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ut the new album marks her proper debut, and it’s one
B
she’s been working on for a long time. “I worked proba-
bly three years on this new album,” she says, “develop-
ing my style and my voice. I’ve been performing a lot in
Germany. Together with Karen and Haugaard & Høirup
I’ve performed a lot in Canada and Japan. So I needed some time
in Denmark and not to go too far away. But the last six months
have been very busy – I’ve been in an opera and a ballet. The opera
was brand new and he composed a piece for me, a folk soprano
voice. It was very tough, you go to bed early, you concentrate. But I
think it was the party when it ended that killed my voice!”
She was in no hurry to complete her record, but rather to have
it fully representative of her, “mixing styles, different music from
different countries, especially Ireland and Canada. It’s what you
carry with you. I’ve never felt like a museum in my music. Some peo-
ple feel we should be missionaries for Danish music, but I’m just me.
You don’t have to be afraid – it’s important to develop the tradition
and sound to make it live, it can open people’s eyes and give them a
new experience.”
She approached different labels about releasing her work,
but they “wanted something more radio-friendly, at least on one
song”. Ultimately she and Haugaard decided to retain complete
control and start their own label, and after that, “I went to a
meeting with the radio people. I presented my CD and they took
the song Når Jeg Lukker Øjnene. You don’t want to change your-
self to fit in. You have to believe in your own music, go your own
way, not with what might be the smartest way. A thing has to
take the time it takes.” The song is now in regular rotation, a true
breakthrough for something that’s folk music.
Unlike so many involved in folk music, she wasn’t born into it,
although she admits, “I come from a musical family, mostly classi-
cal but also singers of Danish song. I have three sisters, we all sing
and play fiddle. I started when I was two, but for many years I
thought I should be a classical pianist. I wasn’t sure you could real-
ly make a living from folk music. I lived in Ireland for a while, I’d
always wanted to go, I loved the music. I went with my father to
the Willy Clancy week, I was very impressed, came home and
began thinking about my folk music. I’d sung a lot of psalms and
hymns in church, and I decided to make folk music my profession.
It was easier for me to be completely honest in it. Harald and I
grew up in the same area and I went to his mother’s dance class,
then I began playing fiddle with him when I was 16. After some
workshops and festivals I decided to go to the Academy, but I lived
in Ireland first, just enjoying the music.”
After graduation came the Karen + Helene record (“We’ve
started a new band, playing bluegrass and country! It’s like a holi-
day to have that band, to pick songs up from other music and play
with them.”), then the Christmas disc, which was actually a logical
step for her. “I’ve been doing Christmas concerts for a long time,”
Blum says, “and seasonal folk music is a Danish tradition. So it was
a concept. I wanted to make an album and we had most of the
material for this. I didn’t think about it media-wise, I thought it
would be a good move before my ‘real’ album, which I knew
would take a long time.”
Many of the musicians from Haugaard’s record also pop up on
hers, and some of the tracks are produced by Sune Hånsbæk, the
drummer with Serras, who’s also “a pop producer. He sees it from
another angle, so it gives a new, modern sound.”
For now the pair have some summer touring together, after
which Haugaard is set to be the director for the musical extravagan-
za to open this year’s Womex conference in Copenhagen. After
that, the couple plan on finally spending time together, which
they’ve barely had a chance to do in the past, then play festivals
next year. It’ll also give them a chance to work on their music. Blum:
“I want to do more songwriting, to develop it. It’s a fantastic way to
express yourself. Often I’ll write a song and Harald will write the
middle part. It was important for me to have some new stuff on the
album to make it contemporary.”
Even though this disc is just out, she’s already looking ahead
and making plans for the next one. “I’ve not begun recording yet,
although it’s a year since this album was done. I want to enjoy live
performance, and I’m collecting songs. I’ll invite the musicians to
come for a week this time, I’m more sure of how I want to do it. It
will be easier.”
www.haraldh.dk
www.heleneblum.dk
www.pilehouserecords.com F
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