BLUM,HELENE - Draber af tid - Droplets Of Time (Sealed) (CD)

Helene Blum is one of the female musicians who have taken Danish folk to a whole new level. Her inventive, contemporary interpretation of traditional songs reveals their timeless beauty. This musical proficiency coupled with her expressive voice have brought her high acclaim in her native country – and also enabled her to captivate enthusiastic audiences elsewhere in Europe, the USA, Canada and Japan. In 2004, Helene Blum was the first singer ever to graduate with a degree in folk music from the Carl Nielsen Academy in Odense. The following year, she received a Danish music award in the category Folk Debut of the Year for her first solo album. She finally nailed her success as an artist in 2009 with her personal breakthrough ‘En gang og altid (‘Once and always), which received rave reviews from not just the music press but across the board in the Danish media. In retrospect, Helenes artistic development appears preordained. In actual fact, things could have taken a very different turn for this singer born in 1979, for she started out playing classical piano. Learning the piano and the violin as a small child, she spent much of her time making music with her three sisters. She also sang and played Danish songs, and grew up with church music. Yet even at the age of nineteen, she still wanted to be a pianist. But then Helene discovered folk, which sounded to her like a huge promise: I found an incredible freedom that I had to explore – and felt the urge to delve into roots. Repeatedly forging something new from traditional music has since become a labour of love for her. Performing solo and in various lineups, including excursions into musical theatre and the opera, Helene Blum seeks creative challenges. She finds inspiration in contemporary poetry, art and Nordic myths as well as the landscape of her native island of Funen, with which she feels a deep-seated bond. This is all reflected on her most recent album, ‘Men med ?bne ?jne, which the Daily Telegraph (UK) declared one of the top ten folk albums of 2013. That same year, the Helene Blum & Harald Haugaard Band won the prestigious European folk music prize ‘Eiserner Eversteiner. Helene Blums fifth CD Draber af tid-Droplets Of Time will be released on January 27, 2017.