Press
Coverage of the 75th anniversary of NATO Gala at the Library of Congress, featuring "Dancing Queen" performed by Helena Hallberg on the dulcimer with the American Pops Orchestra
Coverage of and interview with Helena Hallberg headlining the 2024 Midwinter Folk Festival organized by the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, MN.
Helena Hallberg Sparks Joy With Single 'Surprisingly Disco'
by Michael Major for Broadway World
“Hallberg's jazz-centric musical path took a fascinating turn when she fell in love with American folk music and the traditional instruments that accompany it.
With her beloved Appalachian dulcimer, Henrietta, in hand, Hallberg brings this age-old instrument into the 21st century, spinning enchanting melodies into the fabric of her songs. Her crystalline vocals soar stratospherically, creating a spacious, cinematic sound as she turns every phrase inside out before delivering it expansively in her lush jazz, folk, and pop stylings. “
The Future of Swiss Music is Female
by Patricia Broder, Dominik Hug, and Laszlo Schneider for BLICK.ch
“Vielseitig ist dabei auch ihr Stil: Sie verbindet Elemente aus Jazz mit Folkmusik und Pop. Nebst ihrer glasklaren Stimme sind es vor allem aber Hallbergs Texte, die Gänsehaut erzeugen.”
”Her style is also diverse: she combines elements of jazz with folk music and pop. In addition to her crystal-clear voice, it is Hallberg's lyrics that give you goosebumps.”
"Hallberg’s vocal range is reminiscent of early Emmylou Harris and Joni Mitchell. Her writing is both thought-provoking and witty, with lyrics that focus on empowering oneself and others. Helena Hallberg has masterfully combined all these elements to create a stunning first album."
- Bust Magazine
“There’s no better way to close out Women’s History Month than with Epithet.”
- Melodic Magazine
"Well-crafted folk-pop"
- East of 8th
Helena Hallberg: Transcending Genres
Interview with Taylor Lane for Appalachian Preservation Project
“Hallberg called a workshop in Boone, NC where she spoke to luthier apprentice Clarence Eugene and discovered that the main luthier at the shop, Clarence McKinney, had passed away the day before from lung cancer.
Eugene later sent Hallberg her first dulcimer “Henrietta,” one of the last dulcimers made by McKinney before he passed.
“I take this tale all over the world where I play and it feels really nice because it’s a sad way to get into the style but it’s meaningful, for sure,” Hallberg said.
“One of the main objectives of my brand is to bring this instrument to a younger crowd,” Hallberg said. “I just finished recording an album that has the dulcimer on it and that’s why I’m doing TikTok, as well. This is the discussion I have with every dulcimer maker I meet, how do we bring this to a younger generation.”
Helena Hallberg’s “Cause I Can”: Imagining Acceptance
by Olivia Yarvis for Two Story Melody
“Cause I Can”’s magic lies in Hallberg’s ability to tell a story of self-acceptance in spite of one’s flaws in an imaginative manner that inspires listeners to do look inward and do the same. And whether the result of her stunningly clear vocals or due to the track’s feel-good folk nature, “Cause I Can” feels like a warm blanket that I’d to be wrapped up in indefinitely. Thus, as I escape into my own imagined alternate realities, I’ll rely on this song to take me there.
Helena Halberg releases pick-me-up single “Last Love”
by Justin Smith for NYS Music
If contemporary feminist acuity impaled the deck to lull and roar all together “I am not here to be your mother, I am not your teacher,” Hallberg’s “Last Love” is an ode to one’s own time. This time she cuts a mischievous long finger to self-realization in the full glory of independence.
Interview With Indie Music Discovery
by Joshua Smotherman
The song continues the artist’s exploration in her adamance of staying true to herself. “Last Love” unapologetically reinforces the immutable choice of refusing to waste love on someone who doesn’t deserve it. Through all troubled and happy times, sticking to your roots and knowing yourself well enough to realize when someone isn’t worth the trouble always prevails.
