Helen Shanahan Canvas Interview

Perth-based singer-songwriter Helen Shanahan has announced her new single Canvas, an emotional and vulnerable track about allowing oneself to be completely taken over by another person, out today. The soulful artist has also released a powerful video to accompany the track, following the life of a young girl as she grows up, learning to lessen herself to suit others, made in collaboration with filmmaker and photographer Jane Tionowidjaja. Canvas is just a taste of what is to come ahead of the release of Helen's new album of the same name, to be released on March 4 – fans can pre-order now. Helen will be celebrating the album with a local launch show at Night Owl Studio in Morley, WA on March 5.

Canvas is evocative of Ladies of the Canyon-era Joni Mitchell, Kacey Musgraves, and Australian superstar Missy Higgins – what Helen shares with these impressive women is an innate understanding of songwriting – how to weave a story and set it to the perfect melody, the most poignant chords. She's at her best on Canvas; soft, acoustic guitar travels steadily beneath her unique, buttery voice. Canvas is quite a sad song, but introspective, reflective as well – like a person in their 30s may look back on their behaviour during their late teens. Speaking about the song, Helen says, "The single was inspired by a theme from a songwriting group (I Heart Songwriting Club) I joined in 2018. The theme was 'lessons', and it made me think about how I learnt to make myself small and essentially a doormat for a particular group of people. The song brought up lots of mixed emotions, as it unravelled how that relationship effected my adult life and how I had to 'unlearn' my feelings of low self-esteem and worth."

The video for Canvas encapsulates this inspiration perfectly. The viewer follows a young girl – eventually, a young woman – who has learnt to make herself small to suit the people in her life. The video demonstrates the sadness that follows, and the confusion that occurs when you've spent so long making other people happy you're not quite sure how to do it for yourself, as the clip's director Jane Tionowidjaja explains, "The music video revolves around the concept of what it means 'to be' and how we become a summation of our own life experiences. It's what we learn over time but also what we decide to tolerate when we relate to those we love."

Making an album during a global pandemic is no mean feat – but Canvas, the upcoming album, is nothing short of a triumph. Helen's songwriting prowess has always been impressive, but Canvas sees her reaching new heights; previous single and album opener Deer In Headlights powers ahead with a killer chorus, the reflective and contemplative No seethes amidst a bed of strings and percussion, while the edgy Chemical Help takes influence from the pop world. Recorded in Perth with Jon Clements, and produced remotely by Brad Jones in Nashville, Canvas takes influence from the likes of Taylor Swift while still staying true to Helen's country singer/songwriter roots. Speaking on the themes of the album, Helen says, "…a lot of the songs on the album ended up pertaining to my high school years where I developed a lot of anxiety and low self-worth. Now in my 30's, I am in more stable relationships, and able to observe how these relationships made me behave- and how they made their mark on my mental health. While there are a lot of darker themes on the album, the opening and closing tracks celebrate the 'better times' and positive relationships."

Excited to bring the songs of Canvas to the stage, Helen will be playing an album launch show at Night Owl Studio in Morley in WA on March 5. Thrilled to be playing for live audiences once again, she says, "I am so excited to perform these songs with my wonderful band. We are set to perform the album in full at Night Owl Studio, where we will also aim to live stream the event. The audience can expect a faithful representation of my recorded work, and some of my older songs too."

Interview with Helen Shanahan

Question: How would you describe your music?

Helen Shanahan: I would describe it as folk-pop with an acoustic feel!


Question: What inspired 'Canvas'?

Helen Shanahan: I joined an online songwriting group called 'I Heart Songwriting', and the idea is to write to a specific theme a week, write the song in an hour and then share with the group. The particular theme I was given was 'lessons', and I wrote about what we learn to accept from the people we love, and how this isn't always healthy or good for us.

Question: Can you tell us about your upcoming album?

Helen Shanahan: My upcoming album was recorded remotely in Nashville with producer Brad Jones, who worked on my debut album Every Little Sting. I recorded my guitar and vocal parts here in Perth with engineer Jon Clements, then we sent the songs to Brad to add the rest of the instrumentation. It was a new way of doing things, due to the pandemic (and also having a new baby) it was impossible to travel - but I was so happy with the end product!


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Helen Shanahan: I hope the album resonates with people, in particular those who have felt they can't stand up for themselves or have been in relationships where they have felt they don't matter. I hope it can make those people feel less alone, and to know they are worthy of something better!


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Helen Shanahan: I do feel a lot of pressure in the recording studio, but over time I think this has become easier. It definitely depends on who is recording you, as they have a big part in helping you feel comfortable. I love performing live, as there's nothing like connecting to the audience and being in the moment.


Question: What should we expect from your upcoming show?

Helen Shanahan: You can expect a faithful representation of the album tracks, with a full band of talented Perth musicians! I feel so privileged to work with these musicians, who have helped me bring my humble acoustic guitar songs to life.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?
Helen Shanahan: I think what motivates me is the need to communicate - whether it's something I haven't been able to verbalise yet, or something that will help me sort out what's happening in my own head (it is a minefield in there, haha!).


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Helen Shanahan: I am currently obsessed with Madison Cunningham, a singer/songwriter from LA. She is blowing my mind with her clever arrangements and unique voice. I also have a stack of local WA artists in my car such as The Little Lord Street Band, Timothy Nelson and Emily Barker (who is based in the UK but originally from Bridgetown).


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Helen Shanahan: I think I was in year 11 or 12 when I first heard The Sound of White by Missy Higgins, and I thought "wow, imagine if I could do this!". Missy Higgins definitely inspired my songwriting, and her down to earth nature made me hopeful that perhaps I could give it a go!


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Helen Shanahan: I would love to collaborate with Missy Higgins for the above reason - I love her melodies and I would love to be in the room to see her thought process while writing.


Question: Did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the music industry?

Helen Shanahan: Not really, I went in very naively and with a head full of dreams (soon to be crushed, haha just kidding!)). It took me a while to get the courage to even pursue music, so I was just taking it one gig at a time. I soon learned the proper way to do things (like how to invoice properly, how to stand on stage and talk into the microphone without passing out).

Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Helen Shanahan: My favourite part has definitely been the different people I've met, I've discovered so many amazing artists and industry folk who really want to support local music.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Helen Shanahan: A typical day now involves me looking after my daughter Bonnie (14 months now!), doing my music admin while she naps, teaching singing a few days a week and gigging in between!


Question: What's next, for you?

Helen Shanahan: I am planning to perform my album songs as much as possible, and also keep running my monthly songwriters night "The Songwriters Cafe" - which is inspired by the Nashville 'in the round' format, showcasing the best of WA talent (and hopefully more over East once we are able to open our borders!).


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Helen Shanahan: Facebook 
YouTube 
Instagram 


Interview by Gwen van Montfort