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Bôa

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Bôa
Bôa original lineup, circa 1994
Bôa original lineup, circa 1994
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active1993–2005, ?–present
Labels
Members
Past members
  • Ben Henderson
  • Ed Herten
  • Steve Rodgers
  • Paul Turrell

Bôa (stylized bôa) are an English alternative rock band formed in London in 1993 by drummer Ed Herten, keyboardist Paul Turrell, and guitarist/vocalist Steve Rodgers. The band have progressed from playing funk to rock over the years, as bassist Alex Caird and multi-instrumentalist Ben Henderson joined, and Jasmine Rodgers was added as vocalist.

Bôa produced two major albums, Twilight (2001) and Get There (2005). Their 1998 single "Duvet" was the opening theme to the anime television series Serial Experiments Lain and as of 2024 has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

The band released the album Whiplash in 2024, their first new music in 19 years.

History

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Originally a funk band, Bôa was formed in 1993 by drummer Ed Herten, keyboardist Paul Turrell, and Steve Rodgers on guitar and vocals. Alex Caird, who had played with Herten in the band Draggin' Bones, was recruited on bass guitar. Rodgers's younger sister, Jasmine, was invited to sing the chorus of one of their first songs, "Fran", and she soon became the lead singer of the group. Jasmine and Steve are children of Paul Rodgers, best known for being the lead singer of Bad Company.[1] Ben Henderson, who had played with Caird in the psychedelic rock band Doctor Sky, was recruited shortly afterward to play saxophone.

Bôa's first live performance was in January 1994, at the London Forum, supporting Paul Rodgers.[2] The same year, Herten left the band.

Bôa added a new drummer, Lee Sullivan, the son of Terry Sullivan, a former drummer for the band Renaissance. Bôa's style began to shift to a rock sound around this time, and Henderson took up playing the guitar instead of the saxophone.[citation needed]

In 1996, the band signed a contract with the Japanese label Polystar and began working on their debut album. They recorded three songs, "Twilight", "Deeply", and "Elephant", with producer Darren Allison.[3] The record, titled The Race of a Thousand Camels, came out in 1998, preceded by the single "Duvet".[4] The track was used as the opening theme of the Japanese anime series Serial Experiments Lain.[citation needed]

In 2000, Polystar released Bôa's Tall Snake EP and featured "Duvet" on the 20th Anniversary of Polystar Collection Vol.1 Female Vocal Love Songs compilation.[citation needed] The same year, Henderson left the band.

In 2001, due to contractual disagreements with Polystar, the band changed labels and signed with Pioneer LDC. Race of a Thousand Camels was retitled Twilight and released to US audiences in 2001, with two new tracks. Bôa played shows across the US to promote the record, but halfway through the tour, Turrell departed the group.

In 2003, "Duvet" was remixed[5][3] by DJ Wasei and released on another Lain soundtrack, titled Serial Experiment Lain Soundtrack: Cyberia Mix.

That year, the band decided to establish their own label, called Boa Recordings. They also began work on their third album, titled Get There, and released it in 2005.[6] Steve Rodgers parted with the band later in 2005 to pursue independent work, stating in an interview with The Northern Echo he "had a lot [he] wanted to sing about and there's a lot of freedom when you're solo."[7][8]

In 2012, the band started a JustGiving page and announced their support for AAR JAPAN, a charity that responded to the impact of the 2011 tsunami.[9]

On 4 January 2017, former keyboard player Paul Turrell died.[10] In May, an unreleased Bôa album was discovered on Turrell's website, titled The Farm.[11]

In December 2018, a vinyl edition of "Duvet" was published exclusively in Japan.[12] In August 2021, the song saw a massive resurgence in popularity, especially on TikTok, with over 250,000 posts featuring it as of August 2023.[citation needed] In September, it reached the Official Independent Singles Breakers Chart and peaked at number 18, charting for two weeks.[13]

In June 2023, Bôa announced that they would publish a new album, titled Whiplash.[14] In March 2024, they released the single "Walk with Me", their first new music in 19 years.[15] A second single, "Beautiful & Broken", came out on 3 May.[16] They issued the tracks "Worry" on 14 June[17] and "Whiplash" on 29 July.[18] The fifth single from the album, "Vienna", came out on 6 September.[19] On 16 October 2024, the band received Platinum certification from the RIAA for "Duvet".[20]

Side projects

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In September 2004, Steve and Jasmine performed the Bôa song "Drinking" with their father for a concert featuring Joe Walsh, Gary Moore, Brian May, Hank Marvin, David Gilmour, and Mike Rutherford, among others, marking the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. The event was recorded and released a year later as the film The Strat Pack: Live in Concert.

Jasmine Rodgers records as a solo artist, and she has released a self-titled EP (2010) and the full-length albums Blood Red Sun (2016) and Dark Tides (2024).

Band members

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Current

  • Jasmine Rodgers – vocals (1993–present), guitars (2023–present)
  • Alex Caird – bass (1993–present)
  • Lee Sullivan – drums, percussion, keyboards (1994–present)

Past

  • Steve Rodgers – guitars (1993–2005)
  • Ben Henderson – guitars, saxophone, percussion (1993–2000)
  • Paul Turrell – keyboards, percussion, guitars (1993–2001; died 2017)
  • Ed Herten – drums, percussion (1993–1994)

Timeline

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Discography

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Studio albums

EPs

Singles

  • "Duvet" (1998)
  • "Walk with Me" (2024)
  • "Beautiful & Broken" (2024)
  • "Worry" (2024)
  • "Whiplash" (2024)
  • "Vienna" (2024)

Film

References

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  1. ^ Garcia, Thania (18 August 2023). "Bôa on Reuniting After 1998 Single 'Duvet' Enchants New Generation of Fans". Variety. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  2. ^ MacKenzie Wilson. "Boa | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b "biography". boa – the official website. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  4. ^ "BoA – Duvet Lyrics". Songmeanings.com. 3 March 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Serial Experiments Lain Soundtrack: Cyberia Mix". Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  6. ^ Garcia, Thania (18 August 2023). "Bôa on Reuniting After 1998 Single 'Duvet' Enchants New Generation of Fans". Variety. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  7. ^ Pearlman, Mischa (27 November 2024). "bôa – Whiplash". Clash Magazine. Clash Music. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  8. ^ Westcott, Matt (22 October 2014). "Steve Rodgers follows in his father's footsteps, but treads his own path". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  9. ^ "BOA's page". JustGiving.com. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Bôa Facebook post". Facebook.com. 5 January 2017. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Index of /music/boa/unpublished". paulturrell.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017.
  12. ^ "BoA's Facebook post". Facebook. 18 July 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Bôa Duvet chart success". officialcharts.com. 29 September – 5 October 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  14. ^ Garcia, Thania (18 August 2023). "Bôa on Reuniting After 1998 Single 'Duvet' Enchants New Generation of Fans". Variety. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  15. ^ Sloman, Christine (22 March 2024). "Bôa is back with new single "Walk with Me"". melodicmag.com. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Bôa Look for Comfort on New Single "Beautiful & Broken"". FLOOD. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  19. ^ Bôa (5 September 2024). Bôa – Vienna (Official Lyric Video). Retrieved 6 September 2024 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ "Bôa – Duvet". riaa.com. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
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