This is a tribute to my grandparents Herbert and Gladys Davies. My grandparents were joyful companions to me and my sister Julia in our childhood, and we all benefited from them living next door. Something for which I will always be grateful. And when their only other grandchildren, our cousins Sally and Mark used to come and stay, our lives were further enriched.
The Little Things is OUT NOW on all streaming platforms, part of my debut album Nature's Grace which is also out now on all streaming platforms.
https://helefonix.bandcamp.com/album/natures-grace

 
My grandparents really provided a glorious backdrop and embedded a sense of right and wrong, gently and kindly. When I took my video out to record them chatting to me in 1992 I captured lots of detail about their younger years. 

Some of the chat was hard to hear and my granddad has a wonderful Teeside accent. Even my dad, on hearing the video recently said he'd never realised what a broad County Durham accent his father had. When I was deciding which bits to use to immortalise them, I felt that these phrases summed up their approach to life. I hope you enjoy the track.

Thanks to Charlie Deakin Davies, my eldest, for cleaning up the vocals on this, it was pretty tricky to do and I am really happy with how it's turned out.

“You see it only boils down to one little thing doesn’t it? 
Being Kind
Makes all the difference
We live each day as it comes and we enjoy it
It’s the little things in life that really count
One thing we’ve always been able to do and that’s laugh
Well I say, now your granny just laughs at me you know
I’ve had a very happy life and I’m very grateful
Oh it’s like being in heaven here”

There's also a video of them saying most of these things!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n49usYsS4GE

https://www.helefonix.co.uk/

Feel free to get in touch via email : 
helefonix@gmail.com
Bandcamp : https://helefonix.bandcamp.com/
Twitter :  https://twitter.com/helefonix 
Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/helefonix-midlifemix
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/helefonix/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Helefonix
Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyLXvfwXjdPo1bsaF24t_3A
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/7xXiGIzlyGqrl91hDNb66i
Website : www.helefonix.co.uk

The Little Things ft Herbert and Gladys Davies

If your favourite song on here disappears due to me changing my subscription then just pop along to Bandcamp where you can hear all of my music https://marinaflorance.bandcamp.com
I am a singer/songwriter originally from London, my music crosses a number of genres & has been described as Americana, Folk & Country. While undoubtedly I draw inspiration from many sources, my voice & style are my own.
I've played many festivals, folk clubs, pubs, coffee bars, churches and my live performances are numerous and varied.
Radio play has been extensive from online to National, BBC6Music and BBCIntroducing.
My first album 'Somewhere Down The Line' was funded by Arts Council England, without that financial support all I have done musically would never have happened, the opportunities that have come my way may have just passed me by...

To book me please visit my contact page.

I am currently writing album reviews for FATEA Magazine Blog and in addition to this I really enjoy writing a poem or two (see my blogs page).
I have been a moderator for Tom Robinson's Music Blog (Fresh On The Net between 2019-2024), where I honed my ability to write reviews for other artists across many varied genres.

Blue Boat and Me
In 2022 I self-published the children's book Blue Boat and Me with wonderful illustrations by Annie Clapham. I loved doing this and one day I would love to do another one.

Expectation
Is my latest album, released in 2023. It has received wonderful reviews and been played on National Radio. With contributions from many awesome musicians.
Please put your listening apparatus on and be prepared to cry, laugh, sing, dance and smile with me.

Warm and Toasty Club
I worked with The Warm & Toasty Club between 2017-2019 & along with Jules Fox Allen, we were asked to write six songs based on the memories of residents at retirement complexes along the Essex Coast & in Colchester.
Alongside The Warm & Toasty Club founder, Johnno Casson we won the FATEA Innovation Award  for the lottery & Arts Council funded Memory Afternoons Project.

Fly beyond the border
In March 2018 I independently released my second studio album which features collaborations with Kate Dimbleby & Johnno Casson. The album has received great reviews, Every Woman being one of the most popular with beautiful BVs from Cathryn Craig.

This, That & The Other
Was released in January 2016 on Folkstock Records. The album represented a big leap forward for me as I also recorded & produced it. One of the tracks ‘Little Black Cloud' was selected for the Tom Robinson BBC6 Music Mixtape via 'Fresh On The Net'.
BBC6Music has also played The Moon from the EP ‘my own little piece of the sky’, Waves from 'Expectation' and the single 1974 (That's How It Was In Those Days)

Cry - The Single
I won the Oldies Composers Competition judged by BBC Radio 2 presenters including Bob Harris & the late Sir Terry Wogan to name a few, this resulted in Anthony Head (actor & singer) performing my song 'Cry' live on ITVs This Morning and played on BBC Radio 2, truly wonderful moments for me. Take a look on my collaborations page to read more about it

Festivals
I have played to name a few: Norfolk and Norwich International Festival, Wimborne Festival, Strawberry Fair, Kesgrave, the Cambridge Folk Festival both Club tent and a huge highlight Stage 2 with the great Brian McNeil. 

SoundCloud
I was nominated via Soundcloud as Soundclouder of the day with my song The Guilty One & added to their International Women's Day playlist, this resulted in 10s of thousands of plays for that track.

Life is not about who you once were. It is about who you are now and who you have the potential to be.  About having fun. 
Throwing out the rule book! Thrilled to have had some lovely support from various unexpected quarters.
Teaching Darkness How To Fly was a lovely pastoral excursion, where I set some prose by Ian McMillan to local found sounds. It found a home on BBC Radio 3 (thanks to Elizabeth Alker on her Saturday morning show), and on Cery's Sunday show on 6 Music, who also shared my first 'bird as soloist' experiment Song Thrush Serenade on national radio.
These two tracks are on my debut album, Nature's Grace.

'Who Do You Wanna Be' attracted the kind attention of Tom Robinson and was honoured to make it into his broadcast mixtape on 6 Music. 
BBC Intro Channel Islands (a remix I did for Michael Donoghue) and featured in Fresh Faves from Fresh on The Net as well as on the super independent shows such as WorldWideFM thanks Nitin Sawhney, Anna Phoebe and Kayla Painter, Tim Willett's New Music Generator, Neil March's Trust The Doc show (who have both invited me to share my music at their events,) Andy Sharman's KYN Show, Amazing Radio, Rich James Electro Show, Chris West's The Tripwire, Slava and Trev's show, Russ Evans Electro show and more, many of whom play me week after week and have me as their opening or outgoing show tracks. I am so grateful. 
A collaboration with THE Jackie Weaver earlier in 2021 resulted in national TV, newspaper and radio coverage, which was huge fun.

I'm creating a range of music, from what could be viewed as classical for a modern era I guess? telling a story through notes rather than words. I also love a beat, prose and some simple phrase work (either my own voice, samples or spoken prose) and I love a bop!  so my genre is not really defined or fixed BUT people say they can tell it's my work. I've also been honoured to be asked to do remixes by a number of artists and these have been going down well.

This piece for the Featured Artists Coalition was fascinating to research and write - Ageing and Raging: https://thefac.org/news-directory/fav-insights-by-helen-meissner

Grateful to LA based magazine for this comprehensive interview!: https://shoutoutla.com/meet-helen-meissner-music-producer/

How did it all start?
A glitch in the matrix meant that Garageband ended up in my lap! (I have since moved to Logic)that's Lockdown for you!! never had any desire to write or produce before but love what's coming out in the mix and hope you do too.  
Supermassive black holes in my production knowledge of course. Happy to be guided by anyone who cares to get in touch!
It's a bit like having a baby without realising you were pregnant! There's plenty more where that came from, from other dance to more chill. The world is my oyster. (Boring bits, based in Herts, legend in my own lunchtime). Wrong side of 50, right side of life, left of centre, off of the strip. 

Old enough to know better, young enough not to care

Bring it on!!!

https://www.runninwithmyrhythm.com/2020/08/midlifemix.html?fbclid=IwAR0Ea41vTdcZ8EppwnX2BXqTIBEMW0l5f3s1osUp1wR0_fcbkn2A9C-a1Bc

Email : helefonix@gmail.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/helefonix/
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/7xXiGIzlyGqrl91hDNb66i