HJ's spreading summer light (V): Helena, up close and personal

Helena Josefsson is a Swedish singer, composer and lyrics writer Helena Marianne Josefsson was born in Kalmar, Sweden 23/3 -78. Her parents divorced when she was 7 and they moved with mom and her new love to a village called Björnstorp (outside of Lund, southern Sweden) when she was ten. She has got four sisters. She is left-handed and can play keyboards, tambourine and harmonica.

Helena began to play in some groups in Lund and Malmö (ewing.1, Plastic Soul, The Good Mornings) before forming in the fall of 2001 the band Sandy Mouche with her husband Martinique Josefsson and the Blomgren brothers. So far they have released and E.P. (Sandy Mouche, spring 2003) and two albums (White Lucky Dragon, September 2004; and ... and poems for the unborn, January, 2006). She has been doing backing vocals for a lot of Swedish and some foreign artists: The Ark, Righteous Boy, Swan Lee, Junior Senior, Andreas Johnson, Sebastian, Hideki Kaji ... In 2003 she took part in recording Per Gessle's solo album Mazarin as a backup singer. She also participated in Mazarin Sommarturne 2003 with Per Gessle and the band. A year later in 2004, Helena was invited to record Gyllene Tider's anniversary album 'Finn 5 Fel!'. She also participated in Gessle's 2006 solo album, Son of a Plumber, providing backup vocals and occasional leads.

In 2006 she worked in her first solo-album, "Dynamo", written on her her own and produced by Christoffer Lundquist (Brainpool, Roxette). It was released in 2007 with some performances in Sweden. She also participated in the last Gessle's solo album (En Händig Man) and in his Summer Tour in 2007.

I have been reading about Helena and I am pleasantly surprised to discover a very interesting character.

Mario (aka Sleepyhead) - LJdM

What do you want to become when you grow up? Either a troll or an artist!, I replied to that question at 7 years of age. When I think about it, trolls and artists do have rather much in common. What I wanted, and still try to achieve, is the sense of liberty, being part of nature, getting room in the city, finding a spot for mushrooming. That it is all right to be the way one is and still being able to receive love. Being an artist and composer is probably one of the few lifestyles where one can be a troll simultaneously!

When you are born, you are complete but then shell after shell is added as protection against dangers around. Or society forces you to take different parts, needs and patterns you don´t really need or want. Then one can spend the rest of one´s life finding and removing the bad shells, and saving the good ones, one by one. At least that´s what I want to do.

Writing music and singing has always been a great joy in my life. Other things that make me happy is dancing (flamenco, hip hop, jazz), power yoga, painting, spending time with my husband Martinique or family ( I have four sisters! ), watching movies, the forest and the sea, baking cakes and cookies!

I love dancing: flamenco is my latest discovery, but I love the aggression in hip-hop dancing, too! And one more thing! When I was around 6 years old I adored chewing gum so much I would scratch off the ones on the ground:o) You know the white things one the asphalt that have been stepped on. And then I would chew them. And I asked my best friend My if I could take hers when she didn´t want it anymore.

Helena Josefsson - H.J.