Helen Shanahan
Helen Shanahan is a folk singer/songwriter from Perth, Western Australia.
Helen’s songs ride the joys and sorrows of love and life and draw the listener into an articulate and heartfelt world of story, melody and guitar, through her eyes. Helen’s thoughtful observations and introverted reflections of everyday situations are beautifully captured in her music, which can best be described as contemporary folk/pop with a strong acoustic feel. Helen graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) majoring in voice.
Helen released her EP ‘Driftwood’ in 2012 at the Fly By Night Musicians Club in Fremantle. The title track was nominated in 2012 in the ‘love’ category in the Western Australian Music Industry ‘Song of the Year’ competition.
In 2013 she won the songwriting award in the national competition ‘Telstra Road to Discovery’. This competition saw Helen play at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Canadian Music Week, BIGSOUND festival in Brisbane, Queenscliff music festival, iconic New York bar ‘The Bitter End’, and the Americana festival in Nashville.
In 2014 she joined Clare Bowditch on stage for a duet as part of her ‘Winter Secrets’ Tour. In the same year she was nominated for ‘Best Folk Act’ in the West Australian Music Industry Awards.
Helen was signed to Mushroom Music Publishing in 2015, on the back of releasing her EP ‘Finding Gold’ produced by Melbourne based Pip Norman aka ‘Countbounce’.
Her debut album ‘Every Little Sting’ was released in May 2017, and was produced by Nashville producer Brad Jones (Missy Higgins, Bob Evans).
Helen has provided strong support to Passenger, Matt Corby, The Basement Birds, The Paper Kites, Lewis Watson, Ian Moss, Angie McMahon and Jeff Martin.
In 2018 Helen won the Western Australian Music Industry ‘Song of the Year’ award for her song ‘I Only Hide’. In 2019 she released the single ‘Unborn’ focusing on the sensitive issue of climate change and the effect on future generations. After spending 2019 performing in the UK, Helen is now residing back in Perth, WA.
Watch Helen Shanahan
Song List
- 10 Days – Missy Higgins
- 1000 Years – Christina Perri
- 8 Days a Week – The Beatles
- A Case of You – Joni Mitchell
- Across The Universe – The Beatles
- Adore – Amy Shark
- Aint No Sunshine – Bill Withers
- Amazing – Alex Lloyd
- Beautiful – Little Birdy
- Best Friend – Queen (‘The Once’ version)
- Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell
- Bird on a Wire- Leonard Cohen
- Blackbird – The Beatles
- Blood Brothers – Ingrid Michaelson
- Blowers Daughter – Damien Rice
- Bonfire Heart – James Blunt
- Blowing In The Wind – Bob Dylan
- Bubbly – Colbie Callait
- Buses and Trains – Bachelor Girl
- Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis
- Can You Feel The Love Tonight – Elton John
- Cannonball – Damien Rice
- Case Of You – Joni Mitchell
- Crash Into Me – Dave Matthews Band
- Crazy Love – Van Morrison
- Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen
- Daniel – Elton John
- Daughters – John Mayer
- Deciphering Me – Brooke Fraser
- Diamonds – Rihanna
- Distant Sun – Crowded House
- Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones
- Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright – Bob Dylan
- Don’t Worry Baby – The Beach Boys
- Dream Catch Me – Newton Faulkner
- Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
- Even When I’m Sleeping – Leonardo’s Bride
- Everything – Michael Buble
- Everyone’s Waiting – Missy Higgins
- Everything Has Changed – Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran
- Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac
- Falling Slowly – from ‘Once’
- Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
- Favorite Mistake – Sheryl Crowe
- Fields Of Gold – Sting
- Fire and the Flood – Vance Joy
- Fix You – Coldplay
- Follow Through – Gavin De Graw
- Four Seasons In One Day – Crowded House
- Free Falling – Tom Petty
- Ghosts- Laura Marling
- Give Me Love – Ed Sheeran
- God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
- Goodbye England (Covered in Snow) – Laura Marling
- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
- Green Eyes – Coldplay
- Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen
- Hardest Part – Coldplay
- Harvest Moon – Neil Young
- Head Over Feet – Alanis Morisette
- Heartbeats – Jose Gonzales
- Hearts on Fire – Passenger
- Hello – Adele
- Helpless – Neil Young
- Hey Jude – The Beatles
- Hey Soul Sister – Train
- Hide Your Love Away – The Beatles
- High and Dry – Radiohead
- Ho Hey – The Lumineers
- How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You – James Taylor
- I Can See Clearly Now – Bob Marley
- I Wont Let You Go – James Morrison
- I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
- Into My Arms – Nick Cave
- Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
- Ironic – Alanis Morisette
- Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
- It’s Not Unusual – Tom Jones
- Kids – MGMT
- Killing Me Softly – Roberta Flack
- Kiss Me – Ed Sheeran
- Kiss Me – Sixpence None The Richer
- La Cienga Just Smiled – Ryan Adams
- Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
- Last Day on Earth – Kate Miller Heidke
- Last Request – Paolo Nutini
- Lay Your Love – Roachford
- Lego House – Ed Sheeran
- Let Her Go – Passenger
- Lifeline- Brooke Fraser
- Lighthouse – The Waifs
- Linger – The Cranberries
- Love Me Tender – Elvis
- Love Story – Taylor Swift
- Lover – Taylor Swift
- Mad World – Gary Jules
- Marry Me – Train
- Maybe I’m Amazed – Paul McCartney
- Mess Is Mine – Vance Joy
- Naïve – The Kooks
- Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
- No one – Alicia Keys
- Oasis – Wonderwall
- Oh Darling – The Beatles
- Old Man – Neil Young
- Overkill – Colin Hay
- Perfect – Ed Sheeran
- Perfect Now – Sarah Blasko
- Photograph – Ed Sheeran
- Pricetag – Jessie J
- Put Your Records On – Corrine Bailey Rae
- Rich Girl – Hall and Oats
- Riptide- Vance Joy
- Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac
- Rock With You – Michael Jackson
- Rocket Man – Elton John
- Rolling In The Deep – Adele
- Sailboats – Brooke Fraser
- Saving Grace – Pete Murray
- Say You Love Me – Fleetwood Mac
- Scar – Missy Higgins
- See You Soon – Coldplay
- Shape Of You – Ed Sheeran
- She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5
- Signed Sealed Delivered – Stevie Wonder
- Slide – Goo Goo Dolls
- Slow Dancing in a Burning Room – John Mayer
- Someone Like You – Adele
- Something – The Beatles
- Something in the Water – Brooke Fraser
- Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
- Songbird – Bernard Fanning
- Sorrento Moon- Tina Arena
- Stand By Me – Ben E King
- Stay – Lisa Loeb
- Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
- Stuck In The Middle – Stealers Wheel
- Stuff and Nonsense – Split Enz
- Sunny Came Home – Shawn Colvin
- Sway – Bic Runga
- Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- The A Team – Ed Sheeran
- The Captain – Kasey Chambers
- The Luckiest – Ben Folds
- The Scientist – Coldplay
- The Thief –Brooke Fraser
- There She Goes – Sixpence None the Richer
- This Old Love – Lior
- To Love Somebody – The Bee Gees
- To Make You Feel My Love – Adele
- Top of the World – Dixie Chicks
- Twist and Shout – The Beatles
- Two of Us – The Beatles
- Walking on a Dream –Empire of the Sun
- Wedding Song – Tracy Chapman
- When We Were Young – Adele
- Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
- Yellow – Coldplay
- You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
- You Can’t Hurry Love – Dixie Chicks
- You Make My Dreams – Hall and Oats
- You Were Meant For Me – Jewel
- Your Body Is A Wonderland – John Mayer
- Your Song – Elton John
Helen Shanahan Gig Guide
There are currently no gigs scheduled for Helen Shanahan.