Hampstead-based musician Helene Greenwood started playing the piano at the age of six, later studying at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Holloway. The accompanying video for her debut single, In The Sunshine (out on Monday, watch video below) is a collaboration between Helene and north London-based artist Rebecca Lennon. Shot on the Heath – and in and around Whitestone Pond, the highest point in the capital – it has a nostalgic feel, especially after such a balmy summer. “We used lots of old family Polaroid shots to create a strange, dislocated world,” says Helene. “So it feels like you’re looking into all these people’s lives.”
When were you happiest?
I felt like I was floating on air when recording my album, Collectable You, at the Fish Factory in Willesden Green.
Where would you like to live?
In a house perched on a cliff in St Margaret’s Bay, overlooking the Channel.
What is your favourite sound or smell?
I love the sound of seagulls, they remind me of Dover, my home town. Although it’s familiar sound, it has a dark quality.
What is your greatest life achievement?
Finding my voice through the process of songwriting.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
That the creative process is more valuable than the end result.
What is your earliest memory?
Lying down looking up at the navy blue star pattern of the inside hood of my Silver Cross pram.
What makes you unhappy?
Closed-mindedness, being isolated from nature, the unrelenting pace of people’s lives in London.
What simple thing would improve your quality of life?
Having more time; my daughter sleeping through the night.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I’m quite floaty and have the tendency to lose things a lot.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Watching the series Girls in bed.
I love vintage shops in Soho, Hoxton Hall, The Vortex, Dalston market, Hampstead Heath and any good gallery.
What was your best experience in NW5?
Listening to Little Dragon at The Forum.
What’s the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
Stop singing!
What is your favourite dish and why?
I love eating fish and chips on the beach with my family in Cornwall.
What did you do today?
I took my eight and eleven year olds swimming. My daughter gave me a lesson on how to keep your head under water, which I’m bad at. I also recorded a video of my song Spindrift Road in my back garden with Fraser MacColl on guitar, and tweaked the edit with my artist collaborator Rebecca Lennon. While I was making the tea I worked on my songs, bringing out the darker tones of my voice as I was chopping the broccoli.
Describe yourself as an animal.
I think I’m most like a fox. I love the sounds and sights of the city at night – and have my best songwriting ideas then, too.
Got a suggestion for Ich Bin? Email info@kentishtowner.co.uk. And if you’re a fan of the column why not buy the T-shirt or tote bag?
