Bôa

Bôa (stylized bôa) are an English alternative rock band formed in London in 1993 by drummer Ed Herten, keyboardist Paul Turrell, and guitarist/vocalist Steve Rodgers. The band have progressed from playing funk to rock over the years, as bassist Alex Caird and multi-instrumentalist Ben Henderson joined, and Jasmine Rodgers was added as vocalist.

Bôa produced two major albums in the 2000s, ''Twilight'' (2001) and ''Get There'' (2005). Their 1998 single "Duvet" has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

The band released the album ''Whiplash'' in 2024, their first new music in 19 years.

History

Originally a funk band, Bôa was formed in 1993 by drummer Ed Herten, keyboardist Paul Turrell, and Steve Rodgers on guitar and vocals. Alex Caird, who had played with Herten in the band Draggin' Bones, was recruited on bass guitar. Rodgers's younger sister, Jasmine, was invited to sing the chorus of one of their first songs, "Fran", and she soon became the lead singer of the group. Jasmine and Steve are children of Paul Rodgers, best known for being the vocalist of Bad Company. Ben Henderson, who had played with Caird in the psychedelic rock band Doctor Sky, was recruited shortly afterward to play saxophone.

Bôa's first live performance was in January 1994, at the London Forum, supporting Paul Rodgers. The same year, Herten left the band.

Bôa added a new drummer, Lee Sullivan, the son of Terry Sullivan, a former drummer for the band Renaissance. The group's style began to shift to a rock sound around this time, and Henderson took up playing the guitar instead of the saxophone.

In 1996, the band signed a contract with the Japanese label Polystar and began working on their debut album. They recorded three songs, "Twilight", "Deeply", and "Elephant", with producer Darren Allison. The record, titled '' The Race of a Thousand Camels'', came out in 1998, preceded by the single "Duvet". The track was used as the opening theme of the Japanese anime series '' Serial Experiments Lain''.

In 2000, Polystar released Bôa's ''Tall Snake'' EP and featured "Duvet" on the ''20th Anniversary of Polystar Collection Vol.1 Female Vocal Love Songs'' compilation. The same year, Henderson left the band.

In 2001, due to contractual disagreements with Polystar, the band changed labels and signed with Pioneer LDC. ''Race of a Thousand Camels'' was retitled ''Twilight'' and released to US audiences in 2001, with two new tracks. Bôa played shows across the US to promote the record, but halfway through the tour, Turrell departed the group.

In 2003, "Duvet" was remixed by DJ Wasei and released on another ''Lain'' soundtrack, titled ''Serial Experiment Lain Soundtrack: Cyberia Mix''.

That year, Bôa decided to establish their own label, called Boa Recordings. They also began work on their third album, titled '' Get There'', and released it in 2005. Steve Rodgers parted with the band later in 2005 to pursue independent work, stating in an interview with ''The Northern Echo'' that he "had a lot ewanted to sing about and there's a lot of freedom when you're solo".

In 2012, Bôa started a JustGiving page and announced their support for AAR JAPAN, a charity that responded to the impact of the 2011 tsunami.

On 4 January 2017, former keyboard player Paul Turrell died. In May, an unreleased Bôa album was discovered on Turrell's website, titled ''The Farm''.

In December 2018, a vinyl edition of "Duvet" was published exclusively in Japan. In August 2021, the song saw a massive resurgence in popularity, especially on TikTok, with over 250,000 posts featuring it as of August 2023. In September, it reached the Official Independent Singles Breakers Chart and peaked at number 18, charting for two weeks.

In June 2023, Bôa announced that they would release a new album, titled ''Whiplash''. In March 2024, they issued the single "Walk with Me", their first new music in 19 years. A second single, "Beautiful & Broken", came out on 3 May. They released the tracks "Worry" on 14 June and "Whiplash" on 29 July. The fifth single from the album, "Vienna", came out on 6 September. On 16 October 2024, the band received Platinum certification from the RIAA for "Duvet".

Side projects

In September 2004, Steve and Jasmine performed the Bôa song "Drinking" with their father for a concert featuring Joe Walsh, Gary Moore, Brian May, Hank Marvin, David Gilmour, and Mike Rutherford, among others, marking the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The event was recorded and released a year later as the film '' The Strat Pack: Live in Concert''.

Jasmine Rodgers records as a solo artist, and she has released a self-titled EP (2010) and the full-length albums ''Blood Red Sun'' (2016) and ''Dark Tides'' (2024).

Band members

Current
* Jasmine Rodgers – vocals (1993–present), guitars (2023–present)
* Alex Caird – bass (1993–present)
* Lee Sullivan – drums, percussion, keyboards (1994–present)

Past
* Steve Rodgers – guitars (1993–2005)
* Ben Henderson – guitars, saxophone, percussion (1993–2000)
* Paul Turrell – keyboards, percussion, guitars (1993–2001; died 2017)
* Ed Herten – drums, percussion (1993–1994)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums
* ''Acton Live'' (unreleased, first uploaded in 2010)
* '' The Race of a Thousand Camels'' (1998, reissued as ''Twilight'' in 2001)
* '' Get There'' (2005)
* ''The Farm'' (unreleased, first uploaded in 2017)
* ''Whiplash'' (2024)

EPs
* ''Duvet'' (1998)
* ''Tall Snake'' (1999)

Singles
* "Duvet" (1998)
* "Walk with Me" (2024)
* "Beautiful & Broken" (2024)
* "Worry" (2024)
* "Whiplash" (2024)
* "Vienna" (2024)

Film
* '' The Strat Pack: Live in Concert'' (2005)

References

External links

BoAUK Official YouTube channel

Jasmine Rodgers' official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boa
Indie rock groups from London
Alternative rock groups from London
Musical groups established in 1993
1993 establishments in England