Country singer Helena Ward: An Interview

Helena Ward. CREDIT: Niamh Fairhurst

"Confidence is the key to pursuing music".

"If I had pursued music at 16, I would have been so far ahead, and I just did not have the confidence,” singer/songwriter Helena Ward opens up to a Manchester Metropolitan student journalist in a quiet café on Piccadilly Road. She admits that pursuing music was something she “definitely decided later on.” Despite always feeling so passionately about it, she “never had any lessons or been trained.” Another worry of hers was that she “can't read sheet music.”

After graduating the creative became serious about pursuing a career in music. Since, the 27-year-old has released an EP album, featured on the Wheel of Life Podcast, played as a support act for Declan Neary (Irish country musician), and performed at Manchester's 2024 Irish Festival. She shies away from the typical cheek pop that many upcoming musicians find themselves in an attempt to keep up with the latest trends. Her angelic voice is captivating. 

The sky is bright, well as bright as it gets in Manchester during the spring, and Helena carries herself with pride as she enters Brasserie Abode. Speaking to Helena, her initial nerves slowly fade, and she becomes eager to talk about her passion for music, revealing how her path started.  

She unravels the journey of her life before becoming a musician, talking career choices and education, “College put a lot of pressure on going to University. I had a passion for art, I was good at it, and I enjoyed it.” After graduating from Coventry University as a freelance digital illustrator, Ward struggled to maintain this area of work due to financial challenges. She used to produce unique products that would take around “12 hours they had beautiful illustrations and people wanted them for like only £40”. At this point she pushed herself to get involved in music, “I brought my first PA system just before lockdown, I was getting my practice in, and it was really fun” she says excitedly.  

But why Irish Country music? The artist's love for music came early. Growing up in Burry, Helena's Irish parents (originally from Derry) played a wide variety of different genre music which later influenced her own work. She stays true to her family's roots; her songs are influenced by “a lot of traditional Irish stuff” that includes instruments such as “fiddle and tin whistle”.  In 2022 she released a unique cover of "Back Home In Derry."

Her facial expressions change when she begins railing of some of her musical inspirations, the passion in her eyes evident, “A lot of people like Christy Moor, a singer/songwriter who adapts Irish poems and turns them into songs”. She also mentioned her love for country singer “Laney Wilson” describing her as “terrific.” Growing up as a millennial, in Manchester, Ward talked a lot about the iconic band Oasis- “they are absolutely amazing”. Using the word categorize lightly she fits somewhere between the genres of “country, Irish, and folk.” 

In the next year, the musician has set herself some goals and is motivated to take her career to the next level—“do music full-time.” Besides playing as many available gigs as possible, performing at open mic nights, and working on her music, Helena is currently working at a restaurant, which she is “determined to quit.” 

The singer is also excited to explore different aspects of the music industry—particularly the production side of things. “I really want to work on the sort of back end, the music where you're not at the forefront having to do gigs, you're writing with people and helping others write. That's the goal.” Though Helena is eager to experience the work behind the scenes, she exclaimed, “I love writing songs.” A lot of songwriters have a preferred process when it comes to writing; in this case, “the writing definitely comes first.” She opens up about the inspiration behind her lyrics: “They mainly come from a bad place. If I'm upset about something, I'll fixate on it and I'll write loads of songs about it. Then I have loads of songs, it’s amazing.” After taking a moment, Helena says in an appreciative tone, “It's beautiful that something that really upsets me turns out to be something that brings me a lot of joy.”

Each week, on a Saturday, Helena posts a new video on Instagram and Tik Tok sharing new music with her followers- “Song writing Saturdays”. Fans can listen to Ward’s original songs on all platforms from Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Soundcloud. Her angelic voice and emotive lyrics are admired by many, earning the singer appearances on Down To The Bone Sessions and From The Mil.  

Helena finishes her cup of tea and takes a walk around the streets of Manchester with the interviewer. She is now laughing, joking, and not at all hesitant to speak about her life. The singer allows herself to be vulnerable while talking about her own experiences dealing with nerves and anxiety during performance nights. She opens up, “Struggling with anxiety is a massive factor that comes with working in the performance industry. I get it more during open nights performing at places like the Whiskey Bar because everyone playing is really good and the audience is really quiet. Whereas at busier gigs, everyone is getting drunk and trying to have a fun time. It still gets nerve-racking, but the more intimate gigs where sometimes you aren't getting paid because people are generally listening.”

Helena Ward on the streets of Manchester Picadilly. CREDIT: Niamh Fairhurst

People love music for different reasons, Helena says: “If I couldn't do music, then there would be no point in me being alive. It sounds really dramatic, but it's true. It gives me a purpose.” Before saying her goodbyes, Helena stresses the importance of loving what you do: “It's so important to pursue what you love. Everybody should find their purpose and go with it simply because they love it.”