Name: Helen Austin
Age: 45 and happy to be so 
Location: Comox Valley Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
Online homes: website // facebook // twitter // blog // youtube
Favorite Karina dress – Josie!
What are your every day, must-reads, online or off?
I start the day finding out what everyone I know has been up to on Facebook, always read a music business blog or two and then I have a real book to read every night – where you have to turn the page and everything!
You worked as musical comedian. How do music and humor work together?
I did it for 20 years but gave that up shortly after moving to Canada and moved to my first love of straight-up songwriting. But it’s handy having all those years of comedy for gigs and the occasional funny song. Getting heckled is never a problem after regularly dealing with 500 drunk people in clubs in London and around the UK
What musicians are you listening to right now that we should know about?
Right now the favourite in our house is Of Monsters And Men. My daughter has it on repeat and is so excited because we are going to
see them in June! We listen to a whole range of music from Ed Sheeran to Alt-J but I often come back to my favourite Iron & Wine. He is a huge inspiration in my own music.
If you could give your 16 year old self advice, what would you say?
Don’t wear that yellow v-back sweater and grey stilettos!!!! I would tell her that her life is going to be way more amazing than she ever
imagined it would be and to be patient. And put down that cigarette!
Your perfect day. What would it look like?
I am lucky in that I get a lot of perfect days around here. They go like this…
Breakfast with kids and husband… family skiing in the morning, eating chocolate, songwriting and recording in the afternoon, more
chocolate, maybe a local gig with my daughter in the evening and then watching something like Community or How I Met You Mother in the evening with a nice glass of wine! Perfect!
Thanks so much for sharing, Helen!