Sophie Alexandra Jessica Barker (born 5 November 1971) is a British singer and songwriter from London, best known for her work with the British

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

group Zero 7.

Biography

Barker left

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

after two years to become a full-time singer, signing to Sony Records in 1996 with fellow singer Kate Holmes under the name "Sirenes". They released three singles, "Blind", "Deep End", and "Sun Don't Shine", before splitting up at the end of 1997. Barker appeared on the final two tracks of English house band

Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles " At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of ...

's 1999 sophomore album ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...

''. Barker contributed to three songs on the Zero 7 album '' Simple Things'' (2001), including their biggest hit, "

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although oft ...

", which she also sings alongside fellow vocalist Sia. Barker also co-wrote and sang on "In the Waiting Line" - which appeared on the popular ''Garden State'' soundtrack - and "Spinning". She also contributed to the follow-up 2004 Zero 7 album '' When It Falls'', co-writing the songs "Passing By" and "In Time". Barker collaborated with musician KK in 2004 to release ''

Lullaby A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowledg ...

'', an album of night-time songs for children. That same year, she appeared as a backing vocalist on Sia's album ''

Colour the Small One ''Colour the Small One'' is the third album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, which was released in Australia and the United Kingdom on 19 January 2004. It was issued in the United States on 3 February 2004. Production was by Jimmy Hogarth, ...

'', appearing on the track "Natale's Song". She followed this with a solo album entitled ''

Earthbound ''EarthBound'', released in Japan as is a role-playing video game developed by Creatures (company), Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The second entry in the Mother (video game s ...

'', released in 2005. Barker has also worked with The Egg ("Walking Away"), electronica artists Grooverider ("Time and Space"),

("Inside My Mind (Blue Skies)" and "Your Song") and the acid-jazz duo Muki ("I Don't Want to Know"). Barker was featured in a 2006

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

UK television campaign, singing a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

's " Leaving on a Jet Plane". Barker also featured as a guest singer on ''Quiet Letters'' by Bliss, and then collaborated and provided vocals for their album entitled ''

No One Built This Moment No (and variant writings) may refer to one of these articles: English language * ''Yes'' and ''no'' (responses) * A determiner in noun phrases Alphanumeric symbols * No (kana), a letter/syllable in Japanese script * No symbol, displayed � ...

''. In 2010, she signed with the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, Ho Hum Records. According to the label's website, Barker has recorded a new album, ''

Seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, ...

'', which was released on 6 May 2011. ''Seagull'' spawned two singles, "Say Goodbye" and "Bluebell" On 13 January 2017 she released her third solo album, ''Break the Habit'' on Disco Gecko Recordings.

Discography

* ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2011) * ''Snowflake (The Rainbow Collection)'' (2011) * "A Forest" / "Say Goodbye" (2011) * "I Do it to Myself" (2016) * "Break the Habit" (2017) * "LSA" (2017) * "Neon Lines" (2019)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Sophie 1971 births Living people British women singer-songwriters Alumni of University College London 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers English women in electronic music British trip hop musicians Ballad musicians 21st-century English women 21st-century English people