| I Am Harlequin | |
| Birth Name: | Anne Freier |
| Birth Place: | Dresden, Germany |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Instrument: | Voice, piano, computer |
| Years Active: | 2013–present |
I Am Harlequin or IAH is the recording and production alias of London-based singer/songwriter and producer Anne Freier.
Anne Freier was born in Dresden, Germany. Her father, who grew up during East Germany's GDR regime, had a big impact on her musical influences, introducing her to Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Cyndi Lauper, Yes, Billy Joel, Kate Bush, Grace Slick, Ricky Lee Jones, Tori Amos, and Joni Mitchell, but also classical music such as Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff and later Sondheim.[1]
Freier wrote her first song at the age of seven with the help of a bear-inspired English book for children.[2] She then performed regularly with her sister in front of family and friends and later moved to London. She is a trained singer. Whilst at university studying music she focused on production and technology, recording herself performing on the piano with a laptop and an Mbox on Pro Tools.
IAH previously performed at Liverpool Sound City, Brighton Festival, Boardmasters Festival and LastFm Presents at the Garage and earned the seventeenth spot in the top 20 of the LastFm Discovery Charts.
Her single "Wild One" featured on the BBC drama Skins Season 6, Episode 9 as well as The Client List. In the same year, I Am Harlequin performed in a live session on BBC 4's Loose Ends, alongside the Civil Wars.
In Feb 2014, she wrote and featured on producer duo Hermanos Inglesos' single "The Fastlane", released through Sony Music.[3]
IAH also remixes music and has previously remixed the Queen song "Don't Stop Me Now", turning the song into a symphonic choir piece.[4]
In 2012 The Independent described IAH as “One To Watch […] she’s the beautifully cool pop star we’ve been waiting for” [5] Joining a Wonderland live session, the magazine said: "Anne’s all about the performance, not the polish, not that her voice needs it, but her offhand style only adds to her effortlessly cool aura in her Wonderland Session."[6] Vulture Hound called her latest single "Dance With Anyone" "the kind of groove you want immersed within your ‘Sound of Summer’ playlist" [7]
In addition to music, IAH designs and sews most of her stage wear. She edits and directs her own music videos [8] and writes fiction in her spare time.