Hooked Like Helen answered our questions and told us about their song writing process and what they’ve been up to.
- First off, Tell us about your name? Is there a story behind it?
Helen is a family friend of mine (Nikki). In a butterfly-effect/destiny/universe kind of way, she is the reason that Jon and I met, which means she is responsible for the existence of our son, and of course the existence of our musical project. The “Hooked Like” part came about when I was halfway through my pregnancy with our son, Augie. I was reflecting on how difficult it was to suddenly have to quit all the unhealthy vices cold turkey for the health of the baby, and I mentioned to Jon that the hardest substance to cut out of my life was diet coke. Our dear friend, Helen, was a diet coke junky at that time, so I off-handedly said “at least I’m not hooked like Helen…”. Jon immediately turned to me and said “band name” and the rest is history.
- Tell us about your musical past, what did your early years in music look like?
Jon and I have both been in music our whole entire lives. I first started playing coffee houses and open mic nights in LA with my little Casio keyboard when I was literally 12 years old. I’ve been writing and producing pop songs ever since. I joined a girl group called Blush when I was a sophomore in high school but quickly realized that making my own music on my own terms was more important to me than trying force my way into the industry by way of a manufactured project that didn’t make me feel anything in terms of the actual music. Jon was in an emo band in high school that gained a lot of local traction. A little over 10 years ago, Jon and I (via Helen) ended up in the same classic rock/alternative band in Los Angeles called Red Circle Underground. We played a whole lot of shows on Sunset Blvd, etc and did a couple mini tours. RCU played our farewell show at The Viper Room when our son was 12 days old before we packed up our Chevy Trailblazer and moved to Ohio.
- How would you describe your sound?
Our sound is ever-evolving in terms of genre, but we do have some defining characteristics in our music that never change: Melody, melody, melody. It’s the melody first and foremost always in our music. And it’s drama. Our songs are always Epic in some form or another. Never medium.
- Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
Michael Jackson, Twenty One Pilots, Queen, Tori Amos, Mariah Carey, Green Day, Guns n Roses, Prince, Muse
- What’s the last song you listened to?
A Lana Del Rey song that I thought was a Post Malone cover
- If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Twenty One Pilots and Glen Ballard
- Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
I (Nikki) am the primary songwriter. Songs come about differently, there’s not one formula for success. Sometimes it’s a melody that pops into my head, sometimes it’s a cool chord progression on the piano that brings inspiration, sometimes it’s a lyric that drives the beginning stages of a song. Jon is always there to give me perspective and to help drive the direction of the song. And there is always that “ah-ha!” moment when we know we’ve struck the sweet spot. If we haven’t felt that feeling of “that’s it!”, the song is not done…
- How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
We connect with our audience through the songs, of course. And it’s next level at live shows. As far as communicating with fans and keeping them updated, Instagram is our platform of choice. But we very much encourage listeners to check out hookedlikehelen.com and join the mailing list…we very rarely send out emails but when we do they include info about upcoming releases, shows, and giveaways.
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- What’s next for you?
Right now we have a lot on the horizon. We have a ton of unreleased music and some national tour dates being worked out. We have management, booking and a producer in Nashville, and we’ve never been more excited for the future!
