So here we are in 2016!? How did that happen??! I remember this time last year so clearly, I was trying to organise the release of my debut EP (which I hardly had no clue about) and getting ready to go to Barbados on holiday while trying to hit my target on the magazine, which I was working on! (I did it in the end!) Lol.. I look back over the past year and so much has happened, I’ve done a lot of learning and have been given great opportunities, which I’m very thankful for.
This year, it’s time to really go full-steam ahead. I’m literally high on enthusiasm at the moment, I’m looking forward to bringing out my first single this year, which I’ll soon be announcing and I’m in talks of shooting a music video for it this month (fingers crossed we can!)
I’ve been busy planning and researching in preparation for it’s release and I still have a little bit more to do.. I’m aiming come February to be in a position to where I can start to talk about the song and start the campaign for it’s release, which I’m aiming for to be in March. I’m still yet at this stage to commit to a release date but I’m very nearly there. This time next month, I’ll have it. Time will reveal all! ;-p
December was a great month, I performed at The Bayou in Camden for the first time with Zaid Live Events, where I got great feedback from the audience, which I was very humbled by. I was also back at The Bull in Colchester, which is one of Colchester’s leading live music venues and performed in the main bar again, all with Adriano accompanying me on acoustic guitar.
I was in the studio for a local muso and friend of mine Loxley, who runs the Loxley’s Corner Show on Colne Radio (I’ve mentioned him before in my previous blogs). Loxley is a talented musician and singer, who has been writing a musical! He has been working on this awesome musical for years and is making plans to bring it to life very soon, which I can’t wait to see! I was very flattered to be asked to sing and record a song for the musical, which he’d written. It was the part of a Jazz singer (I won’t give anything else away) and I can’t wait to hear it mixed and mastered. He’s very kindly offered to let me use the recording for my soundcloud when it’s ready, which I will do 🙂
I also performed at Colchester United Stadium with Adriano before the game kicked off and have plans to return this Summer! Later that evening I was back at Takism Square Restaurant with Adriano performing a 2 hour set, which had the restaurant singing along and sometimes up dancing to! It was a great night. Adriano and I also performed at The Prettygate Pub in Colchester for the first time and went down well, we have a rebook for this Summer too.
Christmas Eve was the last of performances for the month and it was great fun to be invited back on to Phoenix FM Brentwood with Michelle Ward for the great ‘Eat My Brunch’ show. I was there (with Adriano on guitar) with another talented artist Paulo Morena. We had only met briefly previously, so was great to meet him properly and have a chat. He’s got a great voice and of course it was great to see and catch up with Michelle again, her support throughout 2015 is something I’ll always be grateful for and I’m looking forward to involving her with my new music this year. It was also great to see other peeps from the station too. Later that afternoon I performed an hours set with Adriano at The Black Buoy Pub in my local town, which was great. Some people had come down especially to watch, which was really lovely. After that, I put down the mic and my music hat for a few days and switched on to party mode! lol I had a lovely Christmas, nice and chilled. It was good to have a few days off, just catching up with friends and family, re-charging some batteries. I’m one of those people who constantly has everything I want to do, need to do whirring round in the back of my mind which can be exhausting. It’s hard for me to take a step back at times but I know that’s it’s more productive sometimes to do so, I think Christmas came around at the right time. I’ve got a feeling that I’ve missed a couple of things that happened but so much to remember lol. My social media is the best way to keep up to date.
Looking forward into January, I have some more planning to do and I am happy to have some re-books confirmed for the 2 hour acoustic set at Takism Square Restaurant on 22nd January and the set we do at The Bull, Colchester on 23rd January plus rebooks throughout the year at the same venues and other venues (I will post gig lists throughout the year as always). Plus fingers crossed all goes to plan and I can shoot the video for my upcoming single this month too! Also hoping to get more studio time confirmed to start on new songs and finish those I’ve started.
I’m excited about this year, I have a lot planned and I am going to work even harder. I see lots of other artists buzzing about this year too and friends of mine who are doing really well, it’s inspiring and motivating to see. I think 2016 is going to be a great year of new music and I can’t wait to hear it all. I hope 2016 will be a good year for all of us.
That’s it for now but will update again beginning of February to catch up! In the meantime, please do follow and like my social media pages. I’m constantly updating these about my plans and life, so you can keep up to date with what’s going on.
Speak soon! – Helen xx
