Norwegian alt-pop artist Helven has just released her debut EP volume 1 via Jansen Records. Over the last few months she has shared the first taste of the EP in the form of singles ‘u my homie’ and ‘if I could be like you’ which have earned her early support across the blogosphere and a steady following.
Helven has a talent for fusing together honest, contemporary lyrics with inspiration from pop music of the past, capturing the experience of life as a 21-year-old woman in the 2020’s. Inspired by the many lessons her brother, who has autism and Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, has taught her, Helven is on a mission to wear her heart on her sleeve.
Each of the five tracks that make up volume 1 focuses on a different emotion that she has struggled to express in the past: envy, care, love, sadness and frustration. Attaching a particular feeling to the autobiographical stories she tells in her music has helped her find a true sense of self. Her message to her generation is simple. “In order to survive in this increasingly chaotic world we need to listen to our feelings more, and express them proudly.”
We had a chat with Helven all about her influences, volume 1, her plans for 2022 and more. Read the Q&A below.
Hi Helven! How are you? What have you been up to?
"Hi! I'm good, thanks! And thank you for having me. I've been busy working on the release of my debut EP and preparing for the release concert in Oslo, it's gonna be great!"
Let’s start at the beginning. What was it that led you to make music? Who were you influenced by growing up?
"I've always loved singing and writing songs since I was a child. Growing up I loved listening to my dad's vinyl collection, with artists and bands such as Frank Zappa, Patti Smith, Portishead, Grateful Dead and more. It inspired me to start writing songs on on my own and dreaming of becoming an artist one day.
"For years I was too scared to take a chance on making music properly as I worried I wasn’t good enough, so instead I decided to turn my attention to studying theatre. When the pandemic came and I was in my first quarantine, I opened my eyes to music once again, this time with real determination and with the goal of making it. I learned all I needed to learn in order to make demos and started mixing and recording some songs. Then I sent them out to different producers in Oslo, where I was moving to. The producer Andrew Murray Baardsen really liked the sound of it and we made the EP together. Then I got a record deal with 9AM Records on indie-label Jansen Records, and now it's finally out in the world!"
Yes! Speaking of volume 1. What's the record about and what does it mean to you?
"For me it's about a journey through all the feelings that have been difficult for me to express. It starts with the song 'if i could be like u', about the feeling of envy and jealousy, and moves on to showing love and care for a friend in a hard time, or as we called each other; 'my homie'. Then it continues with the feeling and expression of your first love in the track 'my love my love'. After that the story develops into the fear of losing yourself and a question of 'when n where'. It all ends with power and love, despite how much they may say 'calm down'."
Please take us through your songwriting/creative process for the EP. What was your favourite part? And what did you find most challenging about it?
"I wrote and recorded the songs on my own in my bedroom, back home on a small farm in the south of Norway. Then we re-recorded it and mixed it in Luft Recordings Studio, Sandvika. The creative process for me was about learning more and more each day, making changes that enabled us to get to the core of the song, or in some cases, simply not changing anything at all. For example, on 'when n where' we recorded the vocals again in one-take, to get a deeper feeling of the melancholy and longingness in the song, but we ended up not changing anything on the original instrumental. That was a real challenge for me, feeling so vulnerable sharing it just as it was. But now it's maybe my favourite track on the whole EP."
Finally, what are your plans for 2022? Will we be getting volume 2?
"First we are going to have the release concert at Blå in Oslo. Then we are going to play some gigs throughout the summer. And volume 2 is in the making, so we will see! Thanks for the interview, and I hope you enjoy the EP and are having a wonderful day!"
Photo credit: Johnathan Vivaas Kise
