Up and Comer – Helena

Hail the female genius that puts the magic where it’s meant to be – in the music! UK born and Australian bred Helena can take illustrious ownership of this role, securing herself as one of Australia’s leading and most prominent female DJs and electronic producers, showcasing her depth with electro, progressive and house beats. Helena was never one to entrap, extending her tour reputation from Europe and the UK, from Pacha in Ibiza through Asia and around Australia. Established and well in tune with Australia, music essentialists are treated to more than infectious sets throughout the best parties in the nation, but to a magnetic on set presence. Named EMI Record’s front-runner in the 2011 She Can DJ campaign and no stranger to grand scale adrenalin, this female boss of electronica has two captivated arenas at Australia’s largest music festival – Stereosonic and New Years Eve’s memorable Sensation White. Check out our interview with her after the jump! 

Helena, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today. How are you doing? 

I’m doing great, thank you! I’m currently in Ibiza so I have no complaints, having the best time, chilling and partying. It’s feels like a proper holiday, which I’ve not had for a very long time.

Tell us a little bit about what you have been up to recently?

Recently things have been going quite crazy, I have just released my debut single, which this week hit No. 1 on the Australian club chart which is unreal. It’s blown my expectations and the support in the industry has been incredible. I believe I made history also as the first female DJ/producer to score a No. 1 in Australia, such exciting times! I’m over in Europe at the moment for gigs and to work on some collabs with some international artists, so I’ll be living in Amsterdam until the end of October.

How has your experience been so far as an upcoming DJ and artist in the EDM world?

My experience so far is that it is hard work.  It’s not given on a plate.  I have slowly worked my way up and built up my name to this point. There is a lot of competition in the industry and as a female you are playing in a boy’s club still, though this is slowly changing. It takes a lot to prove your worth and gain credibility.
Right now for me, I feel I have hit a milestone with all that is going on. It just goes to show if you want something bad enough and work hard at it, it will pay off. You need to have a lot of determination and a thick skin in this industry to make it.

What other Australian artists have you worked with or shared experiences with?

I remixed with Jam Express and Seany B last year, which hit No. 1 on the Aria charts which was amazing and I have done a few shows with Seany in the past. DJ wise, I have played a few shows with Minx, our sounds are similar and we are good friends, so we have a lot of fun together when teamed up sometimes.
Mainly though, most my shows in Australia I am sole headliner, apart from at Festivals where there are heaps of the main acts, it’s always fun to play these gigs just to catch up with all your friends if nothing else.What sort of adversaries and advantages do you face as a female in a male driven industry of DJ’s and producers?

There are pro’s and con’s to it of course. In some ways you are advantaged as you will attract more attention being female, as there are less of us out there. But on the flip side, you have to work extremely hard to prove you have talent and are a credible act. It doesn’t help the cause that there are a lot of female DJs playing pre-mixed cds, jumping around and looking pretty. But DJs and people in the know are quite aware to the girls with real talent and the ones that are there for pure entertainment. The video of Paris Hilton DJing was so cringeworthy and female acts like that make me cringe. I have been referred to as a ‘female DJ’…. it’s almost like that word has become so tacky. I’d rather people just call me a DJ, I don’t see why the word female even needs to be stated.

A complicated touring schedule is an inevitable product of your rise to stardom. What has been the hardest thing to manage whilst traveling internationally? 

I’m actually fine with all the travel, I’m a master of sleeping on planes, airport floors and getting up for the airport on 3 hours sleep. I do not get lonely and I am happy touring by myself and going to all these places. It’s hard work but I love it! However, the hardest thing for me right now, has happened only a few months ago, where I found out I can’t eat sugars, wheat or dairy. My food options are so limited and airports and planes are not very diverse on food, which makes eating while touring pretty hard. When I flew to Europe recently I had to pre cook things and bring a packed lunch for the 24 hours flight. I am having to be a lot more organised these days.

You recently worked with global hero Benny Benassi on your hit “Sonic Boombox”. What were you able to take away from working with such an inspiring EDM figure?

It was a real honor to share a CD with Benny Benassi. I remember his stuff from when I first started playing, never then did I ever imagine my name would be on a cover with his. To be associated and working with these guys obviously helps my profile build. I got more exposure obviously and I also did a 20+ dates tour around Australia with Acid Jack which was fun too.

How has your classical training with the cello and piano influenced your production composition and style?

My ear was trained from a young age musically, so I can hear every little thing. If anything is out of key, it’s like nails down a chalk board. It helps me with writing chords and tops and basses of tracks without checking. And piano well, you can hear the piano influence in my single with the piano topline. Eric Prydz’s “Pjanoo” and such tracks has been influential on my sound.

Although touring is a lot of work, many artists find it to be a unique and exhilarating ride, what has been your most memorable experience thus far in your career?

I have had a fair few of those “pinch me” moments, but Stereosonic last year definitely was a highlight.
I played on the Carl Cox and friends stage. Carl Cox was always an idol to me so to play on his stage was such an honour. I played primetime before Empire of the Sun, all my friends were in the crowd and it went off. Such a buzz and experience! Hopefully next year when we do an interview, I can then say my best highlight was Tomorrowland. That’s what i’m aiming towards now.

What artists inspire your music the most? Furthermore, are there any artists in particular that you look up to?

Artists that inspire me musically are acts such as SHM, Alesso, Avicii, Nicky Romeo, Tommy Trash, Thomas Gold, John Dalhback, and Wolfgang Gartner.  My sound is big room house, progressive/electro, so all these guys inspire my sound in different ways. They are incredibly talented and are an inspiration with what they do.