Bôa

Bôa
Bôa original lineup, circa 1994
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Alternative rock indie rock
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Nettwerk Music Group Polystar Pioneer LDC Boa Recordings
Members	Alex Caird Jasmine Rodgers Lee Sullivan
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

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. 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. 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.

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. The record, titled The Race of a Thousand Camels, came out in 1998, preceded by the single "Duvet". The track was used as the opening theme of the Japanese anime series Serial Experiments Lain.

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. 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 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 2004.

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.

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

In December 2018, a vinyl edition of "Duvet" was published exclusively in Japan. 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. In September, it reached the Official Independent Singles Breakers Chart and peaked at number 18, charting for two weeks.

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

Side projects

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

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

Discography

Studio albums

• Acton Live (unreleased, first uploaded in 2010)
• The Race of a Thousand Camels (1998, reissued as Twilight in 2001)
• Get There (2005)
• The Farm (unreleased, first uploaded in 2017)
• Whiplash (2024)

EPs

• Duvet (1998)
• Tall Snake (1999)

Singles

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

Film

• The Strat Pack: Live in Concert (2005)

External links

• BoAUK Official YouTube channel
• Jasmine Rodgers' official website