Scott Helman, a 2020 JUNO nominee for Single of the Year (‘Hang Ups’), has established himself as one of Canada’s leading songwriters whose versatility promises a limitless ceiling. The Toronto artist has toured around the world with the likes of Shawn Mendes, Vance Joy and Tegan and Sara, and has collaborated with Alessia Cara, Blas Cantó and Hunter Hayes. The release of ‘Papa’ follows the explosive launch of Scott’s current single ‘Wait No More,’ which was the #1 most added song at Canadian radio upon its release in May and continues to rise up the charts each week. Touching base on his new single ‘Papa,’ Scott recently opened up on the tribute to his late grandfather.
“This album is mostly about me – my changes, my growth, my hardships, my celebrations, my fears, my courage and my love,” says Scott. “It encapsulates many of the winding roads of my life, how they’ve diverged and converged to create a tapestry, and it documents the lessons that tapestry has taught me. If each person has a sanctuary within – a place they can return to where things make sense, where the tides are kind, where colours are bright and their lives feel meaningful – I think we all have a physical destination too where those things manifest. For me that place was the large park just down the road from my Papa’s house in Sutton, UK – Nonsuch Park. It was here where we would walk and cackle at awful jokes, lean in for the stories, make peace with our busy lives and draw meaning from the lessons we had learned since our last visit (made all the more powerful by the fact that we only had a couple more days together).”
“If my past works have been displays of discovery, this work is a declaration – a declaration of love, meaning, questions and truth, and it is all dedicated to you, Papa. Thank you for helping me piece together the fragments of my life and giving me the space to do it.” – Scott Helman
