Interview with the Artist of the Week: Helena Jesele
Helena Jesele is a jazz inspired pop singer from London, England. She has recently released 2 singles of her debut album the newest of which is entitled ‘Sun Is Rising”. We had the great opportunity to interview her, so check it out below! To see her full feature article, click here.
What kind of music do you listen to?
“I listen to so many different kinds. I listen to a lot of jazz, which people can guess. I listen to Ella Fitzgerald pretty much on a daily basis. I find her that her voice brings me back into the world. I listen to a little Ray Charles too.
Besides singing, do you play any instruments?
“I used to play a bit of piano, and when I was a teenager I played the clarinet, but I’m not sure I was that good.”
Is there a musician that you would love to collaborate with?
“An obvious one is Tony Bennett. I would love to collaborate with him. I’d love to work with him because I absolutely love the stuff he’s done. He’s one of the best singers of all time. Theres a UK artist called Plan B he’s quite hot over here. He’s a soul singer, but he does a lot of rap as well in his music. His music is quite reflective. I’d love to write and record a song with him.”
We love your song ‘Let the Game Begin’, is there any other songs off your upcoming album that you are excited for your fans to hear?
“Well all of them really. This album tells a real personal story. The one that I think is a hidden gem on the album is a tune called ‘Pretty Pretty Lights’ that is one of the ones I wrote in New York. I love all of them but that’s my favorite. I’m excited for people to hear it for sure.”
What inspires you most when you write music?
“Everything. It depends on what’s going on around that time. Generally, for this album, there is a lot of heartbreak with relationships. I think that’s a pretty good source of inspirations for most artists. Romantic liaisons, falling in love, falling out of love, getting hurt, that’s all inspirational for me. ‘Let the Game Begin’ is about falling out of love and going back into the world. The opening line talks about waking up from a disappointing man. There’s a whole cycle throughout the album.”
Do you have any touring plans in the US or anywhere else?
“I’d love to do some US tours. Later this year we are going to be doing more UK gigs. I think there are plans to go over to the US because that’s something I really want to do since half the album was written in New York. It’s sort of a half English half British collaboration really as far as production knows.”
What is your favorite TV show to watch?
“I love TV shows. My favorite one is ‘Mad Men’. I also really like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.”
Besides singing what are your other hobbies?
“I like collecting art. I used to work in the art world so I have a real passion for art. I love collecting not just paintings, but I like collecting a lot of black and white pictures of screen stars. I also have a huge print of Ella Fitzgerald hanging on my wall, she’s singing in a huge club in New York with Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. I love the black and white photograph film posters. That would be a hobby of mine.”