Imogen Heap

Okay, so Imogen Heap may not be new to a lot of you, but somehow, I had never heard of the British singer/songwriter before reading a piece about her in Conde Nast Traveler magazine. It's somewhat ironic that I discovered this artist through a traditional print venue, since her success is so deeply rooted in the internet world of social media. In addition to the fact that I enjoy her music, the thing I'm most impressed with is her mastery of technology, from both a musical production standpoint, as well as her use of sites like twitter, facebook, youtube, and all the usual social media suspects that landed her latest album, Ellipse, into #5 on the Billboard charts. Her success really showcases the incredible benefits of the transparency of the artistic process and the direct engagement with fans that this new platform of digital media allows (and requires).

I'm most intrigued by her video blogs, which chronicle both the creation of the album and also the renovation of her parents' house into her home/studio. It's the perfect fix for someone obsessed with music, production tech geekery, and home design. I've only watched the first ten so far, but I'm loving them! Here's the first one and you can find the rest over at her YouTube channel.