provided vocals for their album entitled '' No One Built This Moment''. In 2010, she signed with the independent record label, Ho Hum Records. According to the label's website, Barker has recorded a new album, '' Seagull'', which was released on 6 May 2011. ''Seagull'' spawned two singles, "Say Goodbye" and "Bluebell" On 13 January 2017 she released her third solo album, ''Break the Habit'' on Disco Gecko Recordings.

Discography

* ''

'' (2004) * '' Earthbound'' (2005) * '' Seagull'' (2011) * ''Snowflake (The Rainbow Collection)'' (2011) * "A Forest" / "Say Goodbye" (2011) * "I Do it to Myself" (2016) * "Break the Habit" (2017) * "LSA" (2017) * "Neon Lines" (2019)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Sophie 1971 births Living people British women singer-songwriters Alumni of University College London 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers English women in electronic music British trip hop musicians Ballad musicians 21st-century English women 21st-century English people