Lyrics, Voice and Musical Style
Goldfrapp possesses a soprano vocal range, which has been discribed as breathy. She draws inspiration from a range of artists and musical genres. As a teenager she listened to Kate Bush, T.Rex, Donna Summer and Iggy Pop and discovered Serge Gainsbourg while working in Belgium. While travelling through Europe in the early 1990s, she also began listening to Polish disco music and cabaret music from the Weimar Republic. Other media, including film, have had an impact on Goldfrapp who cites Roman Polanski's 1966 psychological thriller Cul-de-sac, the 1973 cult film The Wicker Man and the James Bond franchise as influences. She also draws inspiration from surrealism and nature, all of which appear in Goldfrapp's album artwork, which Alison designs in collaboration with Big Active.
Goldfrapp believes that "music is a visual experience" and therefore visualizes her lyrics before writing them. While writing, Goldfrapp uses her vocals to create melodies and drumbeats. Her songwriting is characterized by its use of animals to describe human emotions and status.
Read more about this topic: Alison Goldfrapp
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