Bloem de Ligny

Bloem de Ligny

Bloem de Ligny performing in 2010
Background information
Born 7 July 1978
Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Genres Dance, electronic
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1996 – present
Associated acts Sam and the Womp

Bloem de Ligny (born 7 July 1978, Apeldoorn) is a Dutch musician and artist, who has released music under her own name, and as a member of the bands Fono & Serafina, Polichinelle,[1] 4Fists, and Sam and the Womp. Her image and vocal style have often been compared to Björk. She is also known (or been known) under the names Bloem,[2] Bloem de Wilde de Ligny,[2][3] Serafina Ouistiti,[3] Oo is an Instrument,[4] and Lady Oo.

Early years

Bloem (meaning 'flower' in Dutch) de Wilde de Ligny was born to an Indonesian father and a Dutch mother. Raised by her mother, they moved location twenty times before settling in Haarlem.[5] After leaving school, she moved into a squat, and from 1996 began performing music under the name Bloem, appearing on the festival circuit with appearances at the Oerol, Lowlands and Crossing Border festivals.[5]

Zink

De Wilde de Ligny's festival performances brought her to the attention of the record company Columbia.[5][6] In November 1998, under the name Bloem de Ligny, the album Zink was released, produced by Tricky associate and ex-Boomtown Rats guitarist Pete Briquette, with contributions from musician Maarten Veldhuis,[5] and recorded at the Townhouse Studios in London. The album's name derives from De Wilde de Ligny's name for her own fantasy sea.[6]

The record company had high expectations,[6] and the album generally received positive reviews, with many noting her vocal style being similar to Icelandic artist Björk,[5][6][7] although De Wilde de Ligny cites Robert Wyatt as being a bigger influence.[5] The single "Fingiecrookie" was released from the album and received airplay on a number of music TV stations,[5] but album sales disappointed and she parted company with the record label. De Wilde de Ligny later moved to Paris for several months, and in the beginning of 2000 studied fine art in Rotterdam.

Later work

In 2002, De Wilde de Ligny made a guest appearance on the album We Should Have Been Stars by the band Mist, a project by ex-Miss Universe band member Rick Treffers,[5] and a second track in 2008 for their album Period.[3]

Also in 2002, with Ulan Bator musician Ties van der Linden, she recorded the ambient pop album Bathtub, under band name Fono and Serafina, which was eventually released in 2006.[8][9] Around this time, De Wilde de Ligny renamed herself Serafina Ouistiti ('Serafina Marmoset') and subsequently attended the Willem de Kooning Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam (graduating in 2007).[10] In 2005 she formed the band Polichinelle with the artist Bubu, with performances including the Glastonbury Festival in 2007.[10]

In 2007 De Wilde de Ligny co-founded, with Bubu and artist Kai Nobuko, the surrealist art collective Dream Society, producing animations, songs, films, and art installations based on sounds and images from "everyday life". De Wilde de Ligny performs with the Society under the name Oo is an Instrument.[11] Residing in London since 2003, she was involved in creating Gattoblaster Records,[12] in which she also is active under many different musical alter egos. She also performs with Nobuko in the band 4Fists,[13] plays with the band QDOS vs. Audio,[14] and is recording solo albums.[4]

De Wilde de Ligny is the vocalist[15][16] on Sam and the Womp's number one charting UK single "Bom Bom".[17]

Discography

Albums

Singles and other tracks

Other

References

External links