Words by Sara Cederberg
The Brighton, UK-based Helen Ganya’s new album, Share Your Care, takes the lush, art-pop sensibilities of her 2022 release polish the machine, and blends them with the delicate tones of traditional Thai instrumentation inspired by the memory of her late grandmother. Layering ethereal synths with the ranat ek, saw duang, khim, and pi, she weaves a sonic tapestry that honors her Thai heritage while creating a bold, cinematic, and ethereal sound.
Across its 13 tracks, Ganya’s music balances introspection and celebration in equal measure. Co-produced by Rob Flynn and enriched by contributions from Thai musicians such as Artit Phonron and Chinnathip Poollap, Share Your Care emerges as a deeply moving personal exploration of identity, grief, and ancestral connection that finds catharsis and joy in memory.
Off Shelf: Your new record, Share Your Care, weaves Thai instrumentation into your established sonic palette. Can you talk about the decision to draw on your heritage in such a direct way and how incorporating instruments like the ranat ek or pi shaped both the emotional and creative process for this record?
Helen Ganya: For a long time, I purposefully avoided drawing on my heritage musically in my songwriting. I think a lot of people from mixed cultural backgrounds feel a need and importance to integrate into the culture they’re in, and that can mean sacrificing certain things. I think my return to living in the U.K. fifteen years ago made me avoid anything that would draw attention to my Thai side. But I realized quickly – especially when COVID hit – that a lot of that perception was outside of my control anyway. After my grandmother died in 2021, I felt an immediacy to hold on to that part of myself in some way, and the best way for me to reflect is always songwriting. So, it was a very natural and subconscious process to delve back into the sounds of my childhood as a way of retaining those memories of my Thai family.
OS: How did channeling grief and reflection into these new songs impact your writing process, and did revisiting those childhood memories in Thailand bring unexpected moments of clarity or healing?
HG: My grandmother’s death shocked me in a profound way. As the last grandparent to pass, it marked a generation gone, and it triggered the need for me to remember and reflect on my connection to Thailand. I wanted to remember vividly those childhood times spent mainly visiting family. Childhood memories can feel magical in some ways already; time feels different, and you can’t always define it clearly, almost like dreams. To turn some of those memories into songs was where I could use my present-day interpretation of what I remember to reflect on and add meaning to them.
OS: Initially, you hesitated to embrace your Thai roots in your music out of concern for an “orientalizing” gaze. What helped you break through that apprehension, and how has exploring your cultural identity enriched — or challenged — your songwriting?
HG: I still feel hesitant in some ways. Incorporating Thai instruments was a natural process, as their sounds defined my childhood, and they made sense in the songwriting process, but I can see how it may seem performative or self-conscious to those who don’t understand or experience the fragmented nature of mixed cultural backgrounds. I decided I had to stop analyzing how others may misinterpret this project and just do what feels right.
OS: The title track, “Share Your Care,” draws from childhood memories of visiting your grandfather’s grave. How did you translate those deeply personal experiences into a song that resonates more universally, and what role do you hope memory and ancestry play in connecting with your listeners?
HG: The journey to finding my grandfather’s grave always felt magical and transformative. The act of spending time to visit those who have passed and to acknowledge their existence, I feel is a universal one. Whatever the complicated feelings, we take the time to share, connect, mourn, and celebrate.
OS: Many of your previous works grapple with existential and sometimes darker themes, yet you mention a desire to foster community and collective responsibility here. How did that sense of community — both in your own life and the broader world — influence the tone and direction of Share Your Care?
HG: Making Share Your Care allowed me to meet and collaborate with creatives from Thailand who I never would have met otherwise. For a long time, my connection to Thailand was only through family but I had a desire to meet other creatives around my age who were interested in similar ideas and themes as me and to forge a connection with the country outside of family.
My tendency to explore darker existential themes in my music is almost like a response to society’s lack of community and collectivism. Where does music sit now in an unstable world and in the structures that seek to over-commodify its creation?
OS: Comparing this new album to your earlier records, such as Vanishing Lands, in what ways do you feel your artistic vision and approach to production have evolved? Are there particular influences or methods you leaned into this time around that surprised you? From the standpoint of the listener, Share Your Care exudes a confident, cinematic, and dreamlike sound that I can’t get enough of!
HG: I’m not sure if my artistic vision has changed that much. I’ve always felt it best to just follow my intuition and hope for the best! However my interest in sound and production has changed – and hopefully improved – since the times of Vanishing Lands. I feel a little more loose in creating music and what defines a song and its structure. I instead want to create a space for sounds to sit and interweave.
OS: Thailand has a rich musical legacy — from classical and folk music to rock, jazz, and funk that perfectly weaved in traditional Thai melodies. I stumbled upon a compilation some time ago, Sound of Siam – Leftfield Luk Thung, Jazz & Molam in Thailand 1964-1975, that was just incredible. Are there any classic or new Thai albums/artists you’d recommend — particularly those that influenced this record?
HG: The record label, Zudrangma in Bangkok is amazing and is a treasure trove of traditional Thai, funk and disco. The field recordings of John Moore. I’d also encourage you to check out the compilation, Ayo Ke Disco – also from Soundway Records. The wonderful north-east Thai singer, Pumpuang Duangjan. And lastly, the modern electronic sounds of Lafidki, who runs the record label Chinabot.