Helen Sanderson-White
Helen Sanderson-White (born 1977) is a British singer-songwriter, musician, artist and writer based in Buckinghamshire. A singer and pianist, she has worked in most genres including pop, folk, classical and Contemporary Christian Music, however she is most known for her secular pop, soul and jazz work.
Music career
The daughter of a Baptist minister and a nurse, Sanderson-White's music career began at an early age in church. Her first singing performance was when she was three years old and by the time she was five, she was learning to play the piano.[1] She began writing in her teens and to date has released five studio projects. She has collaborated with artists from a variety of genres including Liquidscreamer, Nikki Noodles and more recently with the folk singer Darren Hayman. Sanderson-White spent a large amount of her childhood performing on local circuits in Kent and Devon and honed her craft as a solo performer.
Early work
Her first album Conversations With The Heart was released in June 2004 on an independent label, Houndsville. This then led to her second album Fallen But Not Fatal (2006).
In 2007, Sanderson-White was challenged by a friend who is a priest to create a contemporary setting of the Latin Mass which he could use with his young people. Out of this The Sanctus Project (2010) was born and to date this is used around the world.[2]
Resound Media
Between 2010 and 2015, she worked with Resound Media and released two EPs, the first being At Second Glance. From this EP, she had a number one hit with "Do You Seek An Answer" which was number one across the UK and Europe in the New Christian Music charts. This was quickly followed by "Surrounded By Love" which reached number four in the Christian Hot disc chart.
In 2011, Sanderson-White won the UK Christian Music Award for "NCM Contemporary Artist (England)"[3] which was presented to her by George Hamilton IV.
Sirens and Other Mysteries was released in 2013. Unlike her previous records, this EP was solely based around her acoustic piano and vocal work, and was released in to showcase the sound of her live shows. The EP reached number six in the Louder Than The Music 2013 awards.[4] This EP was supported by a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a music video for "If That's The Way".[5]
Her final recording with Resound Media was the uptempo single, "Close That Door", which was released in January 2016.
2017 - present
From 2017, Sanderson-White decided to continue working on demos and throughout the year released songs from The Sketchbook: The Demos.
As part of the First World War commemorations in 2018, Helen wrote two songs that were commissioned by the Buckinghamshire Archive, All For Love and Are You Coming Home?. These songs formed part of local collection of war stories represented through various art forms.
In 2019 Helen collaborated with The English Jazz Orchestra, and debuted a collection of jazz versions of her songs arranged by Rachael Forsyth.
Writing
Helen is also known for her writing, in particular her blogs on being artist and also looking at aspects of Christian faith, prophecy and the supernatural lifestyle.
Helen and Rachael Forsyth published a book The Resilient Artist based on a number of blogs they had written on cultivating and maintaining a creative lifestyle during difficult seasons of life.
Discography
| Year | Albums |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Conversations With The Heart |
| 2006 | Fallen But Not Fatal |
| 2010 | The Sanctus Project |
| Year | EPs |
|---|---|
| 2011 | At Second Glance |
| 2013 | Sirens And Other Mysteries |
| 2017 | Sketchbook: The Demos |
| Year | Singles |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Jealousy (with Liquidscreamer) |
| 2006 | Ali's Song (with Liquidscreamer) |
| 2010 | Hallelujah (solo work) |
| 2011 | Do Seek An Answer (solo work) |
| 2011 | Surrounded By Love (solo work) |
| 2012 | Insane (with Nikki Noodles) |
| 2013 | (I Need) A Hallelujah (with Nikki Noodles) |
| 2015 | Change The Record (with Nikki Noodles) |
| 2016 | Close That Door (solo work) |
| 2017 | What Am I Meant To Do With This Love? (solo work) |
| 2017 | Twenty Eight Days (solo work) |
| 2018 | Are You Coming Home? (solo work) |
| 2018 | All For Love (solo work) |
| 2019 | Tall Trees (solo work) |
| 2019 | You're So Hard On Me (solo work) |
| 2020 | Tomorrow's Brighter (solo work) |
| 2021 | Where Are You God? (solo work) |
| 2021 | WOMANKIND (solo work - instrumental) |
| 2021 | Starting Over Again (solo work) |
| 2022 | I Won't Rush You (solo work) |
| 2022 | Everything She Wants (solo work) |
| 2025 | Thaw (solo work - instrumental) |
| Year | Song arrangements for other artists |
|---|---|
| 2022 | A Homely Blessing (for Ruth Carlyle) |
| 2025 | Walking to the Beat of My Heart (for Ruth Carlyle) |
References
- ^ BBC. "Introducing .... Helen Sanderson-White". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ Groom, Phil (4 September 2010). "Rediscovering the Latin Mass: Helen Sanderson-White introduces The Sanctus Project". The Christian Bookshops Blog. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- ^ "About". Helen Sanderson White. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- ^ "Louder Than The Music - LTTM Awards 2013 - No. 6: Helen SandersonWhite - Sirens & Other Mysteries". Louderthanthemusic.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- ^ "Helen Sanderson White's New Promotional Push". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved 29 November 2016.