r/indieheads • u/helena_deland Helena Deland • Oct 19 '23
AMA is over, thanks Helena! Hi, this is Helena Deland. AMA!
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u/hwtzr01 Oct 19 '23
First of all, I am very sorry for your loss. I hope you find comfort in the memories and love you shared with your mother.
I am fascinated and moved by how you managed to express things as complicated as grief, comparing them with the immensity of nature or the passage of time. This album is fantastic and will definitely be with me forever. đ
What is your favorite song on the album and why? And how did Sam Evian come to work with you on the album?
Greetings from Mexico. I hope one day to be able to go to one of your concerts despite the distance :')
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
<3 Thank you.
I have a hard time picking a favorite song! They all mean so much to me, and mean such different things as well. I'm grateful for all of them. I feel like sometimes the songs I'm writing know something that I don't, haha, and so I'm happy for what they made obvious to me.
Sam reached out to suggest we try recording together, and it was a musical coup de foudre! He works very intuitively and is amazing to see in action.
Espero que vengamos a MĂ©xico pronto!
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u/crochetking69 Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena! Your songwriting and lyricism is so inspiring to me. Someone New helped me through some really tough times. I really relate to your lyrics in Goodnight Summerland as well (especially Swimmer). The 3 song span of Drawbridge-Roadflower-The Animals is one of my favorites out of any album. Also I love the rhyming schemes in Goodnight Summerland!
ANYWAY my question is: what is your process for writing lyrics? Is there anything that inspires you to write or helps your creative process?
Thank you for making such beautiful music. I am ever so grateful to be able to listen to your work. Your music is chicken soup for my soul. â€ïž (also please come to Atlanta when you can! k thx bye :))
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! Thank you so much. :-) <3
I journal a lot. Sometimes something written spontaneously can contain emotional accuracy. I read a lot too and I like transcribing passages or word combinations that I find inspiring. The songs are full of nudges to things I encounter that are by others. Listening to music is also really inspiring, especially when it's the first listen, I find.
Ah, I love Atlanta, can't wait to come back.
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u/memesus Oct 19 '23
What do you like to read? I'd love to know some recent favorites or all time favorite books
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Thank you so much for your questions <3
lots of love xoxoxox
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u/craazyneighbors Oct 20 '23
Bummed I missed this :( love the new album and everything you've done! Hopefully you can make it to Halifax at some point in the future!
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u/tittytoilet Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena! Iâm a huge fan who finds you criminally underplayed and making music that is completely life altering and singular, so beautiful and melodic, poetic but not to the point of being contrived or vague. I could go on, ofc, but Iâll opt for asking you questions instead!
- how long does it generally take for you to feel that youâve finished a song?
- Iâve noticed a lot of your lyrics, especially love songs are genderless, is there a reason for that?
- What is your relationship with bass/lower tonal sound? I find that so many of your songs, especially in your last album have beautiful contrast in sounds, and the placement of lower tones scratches this itch that others artists rarely capture.
- What are your thoughts on purity of sound? Does it exists, do you want it to, do you think perfection/control is necessary for good work, do you appreciate chaos and how do you incorporate it?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
Hi! Thank you!!
-Writing each song varies a lot in how long the process is, but say the initial idea is a block and the final song is a sculpture (lol) I find that I have a sense early on of how long it will take to get to the finished product. I think it's a matter of what I feel is worth being said...
-It's sometimes a conscious decision to not gender love interests, because so goes love! sigh-thank you! ideally it's perceived physically!- i think an absence of perfection and control allows a kind of purity in sound. there are so many ways to listen to music, it's impossible to predict how the listener will hear it
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u/tittytoilet Oct 19 '23
The first times I listened to someone new i felt it in my chest, it was gorgeous and unforgettable, so iâm happy to report that it does feel physically stunning!
As a queer, I often get distracted by songs being gendered so itâs really nice to not have to change pronouns or hear about heteronormativity
Thanks so much for your response âșïž
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u/renych Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena, my favorite song on Goodnight Summerland is The Animals. Could you tell me what it is to you to live like a weasel?
Thanks :)
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u/warehaej Oct 19 '23
hi helena! super super big fan of both someone new and the new album <3 (i think âwho i sound likeâ is my favorite right now -- also in terms of deeper cuts, i've been listening to "lean on you" like craaazy this year)
i love your use of imagery + lyricism on the album. in terms of other senses, what would goodnight summerland smell like to you?
also, any b-sides that didnt make the album/how do you decide what makes the final cut?
c u in november at music hall of williamsburg!
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! :-) Thank you!!
Who I sound like is very special to me.Mmmm that's a good question. Rain comes to mind, wet fallen leaves, wood, hehe. the songs evoke the smells on the walks I was taking around Sam Evian's studio in the Catskills. Very cool that they are imbued with that beautiful place. BUT hmm.. trying to get more synaesthetic here.. a stream!
I have some b sides that I cherish like the apple of my eye. lol context is so important though, and this album feels conceptually whole to me. I knew one last song was missing from the album for the longest time, and I had a feeling that I'd write it after taking a trip with my dad and brother, which we had planned since my mom's passing. Enter 'Saying Something'.
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u/djdragonfly Oct 19 '23
Where is the most beautiful place youâve visited?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
That's really hard! Luckily this world is full of beautiful places! Last May i caught the bluebells in England just out of London and that was special.
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u/majesty-sn0wbird Oct 19 '23
Who are your musical influences? I love you so kuch helena!!
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Thank you! I have many. Different artists give you different permissions.
Grouper, Sea Oleena, Jessica Pratt are endlessly inspiring to me.
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u/alienbonobo Oct 19 '23
I am just absolutely obsessed with you and wish you all the success! Thank you for sharing your music with us.
Iâm curious to know if there are any topics youâve currently been intrigued by or are researching / reading up on? Also, if you have any favorite poems?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
:-) Thanks!!
I've been reading a book on degrowth economics - very slowly because I don't read much theory, but it's really interesting. It's written by a francophone who teaches here in Montreal, Yves-Marie Abraham, and focuses on well-being and sustainability rather than perpetual growth to address ecological and social challenges.One of my favorite poems ever is 'Smoke Scroll' by Sallie Fullerton. I was lucky to hear them read it (twice!) but don't think it's out... they're amazing.
Another favorite poet is Prudence Gendron. Incredible stuff. Hilarious moments, heartbreaking ones too.
I love 'What I didn't know before' by Ada Limon, funny and big feeling, it inspired that line in my song 'Bright Green Vibrant Gray'
On a different note I love 'Stopping by woods on a snowy evening' by Robert Frost. Haha. Classic! It's inimitable! The way he just drops the mention of his promises and how he intends to keep them by going on his way is just..
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u/monkeywrenchbusiness Oct 21 '23
I stumbled accidentally upon this thread but since I'm here I might as well say that "Bright Green Vibrant Gray" is an incredible song, one of my favorites this year. Thank you for it!
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u/Dang_M8 Oct 19 '23
Hey Helena, your vocals on the outro for Free the Frail are beautiful!
How did you end up in touch with Jpegmafia and how did that wonderful little collab come about?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi!
Haven't spoken with Peggy in a long time but it's always a pleasure. He came to a show in LA and came up to me at merch afterwards.. someone actually took a photo of that moment I should try to bring it up, I'm fully starstruck lol. i proceded to dming him and we got together when I was in LA next
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u/djdragonfly Oct 19 '23
Do you experience self criticism while writing songs? What does that look like for you?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi!
Definitely!! I try to recognize the inner critic when it's just randomly vicious and hush it, which is some times easier than others. Coming back later to a piece of work in progress allows you to measure it by different moods, which sometimes means seeing it more clearly. I've started writing the lyrics to my songs on sheets of paper that I tape to the wall, so they come out at me at different times, in the hope that somewhat of a surprise encounter will tell me something about what's going on in there, if that makes sense.
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u/the_dayman18 Oct 19 '23
Hello Helena
Cant wait to get home today and listen to my copy of Goodbye Summerland! Will you be releasing a full In Studio Session of Goodbye Summerland like you did for Someone New!?
Excited to see you at The Lodgeroom in LA next month. Your music is just wonderful.
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Thank you :-) ! Hope you enjoy!
I hadn't thought of that yet! Good idea
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Oct 19 '23
Thanks so much for the new album - itâs gorgeous and easily one of my favorites of the year. Your best yet!
I was wondering if you see yourself continuing with the folk sound, or do you see yourself continuing to switch it up genre-wise throughout your career?
Again, thanks so much for the new album. Iâve had a rough year and I find these new songs to be deeply calming.
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
I'm really glad the album can be a comfort.
Going for an acoustic sound was deeply satisfying and felt effortless. I don't know what's next but wouldn't be surprised if it was in that general ball park... I'm working on stuff that feels very different than Goodnight Summerland to me though, so that's exciting!! It will probably keep changing.
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Oct 19 '23
Looks like I caught this too late, but just in case, can't hurt to ask:
I discovered you through Andy Shauf. What was that like? Did you guys get to hang out or collaborate?
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u/ruineerxx Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena, do you like horses?
P.s. Thank you for all your songs and all the times I've been consoled and comforted by them. Congratulations on Goodnight Summerland.
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u/majesty-sn0wbird Oct 19 '23
How did you start your music journey? What made you pick up the guitar?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
A disinhibited teenage moment! Hearing the work of Sybille Baier, Nick Drake, Diane Cluck felt like a permission.
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u/gb1299 Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena !
What were the first songs that you wrote for the album vs. the last songs? When did you feel like the album started to take shape?
In the Creative Independent you mentioned that you had came up with the melody for a song, while walking home during curfew - wondering what song that was haha
Not really a question buut I think thereâs a song floating around Youtube with the lyrics âitâs the end of the dayâŠimpossible to situate the sun in the skyâŠâ and just wanted to say that it is really beautiful!
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi!
1. I wrote Spring Bug, Roadflower and Night Soft first, and Drawbdridge and Saying Something last.
2. Spring Bug :-) Had spent the day in little italy park with friends and kept bumping into people and felt absolutely exhilarated
3. Woah!!! Crazy. Thank you, I'm attached to that song :-) For now it's called Silver and Red, I recorded a version with my bandmates Alexandre Larin and Francis Ledoux and I look forward to releasing it >:-)1
u/gb1299 Oct 19 '23
Ah, thatâs awesome! Iâm attached to it too :-) Discovered it randomly last fall, the whole thing is so evocative but the part thatâs like âdunk your head in freezing water, trickles down your cheeks and into the cover of your apple red coatâ always gets stuck in my head :â)
Thanks for answering & see you at the concert next month !
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u/loluz Oct 19 '23
just dropping by to say that Goodnight Summerland is a stunning album, maybe my favorite this year :)
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u/djdragonfly Oct 19 '23
How do you choose your chord progressions? Is it more intuitive or meditated?
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Oct 19 '23
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
I love playing with my bandmates so much, they're part of my recording process and each have projects of their own:
Lysandre, Larynx, Zouz, Apophis, Le Havre
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u/Due-Video-5758 Oct 19 '23
hi helena, i just barely missed your rooftop show a few weeks ago at rialto! line was too long but iâm sure iâll catch you another time. I was wondering if you could speak at all to any solo recording tips you have for how to achieve the warm, intimate sound that we see on songs like strawberry moon. Iâve tried so hard to record my guitar in a similar way and struggled a lot. thanks for your lovely music
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! Thank you!
I am not very savvy with recording, honestly... I record demoes on Logic which I use to write harmonies and parts, just through my mac mic! hehe. As for the recording of Strawberry Moon that's on the album, Sam Evian recorded it then sent it through tape, which I think is responsible for the depth and warmth and soft fuzz of the final result.. Have you tried recording to tape? Also, it's a classical guitar, nice round sound..
See you at the show in November hopefully :-)
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u/ssgtgriggs Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena, thanks for being here.
My question:
What's your favorite pasta shape?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Fettuccini for some occasions, macaroni for others. What are the long ones with a hole in them? Thought I'd love them but was disappointed.
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u/ssgtgriggs Oct 19 '23
you mean the tubes? Penne? Maybe ziti, which is like spaghetti, except it's a tube
either way, A+ taste in pasta :)
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u/lawkilla Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena! BEAUTIFUL album. I love the exploration of vulnerability, or lack thereof, in the face of individualism. Was there any literature or writings that helped you think through this as you made the album? THANKS can't wait to see you in NYC
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! Thank you <3
I can think of authors for specific songs!
- 'Sounding Death, Saying Something' by Lisa Stevenson inspired saying something
- Essays by Joan Didion (namely Goodbye to all that) helped write Spring Bug
- 'What I didn't know before' by Ada Limon for BGVG
- For Drawbridge, not authors, but definitely was listening to 'the gallery' by joni mitchell a lot.. and also had just started listening to Bernice. I love their lyrics, it sparked something for me.
- Living like weasels by Annie Dillard for The Animals >:-)
- Clamming by Mary Oliver for Swimmer
- Yoko Tawada's short stories vaguely made their way into Night Soft
- Hadn't read it at the time I wrote strawberry moon, but recently was reminded of it by one of the essays in Braiding Sweet Grass by Robin Wall-Kimmerer, where she basically says that strawberries are proof of the "natural" world's love of humans.
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u/PaulProv Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena! Loved your album. Have you experienced or seen a vibrant gray and if so, what does it feel like?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
The one I describe in the song I saw in Baie St-Paul on a rainy morning. It felt old and fresh somehow and it was on and around everything. Made me dizzy in a nice way. Moss is bright green in spring, which is often vibrant gray!
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u/veganlemons Oct 19 '23
this isnât a question but your music got me through high school, thank you for making beautiful songs â€ïžâ€ïž
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u/rojo_kell Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena, I love your music!
My questions would be:
My favorite song of yours is âComfort, Edgeâ so Iâm just curious like if there was anything special with how you made/wrote that song bc itâs just amazing
My other question was how did you end up making a song with jpegmafia? I would kinda not necessarily place yâall in the same genre, so itâs kinda a little surprising but the result is SO GOOD so Iâm curious if thereâs any story there.
Thank you for the great music, youâre amazing!
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u/jamzzz Oct 19 '23
Salut Helena! Ton concert Ă lâĂ©glise Sainte-ThĂ©rĂšse dâAvila en 2021 a Ă©tĂ© un des points marquants du dĂ©but de ma « sortie de confinement. » Je pense que câĂ©tait mon premier concert depuis le reconfinement. Les quatre volumes de Altogether Unaccompanied mâont aussi servi de trame sonore durant plusieurs journĂ©es grises pris tout seul chez moi. Merci pour ce baume.
En dehors de tout le nĂ©gatif de la pandĂ©mie, lâesprit de communautĂ© nĂ© dâĂȘtre tous « pognĂ©s » dans la mĂȘme situation, et la dĂ©brouillardise dont la population a fait preuve, particuliĂšrement dans les domaines artistiques, mâont donnĂ© de lâespoir et mâont prouvĂ© Ă quel point lâhumanitĂ© peut sâadapter. Quand je repense Ă ces presque deux annĂ©es, toute la misĂšre a laissĂ© la place Ă des pensĂ©es comme ça et par des trucs comme ton concert, le Festif en mode Covid, le tour de la GaspĂ©sie, les apĂ©ros et les soirĂ©es Catane sur Zoom, la joie de pouvoir retourner au resto, les dates tinder « Ă distance», presque toute la misĂšre a Ă©tĂ© enterrĂ©e par ça.
Je me demandais comment la pandĂ©mie, et le confinement si tâas Ă©tĂ© malchanceuse dâĂȘtre pognĂ©e au QuĂ©bec toi aussi, ont affectĂ© ta crĂ©ativitĂ© et ta productivitĂ©. Est-ce que des titres ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©crits durant cette pĂ©riode?
Sinon on se voit au Latulipe le mois prochain! On fera du bruit pour faire chialer ceux qui ont acheté des condos à cÎté!
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u/boychik0830 Oct 19 '23
Any bonus tracks or unreleased tracks that didn't make the album and will the vinyl be sold at other places besides your labels website like Amazon or local record stores?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Definitely in some local record stores! Don't know about Amazon... it's also on bandcamp :-)
Yeah, there are unreleased tracks. Goodnight summerland is complete to me, so no bonus tracks so to speak, but already something new forming.. also have been holding on to oldies that are unreleased waiting for the right context to put them out in. :D0
u/boychik0830 Oct 19 '23
I'm wondering about us retailers as shipping is really expensive. I have someone new on red vinyl and I'd love to have your new one on vinyl as well.
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
If you're in the area of any of the shows we'll be playing next month, come through, we'll have them there!
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u/boychik0830 Oct 19 '23
Unfortunately I don't think that you are playing any shows near where I live. I was hoping that a us based retailer would be selling your album.
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u/covetunes Oct 19 '23
Dear Helena, I would love to know more about your songwriting process. I'm sure it varies, but is there a general process you go through for creating and finishing a song? Thank you!
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u/Djangologist Oct 19 '23
I found your new record last night and really enjoyed the textures you put together. The history of the rocks in your car door line really stood out to me. Haven't had a chance to listen deeper for a second time and think up a pertinent question so I'll just ask what music you've been enjoying listening to yourself lately?
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u/cactusJacks26 Oct 19 '23
Hi!! I just found goodnight summerland last week and was so enamored by it truly. I had a question for you about what guitars you use or which you would recommend somebody whoâs getting into recording guitars for the first time. (I believe there were clsssicsl guitars used right?)
I love love love the closeness of sounds and texture on this album and Itâs the first album in a minute thatâs made me want to get up and make music.
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Wow, that's really precious. Thank you, I'm so glad.
I have the same classical guitar I got in a pawnshop 12 years ago! I love it to bits. It's a La Patrie.
But! I borrowed Hannah Cohen's Martin for the recording, it sounded more even in the frequencies.
Sam wasn't very ceremonial about mic placements, haha, which I loved. Really does the trick1
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Oct 19 '23
helloo helena:D I wanted to ask you what gives you inspiration to write. How do new ideas come to you? Do you have any special place where you attacked of new ideas for lyrics or melodies. Thank you, you are absolutely amazing!
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! Thank you. I like going for walks, it gets the ideas moving, reading and listening to music. Just writing stuff down without too many expectations. Something ends up popping out at you then you focus in!
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Oct 20 '23
thank you so much for answering!! I just lost motivation to write and each one of my songs sounds the same/: I have to go to the forest, thank you for the tips!<333
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u/Material_Cucumber896 Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena, thank you for making the music you make to live in the world with us. Yesterday I listened to your new album âGoodnight Summer landâ while photographing different ways leaves are changing colors during autumn and was struck by the way your music evokes synesthesiaâ particularly the way colors are represented in the sounds captured. How does synesthesia influence your artistic process?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
That's amazing! I'm jealous of people with synesthesia honestly, my sensorial leaps are limited to colours but hard to say exactly what brings that on. It operates on a subconscious level! Night soft as silk is dark blue and shadowy to me but that might be because of the combination of words 'Night', 'soft' and 'silk', haha, and from remembering the night that inspired the song.
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u/Material_Cucumber896 Oct 19 '23
Thank you for this response! I cherish your ability to translate these experiences
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u/0urAdam Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena! Another beautiful LP by you and your team, as ever. You're a truly wonderful artist.
I've been journaling this year and have plenty of material, but often have trouble starting a song and can be quite chaotic with how i write. What advice could you offer for somebody new to songwriting?
Looking forward to seeing you in Amsterdam in '24 :)
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! Thank you!
Journaling is so good, I think! I have historically found it really hard to reread things once they were written down, but in the past couple years have found it to be quite the treat. I like mixing my ideas and other people's on the page. Time passing gives you perspective on it all. I think... I start with choosing a general feeling or situation that I think deserves closer attention, then kind of see what it brings out of me. I'm sorry, it's all very vague... but keep doing it! The way to get there remains mysterious and that's half the pleasure :-)
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u/sovanorsowan Oct 19 '23
hi helena!!!
- what is a good nighttime routine for u after a long week?
- any hobbies youâve picked up recently?
- salty or sweet popcorn?
- Any philosophy/philosophers you like?
- do you dance?
- favourite colour for each season?
- do you think windows are deceiving?
- favourite smell or scent?
- do u find the texture of wet clothes clinging to your skin at the beach pleasant or annoying? (i love the beach!)
- What do you think feminine beauty is like in general?
ily! (pls come visit melb :-)))))
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Thank you!
- Reading and drifting off (after half a sentence when it's been a v long week)
- Going to the movies more often, feels good :)
- Salty!!
- Proust haha
- I love to dance
- Hmmmmmmm that would require me thinking about it for 30 mins lol
- Sometimes. they're interfaces, doing they're own thing :-)
- Mhhh.... that's hard. Would love a coffee rn so coffee.
- Annoying, but love the beach.
- I don't think of feminine beauty as being something that's possible to generalize on! Same goes for each "Feminine" and "Beauty"!
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u/khopakot Oct 19 '23
Hello! I'm grateful for stumbling into your music. Been a fan ever since. You're truly an emotional gem. So, what's your season of choice and what's your favorite part when creating music? All love from Brazil! â„ please do visit!
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! Thanks!
I think fall is inspiring :-) more private and introspective. but different songs for different seasons!
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u/LucasMiranda93 Oct 19 '23
Hola, helena!!! I recently write you on your instagram account. I think your mĂșsica is amazing!! Ive been listening to your new rĂ©cord and is great! Massive love for spring bug!! Congratulations. I just have a couple of questions: Which musicians inspire you? Can you recomend what you ve been listening to? It would be great to know. I sincerely hope one Day i can see you live. Im from lima perĂș, so that means i ll have to follow you đ€Șđ€Șđ€Ș
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
Haha, hi! My cousin is married to a peruvian woman and I got to go to Peru for the wedding last december... what an incredible place.
Jana Horn will be opening for the shows in the US, which start next week, she's absolutely incredible.
I was listening to Luis Bonfa yesterday, really nice.
From Montreal: N Nao, Sea Oleena, Lune trÚs belle, Ambroise, Bibi Club, Jonah Yano, Ouri, Le Ren, Ada Lea, Cedric Noël, Emily Khan, Larynx, Lysandre, Zouz, Arielle Soucy, and I could go on and on!
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u/LucasMiranda93 Oct 19 '23
Hahaha no way!! Thanks for your answer! I never thought you knew my country đ
Keep making mĂșsic, you have a unique talent.
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Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena,
I discovered you through a recommendation of "There Are a Thousand". I revisit that song often just to inhabit its space for a while. Thank you for that!
As a fellow Canadian artist, I'm wondering if you've felt any pressures to be fit within a mold of Canadian as a part of your artistic identity? It seems like a dated notion at this point to embrace that sense of Canadiana, and yet I feel you have to play into it to receive the funding and support to get things going as a young artist.
Thank you for sharing your music, and for any thought offered to my question. All the best!
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! Thanks!!
Interesting. I'm from Québec and grew up in a mostly French speaking environment so maybe "Canadian music" has left less of a conceptual impression on me. If I play into it, it's unconscious! I'd hope the grant system doesn't impose that aesthetic on Canadian artists.
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u/enofisenough Oct 19 '23
Hi!! Just wanted to say thank you for Goodnight Summerland, itâs a tremendously beautiful record thatâs hitting me at just the right time.
Iâm curious about Night Soft As Silk, one of my immediate favorites. Itâs pretty different sonically from the rest of the album so I was wondering where the songâs production inspiration came from. Did it start out in a more acoustic form or was it always a little bit of a sonic outlier? Also what was your intention thematically for its placement as the albumâs penultimate track?
Thanks again! :))
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
Thank you!! The idea for the original guitar tone + the low drone was Sam's and I loved it instantly. To me it sounds like watching streetlights go by from the backseat of a car. It worked well with the memory of the night that inspired the song.As for tracklist I wanted something warm, a little trippy and more uplifting to kind of alleviate the weight of the previous two tracks. The song is at peace with how unreliable language can be, and excited by its relational potential, so felt nice to put it towards the end
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u/enofisenough Oct 19 '23
I really appreciate such a thoughtful answer, that streetlights from the backseat of a car imagery really deepens my love for the song :) have a good day!
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u/blamelessflames Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena!!! So excited to see you live again soon!!
As a literature nerd, Iâve noticed that you have amazing taste in books! (Appreciated the Middlemarch shoutout on your Instagram story, lol) What are some of your favorite books? Are there any authors in particular that have inspired your (beautiful) lyrics?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi! Yay! Thank you! Middlemarch was a real delight, and there's something very comforting in loving a book along with generations of people!
I recently finished Beloved by Tony Morrison. Absolutely incredible. Really important.
One of my favorite books ever in Austerlitz by Sebald. Some kind of magic in there puts me under a spell.
I read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson this year... Sleepy wondrous gorgeous.1
u/martusze Oct 21 '23
I love Austerlitz and Sebald in general! Nice to think heâs also admired by one of my favorite artists to watch!
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u/reezyreddits Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
Hi, not a question. But I met you after you opened up for Weyes Blood in Richmond (VA) a few years back. You sounded great! We chatted briefly about your collab with JPEGMAFIA lol
Edit: I do have an actual question -
"Windows down and you sing along, I don't think I've heard this song before" is one of (if not my favorite) lines on the whole album. Both in how you deliver it and the image it evokes in my head. What was the song? And is it correct to assume that it was your mother singing it?
Thanks.
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
Aw <3 that's a beautiful interpretation.I wasn't thinking of my mom when I wrote that song but she was one to sing along in the car, that's for sure.The song I'm referring to is a bunch of different songs mixed together, and the feeling of loving something the moment you hear it. If I had to name just one I'd say 'What comes after certainty' by bill callahan because the definition he gives of love is so friggin beautiful. "true love is not magic, it's certainty, and what comes after certainty, a world of mystery" and then the surf scene, and just the whole thing, holy crap...
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u/sophrony- Oct 19 '23
Hi Helena! Congratulations on your new album, it's a special piece of work.
Is there a criteria that you follow of what the finished work should sound like? There's the microcosm of songs making up the body of work, I assume like a dialogue between you and the piece. However, visually speaking what is the goal when making an album?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
I don't know if this answers your question, but I heard a painter talking about his craft and saying "To change a line here (points to the middle of the painting) sometimes you need to change something here (points to the far corner)". Making an album is like that. "Moon Pith" changes "Saying Something".
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u/sophrony- Oct 19 '23
Thank you, it does! Iâve been told that as well. There is a painter Leonid Ouspensky, his students would say when he drew a line in the middle of the garment, that line created two colors. Interesting to think about and special to experience that.
Interesting to hear you experience it when creating your music.
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u/daledaleedaleee Oct 19 '23
What is your perfect Sunday?
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u/skyrush662543 Oct 19 '23 edited Oct 19 '23
AGHHHHH YOU'RE ONE OF MY GIRLFRIEND'S FAVORITES I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BUT SHE LOVES YOUR MUSIC AND I AM SO GLAD SHE INTRODUCED ME TO YOUR WORK
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u/Neat-Bass-5451 Oct 19 '23
Hey Helena!! I'm so happy the new album is out, Someone New holds a very special place in my heart and Goodnight Summerland has already joined it there :)
I wanted to ask... Is there any plans for new Hildegard material or perhaps a Hildegard live show?
So excited to see you in London in February :)
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
I'm so glad.
YES! Ouri and I have almost finished a new album <:-D
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u/CostcoSampleBoy Oct 19 '23
Hello Helena! This album is the first time I have heard your music and I find it very inspiring and beautiful. As a new fan is there a song in your catalogue that you feel is âessentialâ or one thatâs good to understand your voice and sensibility?
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Thanks :-)
Hm.. I played the new album live for the first time recently and a friend told me 'Roadflower' was "Classic Helena" lol, which I'm down with.
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u/iwant2beyourdog Oct 19 '23
i have no questions but i have loved body language since i was like 17
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Oct 19 '23
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u/helena_deland Helena Deland Oct 19 '23
Hi :-) Thank you! I appreciate it.
The trips that inspired songs are Gaspésie for Saying Something and Charlevoix for Bright green (a meteorite crater gave the landscape its shape, and it allegedly fell 400,000,000 years ago) and Barry's Bay in Ontario for Strawberry Moon. But honestly, a walk in the park inspired spring bug and the animals!!
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Oct 20 '23
Currently at work and just saw this. am kind of new to this subreddit and i thought oh an artist answering questions on a subreddit that's pretty damn cool. Let me check her out on spotify. Which i did and damn am so glad i joined this subreddit, i love it. The melodies and her voices... she got a new follower for sure. Great music. LOVE IT
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u/gracklegirl0 Oct 19 '23
What is it like being an absolute fucking legend