Having made his debut back in 2016, Canada's rising star Scott Helman has recently revealed his latest experimental pop track, Pretty. Taken off his forthcoming album, due for release next year, Pretty is a perfect exploration into what it takes to feel confident, sharing that:
"This song was a big step for me in exploration and limits. I wanted to take myself as far as I could down the line of ‘uncomfortable’ while still maintaining what feels like me. Ultimately, I thought it was such a special thought – the idea that someone can be so beautiful that you just want a bit of them to become part of you. In that thought, there is so much beauty and humour – the transcendence of traditional gender roles, the flirt, the strangeness. That’s what excited me about our initial demo, and what continues to excite me now.”
We caught up with Scott Helman earlier this week to find out five of his all time favourite tracks...
Prince - I Wish I Was Your Girlfriend
This song really inspired the concept behind pretty, and worked as a sort of lyrical benchmark for where we could push ourselves. I love the humour and ambition of this song- how Prince brings this new perspective to desire.
Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel
Just so funky, and itself a Prince inspired jam. This song definitely inspired me tons- the bareness in the production, the major melodies. The weird synth chords. I really appreciate the voices of queer artists so much, especially when writing a song that so clearly plays with gender.
Hannah Cohen - This Is Your Life
Just obsessed with this record.
The Kinks - Lola
This song was an early inspiration for me, and I can’t forget it when talking about the topic of gender. It sort of acts as a benchmark, and although it’s messy, silly, and dated, it showed a young version of me that music can play with things in a way other art forms can’t. I think I carried that with me when Pretty got made.
Justin Timberlake ft Timbaland - SexyBack
I mean, just a straight jam. Hypnotic. Fun. All the things I aimed for on this one.
Check out Scott Helman's stunning new music video here...