In today’s continuation of the A-Z Challenge, I give you:

I is for Imogen Heap

If you haven’t figured it out by the letter “I,” music is an important part of my world. For 3.5 years, I was a music composition major in college. I even released a CD. I stopped when I realized that I didn’t need a degree to make music, and said degree wouldn’t help me pay the bills. I went into teaching instead and believe me, the irony isn’t lost on me.

Music isn’t just for the creation, but for the listening–the experiencing. A well written piece can move me to tears or laughter and as a writer, that’s important. When people ask me what I listen to when writing, the answer is usually movie scores, but occasionally, the answer is Imogen Heap.

Imogen Heap performing in Dallas, TX

Her music is a whirlwind of emotion, layered and carefully calculated for optimal impact. While her sound has evolved from the early days of Come Here Boy, I enjoy her new music just as much.

The first time I heard her music, it was Come Here Boy played on a dusty cassette tape owned by my friend and musician, Patrick Boothe. It was after a long ToriFest weekend, and he was so excited to share something new with us. I was hooked.

In the past decade, Imogen has changed the creation of music–be it through her one-woman-band performances, where she layers and loops to create a full song, to her invention of gloves that allow the user to recreate the same layered/looped musical experience.

Innovative folks like her drive our technological future, which impacts the science fiction genre that I write in. Today, we have gloves that allow anyone to create music. Tomorrow, those gloves may allow disabled folks to do the same. Ten years from now, these sorts of innovations could lead to a greater understanding in the field of Human Computer Interactions (HCI).

A 15-year-old photo of us with Imogen Heap, taken about 1 AM after a show in Dallas, TX. (We look so young!)

This post is part of the A-Z Challenge. Every day (except Sundays) in the month of May, I’ll be posting about people, places, books, games, and other things that influence me as a writer or add a certain magic to my life. Join me in April as we explore a Hodge-Podge of Influences & Wayward Treks through the Fantastical.

Read more A-Z Challenge Posts here.