Alison Goldfrapp

Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp performing live at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 18 April 2008
Background information
Birth name	Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp
Born	13 May 1966 (1966-05-13) Enfield, Middlesex, England
Genres	Electronic, electropop, synthpop, electroclash, trip hop, ambient
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, piano, synthesiser
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Mute
Associated acts	Goldfrapp
Website	www.goldfrapp.com

Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead singer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Goldfrapp has a soprano vocal range.

Early life

Alison Goldfrapp was born in Enfield, Middlesex, England, the youngest of six children. Her father, Nick, had been an army officer, and subsequently worked for Scope and English Heritage. Her mother, Isabella, was a nurse. While Goldfrapp was growing up, her family moved frequently, eventually settling in Alton, Hampshire, where Goldfrapp attended the independent Alton Convent School.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Main article: Goldfrapp

Goldfrapp's interest in music began in Alton, where she sang briefly in a band called Fashionable Living Death, formed with anarchist friends, and was involved in other bands, including Demented Children and Waste Product.^{[citation needed]}

Alison Goldfrapp was introduced to composer Will Gregory in 1999 after he had listened to her vocal contribution to trip hop artist Tricky's 1995 song "Pumpkin". Gregory felt a connection with Goldfrapp and invited her to record a demo for the film soundtrack he was composing, to see if they could work together. The demo was never completed, but the recording session had been pleasant. Following several months of phone calls, they decided to form a band and began performing under Goldfrapp's last name.

The pair began recording their debut album over a six-month period, beginning in September 1999, in a rented bungalow in the Wiltshire countryside. The recording process was difficult for Alison, who often found herself alone and disturbed by the mice and insects in the bungalow. The band's debut album Felt Mountain was released in 2000 and featured Goldfrapp's synthesized vocals over cinematic soundscapes. The lyrics on Felt Mountain were written by Alison and are abstract obsessional tales inspired by films, her childhood, and the loneliness she felt while recording the album.

Goldfrapp released their second album Black Cherry in 2003. The band recorded the album in a darkened studio in Bath, England. The studio's walls were covered in neon lights and Goldfrapp used them to write down her song ideas. The album focused more heavily on dance music and glam rock-inspired synths than its predecessor. Black Cherry peaked at number nineteen on the UK Albums Chart and sold 52,000 copies in the US. Supernature, Goldfrapp's third album, was released in 2005. The album comprises pop and electronic dance music prominently featured on Black Cherry, but focuses more on subtle hooks instead of the large choruses that made up its predecessor. It has sold one million copies worldwide and earned the duo two nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards for Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording for the song "Ooh La La". Seventh Tree, Goldfrapp's fourth album, was released in 2008 and debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. The album is a departure from the pop and electronic dance music featured on Supernature, featuring ambient and downtempo music. The band were inspired by an acoustic radio session they had performed, which led the duo to incorporate acoustic guitars into their music to create "warm" and "delicate" sounds.

Lyrics and musical style

Goldfrapp draws inspiration from a range of artists and musical genres. As a teenager she listened to Kate Bush, T.Rex, Donna Summer and Iggy Pop and discovered Serge Gainsbourg while working in Belgium. While travelling through Europe in the early 1990s, she also began listening to Polish disco music and cabaret music from the Weimar Republic. Other media, including film, have had an impact on Goldfrapp who cites Roman Polanski's 1966 psychological thriller Cul-de-sac, the 1973 cult film The Wicker Man and the James Bond franchise as influences. She also draws inspiration from surrealism and nature, all of which appear in Goldfrapp's album artwork, which Alison designs in collaboration with Big Active.

Goldfrapp wearing a horse tail while performing in October 2003

Goldfrapp believes that "music is a visual experience" and therefore visualizes her lyrics before writing them. While writing, Goldfrapp uses her vocals to create melodies and drumbeats. Her songwriting is characterized by its use of animals to describe human emotions and status.

Public image

Goldfrapp is often identified by her unique appearance. She first modified her image in 2003, from a sophisticated Marlene Dietrich-inspired look to that of a New Wave diva. The reinvented image included false eyelashes, customised T-shirts, military uniforms and fishnet stockings. While touring in 2004, sections of the group's stage show featured Goldfrapp in a white dress wearing a horse tail and dancers with deer heads, which were inspired by her interest in animals and mythology.

In 2008, Goldfrapp again reinvented her image, this time as a circus performer. The artwork for Goldfrapp's album Seventh Tree featured her dressed as a clown because it is an "iconic image" with "so many different connotations." For the album she chose to tone down her overtly sexual image because she felt that it was taking over the music. Her new image, inspired by paganism, featured her dressed in white or natural-coloured flowing gowns with loose, curly blond hair.

During 2010, Goldfrapp took on several new images once again, to fit with their then-forthcoming album Head First. The music on this album was more '80s-influenced, reflected in the artwork featured on the album's first single, "Rocket", which features Goldfrapp in a pink jumpsuit. For their live shows, she would wear spangly black leggings and a jacket covered in glitter-spangled black plastic strips which would be blown about violently by two electric fans placed at front centre-stage. The glitter and the shine of the plastic reflected the colourful stage lighting and, caught in the gale of the electric fans, created the impression of flurries of multicoloured sparks.

Personal life

In a February 2010 interview with The Sunday Times, the singer confirmed she was dating film editor Lisa Gunning, but rejected being defined as a lesbian, saying, "I think of everything as being about a person and a relationship, and I am in a wonderful relationship with a wonderful person. It just happens to be with a lady... It’s something I’ve thought about for a long time and it concurs with my philosophy on life and sexuality. I don’t think it can or should be pigeonholed. I’ve thought about this since I was a teenager. I’ve always found it claustrophobic to think about having to put things into categories like that. My sexuality is the same as my music and my life. Why does it need a label?"

External links

• Goldfrapp's official website
• Goldfrapp at Allmusic
• Alison Goldfrapp discography at Discogs
• Alison Goldfrapp at the Internet Movie Database