{"id":12993,"date":"2022-12-21T10:22:34","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T08:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/?page_id=12993"},"modified":"2022-12-21T10:27:48","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T08:27:48","slug":"we-will-become-aunts-together-sing-in-all-the-countrys-homesteads","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/press-clips\/interviews-2022\/we-will-become-aunts-together-sing-in-all-the-countrys-homesteads\/","title":{"rendered":"We will become aunts together & sing in all the country’s homesteads"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Helen

Photo & \u00a9 Nikola Stankovic<\/p><\/div>\n

Aftonbladet S\u00f6ndag 2022-11-06<\/strong><\/p>\n

By: KARIN HEROU
\nPhoto: NIKOLA STANKOVIC<\/p>\n

They were born a day apart, got to know each other at school and have been close friends ever since. Now Helen Sj\u00f6holm and Anna Stadling take tone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2013 Our friendship is pure therapy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Name:<\/strong> Helen Sj\u00f6holm.
\nAge:<\/strong> 52 years.
\nMake:<\/strong> Artist.
\nFamily:<\/strong> Husband, three children.
\nCurrent:<\/strong> With the Christmas tour Sn\u00f6 & marschaller (Snow and marshals)<\/em>.
\nCelebrating Christmas:<\/strong> \u201cAt home with loved ones\u201d.
\nWish for Christmas:<\/strong> “A really good day.”<\/p>\n

\n

Name:<\/strong> Anna Stadling.
\nAge:<\/strong> 52 years.
\nMake:<\/strong> Artist.
\nFamily:<\/strong> Husband and children.
\nCurrent:<\/strong> With the Christmas tour Sn\u00f6 & marschaller<\/em>.
\nCelebrating Christmas:<\/strong> “It will be a peaceful Christmas at home.”
\nWish for Christmas:<\/strong> “Peace, love and understanding.”<\/p>\n

\n

(\u2026)<\/p>\n

The light flows into the attic and calm piano tones sound through the hall. A cello is ready, as are the bass, drums and microphones.<\/p>\n

Helen Sj\u00f6holm and Anna Stadling will soon be rehearsing for the Christmas concert – and they cast almost longing glances at the instruments.<\/p>\n

\u2013 We usually take half an hour of laughing and crying before we get started, Helen says and turns on the tea water.<\/p>\n

\u2013  We let everything slip out. We bring the feelings with us into the music. It’s pure therapy to be able to play together, says Anna and accepts a cup of black tea, without milk, from Helen.<\/p>\n

Their story is<\/strong> a loop of life that is constantly twisting and turning. They were born a day apart at the hospital in Sundsvall and since then their paths have constantly crossed. They started at the same school and Helen remembers the girl who was sure of her tone in the parallel class.<\/p>\n

\u2013  Anna had a fearless approach to the singing technique that I was looking for. She came from a family of musicians and I became envious of her voice early on. It spurred me on and developed me, as jealousy does at that age, says Helen.<\/p>\n

Childhood in Sundsvall welded them together. They were often at each other’s houses and met in music. In their free time, they sang in the same choir.<\/p>\n

\u2013 The older I get, the more I realize how valuable childhood friends are. I remember the smell at Anna’s house, remember her grandmother and her family. She has shaped me as a person, says Helen.<\/p>\n

Anna nods.<\/p>\n

\u2013  We grew up together and I remember how we always struggled with clothes! Every concert with the choir began with the question: What should we wear? Remember the long crochet skirt I had? And pumps? What an 80s look! Anna laughs.<\/p>\n

\u2013  And I looked like a little aunt, with a pleated skirt that grandma bought.<\/p>\n

In 1990, Anna moved<\/strong> to Stockholm and started at the Academy of Music. Helen moved after, but chose a different musical path. Anna focused on rock and pop and was inspired by Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow. Helen took a softer path with musicals and songs in focus.<\/p>\n

\u2013 I experienced Anna as so safe, I didn’t even know if I wanted to do music myself. I had dreams, but Anna was concrete. We went in different directions, but stuck together.<\/p>\n

They went to each other’s concerts and were sometimes seen at home in Sundsvall in the summers.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Life went on. It has been busy with work and home and children. At times I have been unable to do anything but work, Helen says.<\/p>\n

(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\u2013 There has never been competition between us because we have not played in the same arenas. Instead, we have been able to talk openly about the uncertainty, prestige and loneliness that can exist in our profession. For me it has been decisive, says Helen.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Our relationship has always been very honest and we have never had to pretend in front of each other. Maybe precisely because we are childhood friends and know each other so well, Anna says.<\/p>\n

They have 40 years<\/strong> of friendship behind them but it took time before they were on the same stage.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Sometimes we did Christmas concerts together in Sundsvall, but no more than that, Helen says.<\/p>\n

(\u2026)<\/p>\n

Instead, they were seen at “wine and therapy nights” and followed each other through the highs and lows of life.<\/p>\n

\u2013 There have been difficult periods in life, but it\u00b4s always a pleasure to meet, Anna says.<\/p>\n

Four years ago, they both felt it was time \u2013 and together they completed an acclaimed tour. Now they follow up with the Christmas concert Sn\u00f6 och marshaller<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u2013 It’s a favor to work together, we get to both laugh and sing every day.<\/p>\n

In the main hall, the instruments have come to life. Jesper Nordenstr\u00f6m sits ready behind the piano, Nisse T\u00f6rnqvist is ready at the drums. Johan Lindstr\u00f6m and Dan Berglund hold guitar and bass and Linnea Olsson stands behind a cello.<\/p>\n

\u2013 If nothing else, people should come and see us for the sake of the band, Helen says when she takes her place behind the microphone. Anna stands beside her, both literally and figuratively.<\/p>\n

How do you envision the future?<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u2013 I think we\u00b4ll become aunts together and play and sing around all the country’s homesteads, Anna says.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Yes, we’re going to be really old together, Helen says.<\/p>\n

\n

The friends about each other<\/h4>\n

ANNA STADLING about her friend HELEN SJ\u00d6HOLM:<\/strong>
\n“Helen is an incredibly warm and caring person with great depth and seriousness. But she is also full of humor and we laugh a lot together”.<\/p>\n

ANNA STADLING about the artist HELEN SJ\u00d6HOLM:<\/strong>
\n“She has a primal power in her voice and a breadth, a precision in her narration. My dad was always very impressed with how Helen always tells every word when she sings. I can only agree”.<\/p>\n

HELEN SJ\u00d6HOLM about her friend ANNA STADLING:<\/strong>
\n“She is present and dares to stay in what is serious. She fiddles with the difficult part until it has come loose. Her sense of humor is fantastic and we laugh a lot together\u201d.<\/p>\n

HELEN SJ\u00d6HOLM about the artist ANNA STADLING:<\/strong>
\n“I can become completely lyrical about her voice, her breadth, expression and the music she writes”.<\/p>\n

(The entire interview is not reproduced for copyright reasons)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Aftonbladet S\u00f6ndag 2022-11-06 By: KARIN HEROU Photo: NIKOLA STANKOVIC They were born a day apart, got to know each other at school and have been Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":12059,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12993","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12993\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}