She hasn't always been performing popular music. Singer/songwriter Helen Austin from Middlesex, United Kingdom, started out playing the flute at the national level. Helen just released her new Album "Treehouse". Her self-produced music videos get over half a million viewers online, recently her song "Love is" aired on the CW's famous One Tree Hill. She has also written songs for fundraising occasions such as "Relay" written to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay For Life event. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about her second career and how she creates her best songs.
What inspires you to your songs?
All sorts of things. I used to just write about my own experiences but that had potential to get me in trouble. So I started writing about characters from books and movies. A lot of the time I just sit down and start writing and see what words come out of my mouth and take it from there.
Has it been difficult getting to where you are now?
Yes and No. This is my 2nd career, my first was as a stand up comedian, so I knew what to expect in the amount of work and time it takes to get a career going. But there is a lot of hard work and a lot of it is tedious administrative stuff. I am surprised I have got as far as I have in the last 2 years but I work really hard at this because I really want it to work.
When do you know, you've just finished a great song?
When it writes itself. The ones that take a long time to write don't flow like the ones that I write in 30mins. Obviously there is some lyric tweaking but my best songs have come to me very quickly. And then there are surprises when people like a song that you thought was just ok.
If you could give advice to young artists with just a couple of lyrics, what would you sing to them?
oooh... hard one... here's what I can think of now...
Write what you know
You'll feel it when it's right
Work until your hands hurt
And sing until your head feels light
How's that?
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