Meet Helen Meissner | Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Helen Meissner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Helen, what do you attribute your success to?
Starting it! Anything can be a great idea, while it languishes in your head, but until you’ve had a go, you’ll never know! And to get over the fear or failure and actually start it, I think there’s the acceptance (and personal forgiveness to myself) that whatever I am thinking about launching might not be a ‘success’, and balancing this with being aware that the fear of not trying would be more difficult to stomach over time. This helps me overcome the fear of ‘what if it doesn’t work out and is a waste of everyone’s time?. Of course, the question of ‘what is success?’ is also hugely relevant when considering the answer to this question. In my life I’ve had what others would consider to be successes and failures. However, I wouldn’t necessarily be so binary about them. There’s the success of a business which has a high turnover/profit – pretty standard parameters- or a community interest business which made no money (in fact considerable personal loss) but both attracted business and community awards and considerable appreciation and national PR – so those would be seen as successes I imagine. I’ve also had failures outside the monetary measurements we tend to use, in terms of the number of times I have been married for example. For the record, it’s five! Our society deems them to be ‘failed’ marriages (well at least the first four, I am still married to the fifth). And I do understand that ‘they’ believe that a stable couple, remaining married (almost at any personal cost) is better for ‘society’ and ‘community’. However, having overcome the embarrassment of my personal ‘stats’ and effectively failing so spectacularly in the eyes of (for example), my parents (but not my children curiously enough) and people who I have known during my life, I have accepted that if people want to, they have a lot of ammunition to criticise me about.
And I’ve also realised that people often need a whipping post, someone to compare themselves to, and ideally someone who is ‘not doing as well as they are’, to elevate their sense of self worth.

So I choose to feel that if I am that person who makes them feel better about their life choices, then so be it. I am providing a service to society! If you were to ask me if those marriages were failures I would disagree, because all have gone on to have meaningful stable relationships after we chose not to be together, and the splits were (in the most part) amicable. Certainly respectful.
More recently I have embarked on a new project which involves creating and releasing my own music. Something of a departure for me, as I’d never before considered myself creative. It’s an interesting one because the question of how do you define success is particularly relevant here. On the one hand my music has had the recognition which others would perceive as success –such as winning some music awards, thanks Clouzine Magazine for the support and encouragement here and Tim Willett at Cambridge 105 and his NMG Awards. And being played on some respected radio shows including those on BBC Radio 3, BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing. It always helps if some familiar and respected names such as Cerys Matthews and Tom Robinson support what you’re doing. However, those plays, whilst really exciting and motivating, have not made me an ‘overnight sensation’ because that is not usually how the independent music scene tends to work. Having said that, the Radio 3 play from Elizabeth Alker did gain a number of cd sales and comments and streams on my video and overall they do no harm. It’s these sort of things that can and do encourage new people to listen to my latest release or book me for a gig, as they are external evidence that what I am doing has merit in someone’s eyes. Local and community radio station presenters are invaluable and always looking for something new. There’s hundreds of radio presenters eager to hear from musicians in every genre and every age and stage. And most of them don’t mind where you are based geographically.

I am very grateful to bookings from Neil March at South London’s Vanishing Point for booking me a number of times and Sara Kathleen for booking me for the Hunter Club in Bury as well as the aforementioned Tim Willett. My local newspaper has also been hugely supportive, so that’s Alan Davies from Archant’s The Comet. Getting press can be another lovely external validation that what you’re doing is credible.

We need to believe that our tribe is out there. But it can take a bit of effort and leg work to find it. And usually time at gigs or listening to radio shows which support our type of music. If only a handful of people like your music, that’s still great, we don’t have to be household names to be successful, and it can be very encouraging to engage with those people who enjoy what you do and believe in you. Which bolsters you on the days where you are feeling less confident.

I suppose what I am saying is that we’ll never please all the people all of the time, but if we please some, that’s great and should be valued. And noticed. And enjoyed. Of course, the most important person to please is ourselves, because if we’re creating something or running a business which we personally find satisfying and absorbing, then it will show in everything we do and draw people to us and our vision.

So then to answer the question ‘what has been the most important factor behind the success of Helefonix, my musical alta ego’? I’d say that it mostly relates to the expression ‘go hard or go home’. Basically, either commit or don’t bother. And take some time to consider how you want to represent yourself. Your logo, your colours, your font, your images, your message (in business speak, your branding). Who do you think you will resonate with naturally? Who might like what you do/need your product (in business terms – your positioning and ideal consumer/customer). What values and ethics do you want to associate with and what emotions do you want to evoke in the people whose path you cross? Once clarified I’d then amplify those aspects. This is what I do in my business life too, as Thomson Training, where I provide coaching and business mentoring.
If I’m going to be on stage, I make sure no one forgets my set in a hurry! If I’m going to release, I approach everyone I can think of who might play it on their show, or review on their blog. I celebrate each play and thank the show host in public and private. I hope that my little wins help others to realise that they are not out of reach for them either. I post regularly on social media without embarrassment, at the ‘Conscious of the ego trip’ of self promotion. Which is not always easy but I feel I owe it to the person who has taken time to write the review/add the track to their playlist or show to make a fuss about it. Whilst trying not to seem pushy and entitled either. It’s a fine balance and I’ve written some blog posts about this called ‘Bang Your Drum, Marketing for Musos’ about my methods of self promotion on my website www.helefonix.co.uk if anyone is interested.
I’ve also been careful to choose a brand name which is unique and kept all my social media handles the same. I’ve deliberately picked a style of image which is very colourful and ‘out there’ and instantly recognisable as me. I’ve created artwork which is also colourful and which stands out when viewed as a one centimetre thumb nail on a spotify playlist (for example). I have thought carefully about my ‘story’ and what I want to reveal about myself to tell that story. I also actively support others in the independent community which means that I am able to network with a large group of mutually supportive folks. And many of them are in my ‘slightly older’ group of 50 years plus.

As a result of being openly ‘older and bolder’ I’ve been asked to write about my experiences of ageing and stereotypes in the industry and the leading body for musicians (the Featured Artist Coalition) asked me to write a piece on this which you can view here : https://thefac.org/news-directory/fav-insights-by-helen-meissner.

So I represent a clear message –anyone can be creative and start from scratch at any age. It’s never too late. The only thing limiting you is your personal bravery and fear of failure. And if you ‘fail’, who cares? in fact people will love you more for it (everyone hates a winner!). This is something I’ve been talking about on my just launched podcast ‘If You Mind, It Matters’. I have decided to do this to encourage us to take ourselves more seriously, to be kind and listen to ourselves. And then help us find ways of expressing what we need to say, and avoid second guessing what we believe everyone else wants us to say, do and be, so we don’t waste our life compromising what’s important to us by people pleasing. You can find it here: https://www.ifyouminditmatters.com/

And as for success, I don’t believe it can be measured solely monetarily or by external recognition. I feel it’s about how you feel about it. Is it ‘YOU’? Is it authentic? I’ve heard of supposedly (financially) successful musicians disliking the music they are ‘encouraged’ to release and feeling very unhappy. Or business people who are wealthy and respected but dead inside. So are you proud of what you are creating/putting out into the world? And are you able to create a ‘brand’ or identity that helps people remember you or recognise something that you’ve created? Are you present on the social media platforms that allow others to share the work of yours which resonates with them? Are you able to be responsive and engage with people who like what you are doing? Are you in a position to take on the projects which fascinate you, fill you with awe, or which challenge you to reach beyond your comfort zone? If you are able to answer yes to any of these, then you are successful and I salute you!!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Starting making music in my mid fifties is not something I ever imagined I would do. I never thought I had it in me. Was very happy to encourage others who had talent but was pretty sure that did not include me. I was good at promoting others and blowing their trumpet for them. Lockdown changed that and I became aware of the prevalence of superb electronically shared samples and recordings of royalty free clips, which effectively meant I could create an orchestra or a band or a choir without involving another human. And what’s more, people who have recently heard my work and not been involved in my backstory have thought they were real people singing or musicians in my studio. Well they are real people I guess, it’s just that I didn’t record them. So the skill is getting disparate voices and sounds and words and phrases to create a cohesive whole. And it seems that I am good at that! Which is a revelation. The creativity flows when I find a sample, say a keyboard phrase, guitar riff or bass line that inspires me then I search for other sounds to go with it. You can use as little or as much of the sample as you like. Sometimes it’s a couple of notes, sometimes the whole thing fits. It’s like a jigsaw but there’s no picture to work from. In addition to the digital elements I worked with, I also had a field day with ‘found sounds’ – recording local birdsong, church bells, lambs, bees, poetry and prose, and incorporating them into my debut album which was aptly called Nature’s Grace!

The main challenge, apart from thinking, am I mad to even start doing this at my age, surely I’ve missed the boat? is that I am a technophobe. When I eventually upgraded from my husbands ipad (I even had to ask how to turn it on and got him to access the Garageband app) to a Mac with Logic, I couldn’t face the unboxing until I had someone there to do it for me. That was 2 weeks wasted! And I am resistant to new software but very gradually, as I am comfortable with one thing, I slowly start to incorporate other things.

Once I started to share my music with a few trusted friends and set up my social media presence I noticed that there are actually many artists in their fifties and beyond and we all support each others’ releases which is really rewarding and wholesome. I’ve learnt that we simply can’t expect everyone to love what we do, in fact family and friends – family especially – can be particularly damning ‘it’s not our kind of thing’ or ‘I don’t really like that’. As someone who has supported the creative endeavours of many over the last decade in particular (including my eldest child) I find it astonishing that people can be so callous. They don’t realise the influence they have. And the demotivating effect their little remarks have. So it’s best to look outside that bubble and connect with new people who are doing/supporting something similar to you at a similar level. So we can bring each other up as a community.
I have been doing my own PR, and at least I know WHAT to do, but it does take a lot of time and energy which is time I am not creating (or doing the day job!). I have written up some notes on my website to help others too. It’s a balance between loving what you create and wanting others to love it too. And how much store you place on the number of people who enjoy your creations as much as you do. Once I realised there were some people who like what I do, I felt that I owed it to myself (and them) to put it out there. And I get new people finding me via radio shows and blogs, links I post online and such like. The most ‘public’ place is radio but the reality of one play on a prime time Radio 3 show or 6 Music (lovely as it is) does not mean you’ve made it (although it might feel like that at the time!). If you think about it, when you are listening to a show in the background, maybe in the car, how often do you even hear the artist name? Then remember it and then seek out the creator? Having said that, the track which Elizabeth Alker kindly played on Radio 3, (Teaching Darkness) How To Fly did generate some comments on social media and on my video and soundcloud links for the track which was lovely. And if another artist/composer who you admire greatly plays your track on their show – thanks Tom Robinson, Cerys Matthews, Nitin Sawhney, Anna Phoebe, Kayla Painter, Neil March…it really is such an encouraging experience. So it’s worth seeking out those people and presenting your work. If you don’t try you’ll never know.

The way I see it is that we’ve got to start somewhere. And you never know who is listening. It builds some momentum and it feels nice. I am very grateful for every play, on every show, as that means that someone (the presenter at least) thinks it’s worthy of sharing to their listeners. And that motivates me to keep creating and wanting to surprise and please the people who are kind enough to support me.

So I’ve learnt that we need to do things at our own pace and not compare ourselves to others. We are all on our own journey (which is the theme of my second album The Awakening) and we need the courage to think about what’s important to us. Not be lead by everyone around us. And also to notice if something is really absorbing and enjoy that immersion. And realise that this means it’s probably a good thing to spent time doing it when you can have the time to ‘lose yourself’ as you are in the zone. It’s an interesting phrase ‘lose yourself’ as I guess you are losing that ‘ego’ part of your body, the bit that worries and over thinks. In a way, when I am making music I am in mindful mode, completely focused on what is on the screen and in my ears. Pure bliss!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Walkern, a small village on the outskirts of Stevenage in a county 30 miles north of London. And it is truly beautiful. I wouldn’t even get in a car if someone was visiting. I remember being on a walk recently and while pausing at the bridge and watching the abundant wildlife I got chatting to a father who had brought his daughter out from London to see the rare chalk bottomed stream. When I said I lived here he said ‘you live in paradise’. And he was right. The village is in a valley surrounded by footpaths which are usually pretty quiet. Wonderful vistas as available as you walk out of the village. In just under an hour your legs can get you to Church Farm, Ardeley, which has a pub (Jolly Waggoner), a café, a petting area where you can feed the animals, collect the eggs etc, a fairy trail, and extensive walkways to roam, as well as wild camping pitches. If you are into windmills, you could walk back past Cromer Windmill which has occasional open days but looks great in all weather. I would also pay a visit to the beautifully decorated Sweet O’Clock on the high street, which provides a delicious range of mostly sweet goodies, smoothies, waffles. Perfect for a sweet tooth. And I notice that recently they’ve added a few savoury items which will broaden the appeal further. If you’re thirsting for a pint and a hot meal, there’s two pubs in Walkern, The White Lion which does traditional pub fare and has the occasional music festival and The Yew Tree, a bit further down which does Chinese food as well as a bar. Both takeaway and eat in. We are so lucky here! If you wanted to impress someone with a cup of tea in a china cup and some homemade cakes and bakes, there’s the beautiful and cosy Walkern Tea Rooms which are further down, almost opposite the junior school. If you want to stock up on locally sourced produce as well as the usual array of groceries and an exciting selection of beverages, you would be hard pressed to beat Chandarana’s Budgens. There’s lots going on in the village, history groups and singing groups and they put on events. There’s exhibitions and exercise groups which run in the purpose built Village Community Centre which also boasts a number of football pitches. If it’s near Christmas I would definitely take someone to the Christmas Shop, which is a winter wonderland of sparkling treasures, which also has a café and you can buy your Christmas tree there too, as well as everything to make your house seasonal! You might also be lucky enough to catch the decorated Christmas tree festival, which is usually held in the beautiful old church. And if you are here around Christmas try to catch the Christingle service, lit only by candles.

There’s so much to see and do, and the people are really friendly. If you want it, it’s there. I feel truly blessed. Moving here 15 years ago was one of the best decisions I’ve made!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The first people to encourage me in my musical endeavors were my two children, Lewis and my eldest, producer Charlie Deakin Davies. That was closely followed by Stacy Hart from Running on Empty blog who was the first non family person to hear my creations. If it wasn’t for their positive reaction I probably wouldn’t still be here.
This was closely followed by Fresh on the Net’s ‘Eclectic Picks’ run by Signal Committee and Tim Willett at Cambridge 105 Radio. Local and community radio has been very significant for me and I am grateful to Slava and Trev for featuring me on their SG1 Radio show and also Mike Naylor at BBC Three Counties. My first live gig requests were a surprise as I never expected to perform live, so big thanks to Neil March from Vanishing Point and Tim Willett’s NMG Awards for those opportunities. Alan Davies at The Comet newspaper (Archant) has been hugely supportive too and I was very grateful to Clouzine for encouraging me via their inclusive music awards process. I would also like to give a shout out to The F List and the Featured Artists Coalition who are big supporters of the independent music scene and see all artists as equally worthy of respect and recognition, regardless of gender and age.

And a massive thank you to Teri Woods from Moths and Giraffes for being so supportive of my work and nominating me for this opportunity.

Website: https://www.helefonix.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helefonix

Twitter: https://twitter.com/helefonix

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Helefonix

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyLXvfwXjdPo1bsaF24t_3A

Other: https://soundcloud.com/helefonix-midlifemix https://helefonix.bandcamp.com/ https://thefac.org/news-directory/fav-insights-by-helen-meissner https://www.ifyouminditmatters.com/ https://www.helefonix.co.uk/post/how-to-get-heard-is-it-shit-or-a-hit-part-1

Image Credits
Kevin England (on stage, wings and black background shot)