VLT 131011
By: Monika Ottoson
Event
Helen Sjöholm
Concert Hall
Tomorrow, Saturday
(…) It’s both “super intense” and fun to be at home with twins. But now Helen Sjöholm wants to meet the audience again. A song lust tour, she calls the concerts she’s giving this autumn.
(…) On the tour, she is there as herself and she has chosen the songs. This time it’s everything from Swedish ballads to songs by Elvis Costello, Billy Joel and Joni Mitchell. And yes, the audience in Västerås will probably get to hear her sing “Du är min man”, the song that was on the Swedish charts for 278 weeks.
– If they want me to. And if they clap enough, she says, laughing.
Helen Sjöholm is one of the artists who get good reviews, even celebrations. (…) She has received many awards; “Guldmasken”, “The Thalia award” and several Grammies and has sung in both Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall.
How does she know if she can get better at something when there is so much praise?
– It’s that I have a driving force inside, Helen Sjöholm replies.
– I’m never satisfied. I always think “how can I get this a little bit better?” Both vocally and with the small talk, and all the parts belonging to an appearance.
– A lot is also happening in the meeting with the audience. There I can notice if perhaps something is missing.
She thinks that one of her strengths is curiosity, the will to try new things. (…) That puts the demand on her to find something that challenges her.
– It could be a pitch that is not mine, the range or an expression in the voice that’s unlike many of the other things I do.
When she stretches her boundaries in this way it feels safe to tour with old colleagues like Jojje Wadenius and Martin Östergren. (…) In the band for the autumn tour are also a bass player and a drummer who haven’t been there before and who bring new perspectives.
Helen Sjöholm knew early on that singing was a big part of her person. She sang all the time. But it took a long time for her to see her singing as a profession.
– It was after high school I started to work with two older professional musicians and saw that the music is something you can do for your living.
Still, she wasn’t quite sure but started the cultural studies programme for one year. But then Kristina came into her life. In competition with 1,000 applicants Helen was the one Björn and Benny chose to play the title role in the musical “Kristina från Duvemåla”.
– It was huge for me, she says.
– It was truly a once in a lifetime on all levels, my big chance. Such a big role, so thoroughly well written. I thought “now I’ll give everything I have!”
More about Helen Sjöholm
For five years, from 1995 to 1999, Helen Sjöholm played the role of Kristina in the musical “Kristina från Duvemåla”. She has also participated in musicals such as “Chess”, “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Les Miserables” and “My Fair Lady”. Helen is also a member and singer of “BAO”, Benny Andersson Band.
As an actress she has participated in movies including “As it is in Heaven” and “Simon and the Oaks”.
Helen was born and raised in Sundsvall, but lives in Nacka. She was married in 2006 with sound engineer David Granditsky. They have two sons and a daughter together; Ruben, born in 2007 and twins Samuel and Johanna, born in 2011.
(Full article is not reproduced for copyright reasons)