Alison Goldfrapp

Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp is an English singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead vocalist of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Alison Goldfrapp was born in 1966 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. However she was forced to leave at age 12 due to failing the senior exam, and attended the local comprehensive school. At this time she sniffed glue on one occasion and had an incident which involved stealing a tractor. She moved to London, where she lived in a squat, and began using drugs on a regular basis; such as cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy. She then studied art at Middlesex University. She made an acting appearance in Paul Gilbert's graduation film Your Night Tonight in 1988. Goldfrapp's interest in music began in Alton, Hampshire, where she sang briefly in a band called Fashionable Living Death, formed with anarchist friends, and was involved in other bands, including Demented Children, Waste Product and Creatures of Darkness. In 1994 she featured on the Orbital album Snivilisation and the next year featured on trip hop artist Tricky's 1995 song "Pumpkin". Goldfrapp was introduced to composer Will Gregory in 1999 after he had listened to her vocal contribution for 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 Goldfrapp, 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 Goldfrapp 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. In 2009 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree by the University of Portsmouth