Scott Helman / Claudia B. Swope
Scott Helman
Image courtesy of the artist
Claudia B. Swope
Image courtesy of the artist
Scott Helman is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is influenced by artists such as Arcade Fire, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Bon Iver, and Paul Simon.
His debut full-length album, Hôtel de Ville, was recorded in Toronto at Revolution Recording and was produced by Tawgs Salter (Lights, Walk Off the Earth, and USS). The album's first single is the irresistible alternative pop track "Kinda Complicated," which applies breezy, catchy songwriting and clever lyricism to a failed relationship or his daily struggle with ADHD.
"The more that I write music, the more that I feel that I'm curing myself," Helman explains. "How am I gonna be a better person and how am I gonna be a better lover? I have to figure out all those things that are knocking around in my head."
In 2014, he released "Bungalow" as the first single from his debut EP Augusta. The track was certified platinum and led to tours across Canada, where he played with Tegan and Sara, Shawn Mendes, and Matthew Good.
In January 2016, he topped the Teen Vogue list of voices to watch. By the time Helman returned to the studio to work on Hôtel de Ville, he had been nominated for multiple MuchMusic Video Awards and Juno Awards, performing to massive national television audiences on both awards shows.
Helman rang in 2017 with a raucous tribute to Leonard Cohen, performing "Bird on a Wire" in Cohen's hometown of Montreal in front of 50,000 people, along with countless others who watched the live broadcast on CBC.
Claudia B. Swope is a pop/neo-soul artist from the Washington, D.C., area. Swope, a Berklee College of Music student who has been a singer and keyboard player for more than 10 years, performs her own music as a solo act and with various bands.
Watch Helman's music video for "PDA":