b. Alison Elizabeth Goldfrap, 13 May 1966, Enfield, Middlesex, England. While studying for a degree in Fine Art at Middlesex University in the early 90s, Goldfrapp found her vocation in music and provided vocals on Maxinquaye, the award-winning 1995 debut of the UK trip-hop artist, Tricky. She also toured with him and worked with another acclaimed UK dance music act, Orbital before pursuing a solo career. She came into contact with the UK soundtrack composer, Will Gregory (b. 17 September 1959, England) in the late 90s and the duo found a shared interest in various kinds of music such as 60s French pop, Weimar Republic cabaret as well as movie soundtracks and electronica. Recorded over a five-month period in the remote Wiltshire countryside in late 1999, her debut, Felt Mountain appeared to much acclaim in September 2000. The album's dramatic, emotional sound combined avant garde production and electronics with traditional musical values.
After being nominated for the 2001 Mercury Music Prize, Goldfrapp and Gregory elected to pursue a completely different direction on their second album. The upbeat glam rock of 2003's Black Cherry found greater favour with the record buying public, generating the UK hit singles "Train", "Strict Machine" and "Twist". "Strict Machine" picked up an Ivor Novello Award the following year in the Best Dance Single category. The attendant live shows were spectacular performance art, with the flamboyantly dressed Goldfrapp strutting the stage in a manner quite at odds with the shy character that came across in real life interviews.
The duo's third album Supernature was released at the end of August 2005, and with a slicker take on the electro pop format of its predecessor went on to provide further UK hits with the singles "Ooh La La", "Number 1" and "Ride A White Horse'. Goldfrapp also proved popular in North America, and provided a notable influence on Madonna's concurrent reinvention of her career as a disco diva. It was something of a surprise when Goldfrapp opted to eschew the dance trappings of their previous two albums on 2008"s Seventh Tree, a downtempo recording that featured acoustic guitars and markedly folk leanings.
