Helen Boulding

London-based singer/songwriter Helen Boulding entered the scene with an uncommon level of backing from established industry figures when her first full-length record appeared, a roster spanning Ryan Adams to Rick Wright already aligned in support. Sheffield-born and raised, she initially traveled to London for lessons with Annie Lennox’s vocal coach. She applied those lessons in 1996 by supplying backing vocals for 911, yet it was her songwriting ability that caught the attention of the teen-pop act’s producer Eliot Kennedy. Together they crafted the group’s 1997 Top Five single “The Day We Find Love.” Further opportunities arose through referrals, leading to collaborations with Squeeze’s Chris Difford, Pink Floyd’s Rick Wright, American hitmaker Billy Steinberg, and the Good, The Bad & The Queen member Simon Tong. In 2003 she co-wrote “Maybe That's What It Takes,” the debut single for Fame Academy winner Alex Parks. Her House Work EP surfaced in 2005, and two years afterward she contributed vocals to the Orb’s album The Dream. Already impressed by early demos, Ryan Adams received Boulding’s request to photograph her during the final preparations for her debut album; the resulting image appeared on the cover of New Red Dress, which included the singles “Breathe” and “Copenhagen.”