Helen Mottee
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Helen Mottee

Wauchope, New South Wales, Australia | SELF

Wauchope, New South Wales, Australia | SELF
Solo Folk Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"World Refugee Day in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, and Hong Kong (a city built by refugees)"

Sarah Cornish at Christian Action in Hong Kong invites all to their World Refugee Day event at the Fringe Club:

"Please attend our World Refugee Day event at the Fringe Club!

"The evening will include film shorts and asylum monologues performances, live music inspired by the plight of refugees and the opportunity to buy handmade fair trade refugee products from across the world. You can also view our exhibition of photographs, artwork and poetry by and about asylum seekers and refugees in Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong is a city built by refugees –brave individuals trying to escape violence, persecution and poverty in search of a better life. Today, Hong Kong is still a place where desperate people arrive in hopes of asylum. But their lives, and the intense difficulties they face, are often invisible. Our exhibition “A Sense of Asylum” seeks to raise awareness about contemporary refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong.

Live performance of the song "Do You"
by Helen Mottee

Helen is a songwriter / singer / pianist from Australias who focuses on social justice and humanitarian issues. Her new song, "Do You", has been written for and about refugees and has been inspired not only by the situation of asylum seekers and refugees in Hong Kong, but also by the horrific ongoing IDP and refugee crises in Darfur and Burma.

Helen's message for World Refugee Day: 'If you know, you are responsible. Tell the stories, paint the pictures, write the letters and become a friend to these people - Kyoto Journal


"MUSICOZ 2002 FINALISTS"

RnB/Soul
1. Helen Mottee - The Told Me This Is Africa
2. Ill Defined - Everyday
3. BNA Productions - Other Man
4. Alouisa Loughran - Only A Dream
5. Mischevez Mindz - Stop Runnin'
6. Evelyn Duprai - Keep On Moving
7. Cachet - Wonder
8. Cooke Club - Big Trouble
9. Jenne - Livin
10. Lauren Mills - You Make Me Love You

Christian/Religious/Gospel
1. Jenne - Noth'n But
2. Jane Chifley - Father Why Are You Sleeping
3. Elissa C. Wills - You're Breaking Me
4. Helen Motee - For Eternity
5. Aliki Flodine - Wisdom
6. Tania G - Desert Sands
7. Deidi Vine - Grateful
8. Kelby Bruno - Heaven
9. Lyndon Wesley - Life Extraordinary
10. Soul Frame - Walk Away - Musicoz


"Songwriter of the year"


2001
Helen Mottee
Songwriter of the Year 2001

From Wauchope, NSW, Helen has been writing songs since her late teens, and has worked as a professional pianist since the age of 21. Of her songwriting, she says: "ideas and stories come and I have to express them in what I feel is hopefully the most poignant way I can. I have been told by many that I am a storyteller in my music and I guess that's a dominant focus in my songwriting." Certainly her poignancy comes through her songs, and her capacity to convey ideas in an original way was one of the things that earned her her title as Songwriter of the Year. The song "Two People", which won first prize in the Sacred category, moved the co-writer of this article to tears, for reasons she couldn't even explain. Helen is modest, and is only just beginning to realise the power of her songs. It took two phonecalls from the National Office to convince Helen that she was in fact Songwriter of the Year! When told of her win, Helen said "But I'm just a wife and mother and a part time musician!". She must have had some inkling, though, because her album has almost sold out as a result of 2CBA Sydney airplay of "They Told Me This Is Africa". Her song "They Told me This Is Africa", which won ahead of 650 songs in the Pop/Ballad category, was directly inspired by the 13 months she spent living and working in Zimbabwe. In December 1990, Helen gave up a full time piano bar job in a hotel in Sydney for a teaching position in a little school in Eiffel Flats, which is a mining town about an hour's drive west of Harare. Ironically, it is this transition which helped her to become the 2001 ASA Songwriter of the Year, as Africa provided the life experience which produced her winning song. Helen formed a singing duo with an English girl while there, and it was her singing partner's comment about something Helen saw whilst travelling back to Eiffel Flats that became the title of the song. As Helen remarked on something, her partner said " Helen, my love, This is Africa!" The song was written about 2 weeks after returning to Australia in 1992. "Two People", Helen says, "was inspired by a true story told me by my close friend Shelley about this peasant women in Russia and how she had found God, and a science report I saw several years ago where the physicist was doing just exactly what I've described in the song. The idea of combining their 2 stories fermented in my mind for quite some months before I sat down one afternoon and the whole song....lyrics and music came within an hour." Of the future, Helen says "My hopes are to just keep writing, playing and singing wherever the doors open." One of her greatest dreams is for the Africa songs to go back to where they were inspired from and to be heard by the people there. She says: "I would love to send Nelson Mandela this song but have no idea how to get it to him..." So if anyone out there can help, please contact Helen, and help her dream come true! - Australian Songwriter's Association


Discography

Helen has released 4 albums: "They Told Me This Is Africa", "Crosswind", "The Cry" and "Letters from the 5th Estate".
"Letters from the 5th Estate", was launched in Hong Kong, in partnership with the UNHCR, in a concert on June 20th, 2008 on World Refugee Day.
Several of Helen's songs from all 4 albums have radio play in Australia and the USA.
The most widely played song to date is 'They Told Me This Is Africa', the title song of the first album.
You can hear some of Helen's songs on Jango and SoundCloud.

Photos

Bio

Helen is a songwriter/singer/ pianist from
Australia. She has worked as a professional musician throughout Australia and New Zealand and also in Zimbabwe.
During recent years her focus in song writing has been on social justice and humanitarian issues, and she has had the privilege of visiting many countries, and aid projects within those countries, which have influenced her writing.
One of the most significant trips Helen has made was to Afghanistan in November 2005. She was privileged to visit outlying rural areas with medical teams and experience the realities of the endless war zone this country has become.
This has influenced not only her song writing, but her desire to be more involved in the sending of aid.
Helen also has a deep passion to speak out for refugees and internally displaced persons, particularly in Burma and North Korea.
Helen’s year in Zimbabwe inspired her first album, “They Told Me This Is Africa”
The title song won the contemporary ballad category in the Australian Songwriter’s Association Annual song writing contest in 2001.
Another of her songs won the Sacred Song category and she was named the Songwriter of the Year.
The following year, “They Told Me This Is Africa” won the Rhythm and Blues category of the Australian Musicoz National contest.
Helen’s third album, “The Cry” was released in 2005 and reflects the issues and concerns she was confronted with in trips undertaken throughout Asia.
Her song “Don’t Tell Me” has been recorded by one of Australia’s premier youth choirs and in 2004 made it into the Top 5 in its category in the Musicoz annual awards.
Helen is passionate about sharing the stories and songs that have come out of having her eyes and heart opened to the needs of so many in this world.
Helen’s 4th album, “Letters from the 5th Estate” was launched in Hong Kong on June 20th, 2008 on World Refugee Day, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR).
Helen is now working on her second gospel album.
Influences in music are Keith Green, Chris Rice, Carole King, Michael Card, Blossom Dearie, World music artists.
You can visit Helen’s website,
www.helenmottee.com
and also hear some of her songs on Jango and SoundCloud.

Band Members