Helsingborgs Dagblad 110127
By: JENNY PETERSSON
Some questions
… to Helen Sjöholm, currently rehearsing her Sweden tour which begins January 29. On 18 and 20 February she will visit Helsingborg Concert Hall with musicians Martin Östergren, Jojje Wadenius, Gunnar Nordén, André Ferrari, Fredrik Jonsson and a string quartet.
The tour starts in your old hometown, Sundsvall. Have you been a prophet in your own town?
– No, not really. I´m used to be there a lot privatly, but it’s rare that I’m home working. I can not remember the last time I was in Sundsvall doing a concert. Maybe it was a summer concert five years ago. It feels just right to start there.
What is the best thing about playing at home?
– I have a special relationship with the town and it often brings up people from the past. I still have a network of contacts up there. I’ve been in Tonhallen singing since I was 12 years old. There are a lot of vibes there, of bygone days.
Perhaps people associate you most of all with the major musical scenes. Do you feel comfortable on the road?
– I’ve only done three longer tours on my own. It’s been great. You meet a different audience and may present a broader spectrum of yourself. It´s a challenge. And it´s a different mood in each city.
Last fall your solo album of songs by American artist Billy Joel was released. Tomas Andersson Wij did the Swedish lyrics. What is so special about Billy Joel’s songs?
– There are a range of them that makes them interesting. He writes melodies that take unexpected routes in the middle of their accessibility. There is a grandeur in it. The music leans to the broad direction and it´s a strength. You can do so much with the music.
Do you think that the Swedish language brought something extra to the songs?
– It becomes something else when a woman sings songs by such a distinctly male artist, he writes in a masculine way. He is alsotestosterone filled in his arrangements, it´s impressive and quite hard to sing. It puts a spin on how it sounds. Tomas Andersson Wij was my number one choice when we started talking about making Joel’s songs. It became possible for me, by Thomas, to make the songs my own. He was so empathetic in shaping the texts, to tailor them for me. I’m very pleased.
You have not done so many studio records before, have you received a taste for it now?
– It has been an incredible journey from initial idea to the cooperation with Tomas and the musicians. I have made very few records that way, where you rehearse and go into the studio and see what happens. It’s been damn enjoyable. Then of course the songs are going somewhere. There is a limit to how long you can be in a studio. When you start playing the songs for an audience, especially now when you have had half a year with them, then you can push them a bit further.
You’ve had a hectic 2010 with a movie and musicals on the schedule. What about this year?
– Completely different. I have nothing planned for the spring, but this summer I’m going on a tour with Benny (Andersson) orchestra. Getting the evenings at home for a longer period of time is lovely. I don´t have to get my child to kindergarten and then to go to work in the evening. I am privileged. I look forward to some weekdays in a slower pace. It tends to create the working drive. If you don´t have it, you haven´t so much to offer.
How do you relax best from work?
– I walk. And we watch a lot of TV, brief episodes of quality television drama. Right now it’s “Mad Men”. It has taken some episodes, but now I’m stuck.
This autumn, the feature film “Simon and the oaks’ premieres. You play the mother of Bill Skarsgård’s character. What is the biggest challenge of making a speaking role?
– To not use the grandiose terms. When you stand on stage, you need a great expression to reach the audience. With a camera right up in your face, you hardly need to express yourself at all, just to be there. I had to let me fail in the beginning, so I could grow into it later. Then the interaction with other players, cameramen and the director was important.