Over the last few years, Scott Helman has come into his own as an artist. At the beginning of his career, Scott opened for another Canadian star, Shawn Mendes at The Danforth Music Hall. He recalled that not many people knew his songs at the time, but just a few weeks ago on “The Hang Ups Tour” Helman sold out the iconic Toronto venue! The experience blew his mind and he said, “This was a dream come true.”
Aside from Toronto, Scott made stops in other large cities like London, ON but small towns such as Meaford, ON were also included on this tour. When asked if size matters in terms of venue space, he replied, “Not really. We take in as much production as we possibly can into each show but regardless of the situation, the audience gets absolutely everything we’ve got every night!” As Scott’s fan-base continues to grow, he wanted people to know that he has “the greatest fans in the world and I really appreciate the love and support I get from them. It makes it all worth it!”
The tour’s namesake song, “Hang Ups” had a corresponding music video that might be one of Helman’s most creative projects yet. The video, which took place in a rotating box, was recently nominated for “Music Video of the Year” at The JUNO Awards: “That nomination was really special to me because I got to share it with my friend/director, Ben Knechtel. Ben and I have been collaborating for a long time and it was really satisfying to have that kind of acknowledgment of our work….” Helman noted that it was Knechtel’s idea to shoot inside the box: “Ben had this crazy idea and I thought, ‘Great! If you can do it, let’s do it.’ It was a blast to shoot and I almost got killed but that’s what you do for your art,” he laughed then added, “videos are a fantastic opportunity for artists to express themselves and their music in a different way so I think that more innovative ideas are ahead.”
After “The Hang Ups Tour”, beginning in May, Scott will join Marianas Trench in The United States for several dates on “The Suspending Gravity Tour”. He said this will be followed by even more touring and new music this year: “Stay tuned…. I always love the opportunity to play for new people and hopefully for some fans that haven’t had a chance to see me before.”
Finally, in addition to his music, Scott Helman has also become known for his visual art which can be seen throughout his music videos and on merchandise, in order to tie all of his passions together: “You put it perfectly, these are my passions and I think that everyone needs to find the time to follow whatever breathes life in to them…. Believe in yourself and don’t take criticism personally. Learn every chance you get.”
For more information, please visit www.scotthelmanmusic.com.
Photo by Annette Dawm.
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