Helen is a singer-songwriter hailing from Romania’s Bucharest who has already established her name in her home country as a writer for both domestic and international artists and is now showcasing her identity as a solo artist.
On new single Chemistry, Helen has created a perfect pop record that channels the same retro-futurist pop known we expect from the likes of Robyn and La Roux. This is one of those records that just flows beautifully - robotic bass, oscillating wave-like synth patterns and Helen’s cool, understated vocal. The layers here create something that sounds simple and is yet packed with detail.
Talking about her experience making music for herself, Helen says:
"Although I started writing music for other artists at the age of 14, I had to constantly deal with the media clichés telling me I couldn’t make it, because I didn’t have the so called pop image and body and that I should only stick to songwriting.That triggered a lot of anxiety during those years and even depression at some point because I constantly felt that I have to change who I am in order to be an artist and for my music to be appreciated. I almost gave up on the idea of having my own project, but the music kept coming, as a reminder that you can’t shut down something that’s part of you and needs to manifest. So I decided that in order to try and become something that I’m not, I should raise awareness and a voice in a post communist society, still learning to deal with diversity, acceptance and difference.”
Check out the video for Chemistry below and the SoundCloud player further down: