When Scott Helman was in high school, he considered making Carleton University his post-secondary destination. At 22 years old, he probably would have graduated by now. Instead, he pursued a musical career.
On Sept. 7, Helman returned to the school whose scholarship he turned away to headline this year’s Fall Orientation concert. After finishing his soundcheck, he was excited to be performing in front of his could-have-been peers.
“They gave me a scholarship and then I was like, ‘Damn, I should go,’ and then I didn’t,” Helman said. “It feels good to come back and be like, ‘I’m not a total mess-up, mom, even though I didn’t go to school.’”
Helman has had a lot of success in his young career, having earned several Juno Award nominations and toured across Canada and around the world.
After a busy 2017—which was capped off by the release of his debut full-length album, Hotel de Ville—Helman spent this year writing new songs, traveling around the world, and serving as the opening act for the Canadian dates of Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy’s North American tour.
As a fan of Joy, Helman made a cover video of Joy’s hit song “Riptide” in 2014. He said that touring him was like a “dream come true.”
“At that time, I was just a fan of his music and I was just starting out, and then to be able to go on the same stage as him, that was pretty cool,” he said.
Something that really matters to Helman is connecting to fans, either on a personal or musical level. He is happy to pose for selfies and have conversations about serious topics, including his experiences with ADHD.
“I actually love my fans because they’re so smart and engaging, and every time I talk to them, I learn something, which I think is super cool,” he said.
Helman has some inside jokes with his fans. During a 2017 trip to Finland, Helman “found” a stuffed animal raccoon. He named it Sinki, created a Instagram account for it, and now has fans who throw stuffed raccoons on to the stage during his shows so that he can add them to his collection. However, Helman is loyal to Sinki, and would rather fans throw them at his touring guitarist, Callum Maudsley.
“Chuck them on Callum, because he does not have a stuffed animal racoon . . . to not have a stuffed animal raccoon in your life that you love dearly is something that pains me,” he said.
Overall, Helman promises that new music will be available to his fans soon and that he will be trying new styles with his music.
“I’m just trying new stuff, and I’m not as afraid of going for it,” he said.
During this year’s Much Music Video Awards (MMVAs), Helman hinted the possibility of a collaboration with Shawn Mendes, a fellow Torontonian he has previously performed with and briefly worked with.
“I honestly just stoked that fire so hard! We wrote a song together like three years ago at the MMVAs . . . he’s all out and about these days,” Helman said. “I have an idea for a collaboration that I can’t tell you right now, but there’s definitely some exciting things maybe coming.”
Helman said he is open to collaborating with anyone, or as he simply put it: “Just hit me up, I’m down.”
Over the next few months, Helman plans on finishing writing new songs, going on a European tour with Vance Joy, and playing more shows in North America.
“Keep your eyes peeled—I’ll be around,” he said.
Photo by Jeff Pelletier
