CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 145: HELEINA ZARA ON BIGSOUND, AUTOPILOT, TAYLOR SWIFT AND MOODBOARDS

Interview by Adeline Chai.

Futuremag Music had the pleasure of chatting with Australia’s pop girl to watch, Heleina Zara. Heleina’s had an exciting year, to say the least – with a debut EP now under her belt after opening for Peach PRC and Jack Gray last year, the songstress is ready to conquer bigger stages and larger audiences. Heleina talks to us about the role of music in her life, her EP, and playing at BIGSOUND.

FMM: How has BIGSOUND been like for you so far?

Heleina: It's chaotic, but it's still super exciting. Just seeing familiar faces, people that you've worked with, and being like, “Oh my goodness, I haven't seen you in three years.” It’s really nice to see everyone, reconnect, and also meet new people. The world is so small.

FMM: It’s really nice that everyone’s in Brisbane.

 Heleina: Yeah! I think it was yesterday, I was walking to another photoshoot or something, and Grant Perez, he was like, “Hey!” And I was like, “Wait, oh my gosh.”

We haven’t met in person. We connected on social media when he found one of my songs, and then we connected on having mutual friends and connections, and obviously, being Filipino. But yeah, he was like, “Psst!” and I was like, “Who just did that to me on the street?” Literally just outside Fortitude Hall! Then, I was like, “Oh my God! Grant? What are you doing here?” and he was doing a talk here at BIGSOUND.

FMM: How exciting! A lot is happening around here all the time. I didn’t know he was talking.

Heleina: Yeah, neither!

FMM: I do want to talk to you about your debut EP, Autopilot, which came out in May. How are you feeling now that it's been four months?

Heleina: It’s been really…because I'm at such a different place in my life now -- that project was years in the making -- it's really funny and bittersweet to be like, “Wow. So much life has happened since then.”

It’s nice to reflect and have it out in the world because it's like, “Wow, I'm in a completely different place in my life.” But also, parts of that EP are still with me currently. Being on autopilot, that’s always going to be with me. It's [The EP] also always going to be a constant reminder of how there are parts of life where you have to set your boundaries in, remember what they are, and respect them. So yeah, it’s been sweet.

FMM: I know you talk about moving a lot while growing up. What did music do for you in your coming-of-age?

Heleina: Yeah, it's honestly everything. I think it really kept me going. Music was my source of just entertainment in general, but also the source of my connection to society and having friends. Listening to the likes of Taylor Swift and Gracie, Sabrina, but also, at a very young age listening to the Black Eyed Peas and the most random music that I was introduced to, I found that human connection that I didn't necessarily always have because we moved around so much. I always wanted the friend next door that you could just go over to in an hour and have a sleepover with. Music was that for me.

I think that was my main goal, and my why, in terms of why I wanted to do music. I wanted to be that to other people who didn't necessarily have that best friend that they could just go to. Hopefully, they could listen to my music and be like, “I relate to this girl and I can see her as one of my friends.”

FMM: How would you describe your music?

 Heleina: Oh my goodness. I would describe my music…that’s actually so crazy. I don’t even know where I would begin. I would say it’s very raw and diaristic. I think that’s how I would explain it.

It also rolls with the punches of life and its constant changes – not really knowing anything, being in a state of confusion while so many tumultuous situations are happening around you, but you just have to accept it. It’s like, “What is happening?” and not necessarily having an answer all the time. I suppose that’s how I would explain it, at least with the EP that we just came out with – Autopilot.

FMM: That’s beautiful. I love your music videos as well because I feel that there’s this distinctive look and colour to them. What was it like to create them?

Heleina:  So we actually did Convenience Store, Emergency Exit, and Boundaries…we tried to do it all in three days, shooting back to back. So we shot -- I believe it was – Emergency Exit first, and I really wanted to somehow incorporate a piece of the music video into the next music video. I think Convenience Store was the last one we shot but the first one to come out. In Convenience Store, the outfit of Emergency Exit is in the video.

So it starts with, “Wait. who was that? Who am I looking for? What is happening?” and in Emergency Exit, it feels like this dreamscape of being trapped in this ongoing nightmare, and I'm like, “Why am I scared? Is someone else here with me?” and then that mystery person is in Boundaries, and you don't realise until towards the end of Boundaries that it’s me. It connects in a weird way, which I love, and I want to explore that even more.

Working with the same team was really helpful because I also act and being on set is one of my favourite things, as well as being in the studio, so having that community around you, making friends and having really nice, deep connections with people, especially creatives, is massive. Courtney Brookes, a female director, her vision with the mood boards and everything – she just got the vision that I had.

FMM: We love a moodboard.

Heleina: I love a moodboard. I’m a Pinterest girlie so massive! No shame! I couldn't articulate exactly what I wanted, but she completely got it. They got it. The people at Odd Assembly, they're amazing, they’re really, really, great.

FMM: Musical influences wise, you love your pop but you also love your 50’s love songs.

Heleina: I do! Massive.

FMM: What were some of the records or artists that shaped you while growing up?

Heleina: I would definitely say, obviously, Taylor Swift. Forever and Always and White Horse was the moment. When I was in Hong Kong, there was this specific moment when I was -- I think I would have been -- six or seven. I can't remember when that project came out, but I was alone in my home apartment and my parents and my brother were away or I didn’t know where they were. I would put those records on the CD player. Because I watched the White Horse music video, I don't know if you remember the scene with the rain on the window – but I remember so vividly that I would pretend that I was in that music video as Taylor Swift singing to Forever and Always. Then I was like, “Oh my goodness.” After doing that a couple of times, I was like, “I think I want to act. I think I want to be on the big screen. I think I want to write music. This is what I want to do.”

Even before then though, I was already introduced to music doing piano lessons and singing karaoke with my mum’s family and all that stuff. But Taylor Swift, definitely. I would also say, the 50s: Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Doris Day. Mostly from my mum’s side because my Filipino grandparents, my Lola mum and my Lolo dad would have vinyls of their music and it’s so nostalgic for me. Every time I listen to 50s music, I’m like, “Wow. I miss home – The Philippines.” It’s massive. There’s just something so special about that era. I mean I guess it makes sense because I’m a hopeless romantic too and there are lots of hopeless romantic songs there, lots of deep songwriting too. Yeah, I’d love to explore more of that with my music and projects.

FMM: I wanted to talk about your heritage as well. You’re Filipina Australian, and I think you mean a lot to Asian-Australian girls or more broadly, Asian-Australian people who want to do pop or whatever they want to do. If you could share some wisdom about how you got to where you are today, what you would say?  

Heleina: Of course. I would say, you just have to keep pushing and do the thing, even if you don't know how or where to begin. You’ve just got to start somewhere and keep believing in yourself because not everyone will.

You also have to have your own back, and you have to be your own best friend, and you have to really just keep driving it until someone gets it. You will meet those people along the way and find that community or create that community.

So, that's why I'm always reaching out to other Asian artists and everything because it's massive. I think it's so important to have those people in your life, especially in this career. I think it's really huge. I think there's so much talent in the Asian community that so many people are missing but I think, you know, people are starting to realise that slowly. Slowly but surely. There’s still so much change to happen.

FMM: I think as well, for example, Peach PRC is someone you opened for and she talks a lot about experiencing misogyny within the music industry and how it’s not taken seriously. I find it really frustrating because I believe in pop music so much. As a pop artist, what is it like from your view?

Heleina:  I don’t want to sound ignorant but I try my best to focus on the positives and having my community because I think it's really important to try not to get lost in all that.

But yeah, it’s really ugly, and I think we just have to be together as much as possible, and really just stand up for ourselves and keep going really, because I don't know, it's really hard out there. Like this isn't easy. It's just the same as every other genre of music – it’s a lot of work, and people underestimate that. Especially with pop music, it's so easy to – I can't really find the words right now, but it's so easy to be like, “Ah. Pop. Again? Give me something new.” But pop is such a massive umbrella term. There’s so much that can go into pop and fall under pop.

So, I think those people are really ignorant, but you know? It’s sad for them that they would shame on the pop girlies and music!