Zyna Hel interview: Constellation Woman

The town of Pont-Audemer in Haute-Normandie was thankfully spared the devastation endured by neighbouring settlements during the D-Day landings and subsequent battle between the Allies and Nazi occupiers. Its historic half-timbered buildings and canal-lined streets give it an otherworldly feel; a perfect place then for children with fertile minds.

This was the home of Elisabeth Oswell, aka electro pop singer Zyna Hel, until the age of 12. She followed her parents across the channel from England and fell in love with this unique place. Her music, accompanied by a striking visual style, combine to create an ethereal atmosphere that a growing number of people are choosing to explore. 

“I’m really fascinated by the occult and consciousness,” she explains. “When I was eight, my dad brought home a book club catalogue, and told me I could have any book I wanted. I vividly recall finding this book called Le Pendule – meaning The Pendulum – all about dowsing. I’ve always had a strong connection to those things; I’ve read the tarot since I was 14. I’m really interested in Carl Jung and the collective consciousness.”

Zyna – pronounced Xena, like the Warrior princess – has released less than a handful of songs, but has already caused a stir; playing one of her first gigs at All Tomorrow’s Parties and a well-received appearance at the Wickerman Festival in July. She’s now ready to record her debut album with respected Glasgow producer Julian Corrie, having won a grant from Woman Make Music, part of the PRS for Music Foundation. It seems the ideal time to find out more about this singular performer. The Skinny meets Zyna on a weekday night in a Byres Road coffee shop; it’s so busy it more resembles a city centre bar on a Friday. “I thought it would be quiet!” she smiles.

Zyna Hel on Singing with Hush Arbors

Back to the name. Zyna means ‘the welcoming one’ and is from the Greek Xenia. Hel is the Norse goddess of the underworld. Glasgow has been home for several months. Previously, she lived in Brighton, studying music and visual arts, and singing with Hush Arbors, Keith Wood’s American psych-folk project. While the former provided valuable training, and the latter offered exciting opportunities to support the likes of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr, Zyna was set on pursuing her own musical vision.

“Hush Arbors was someone else’s music, someone else’s hard work," she recalls. "I realised I wanted to do something myself and I had to start writing my own music. It still feels like it’s not really a choice. If someone came along and told me to give this up I couldn’t; it’s a compulsion. I think creativity can be unpleasant. It’s this nebulous thing you have to chase and sometimes it’s not there. It can wake you up in the middle in the night. Especially when you haven’t made anything in a while, but then when you do create, it feels like nothing else.”

It was while living in Normandy that Zyna first tasted performance, courtesy of a son et lumière, an outdoor show in which the whole community was invited to take part. “People don’t separate what they do with their kids in the same way as they do in the UK. It’s a more open culture in so many ways. We would go out for dinner with our parents and just fall asleep at the table. When I moved back to the UK I found it quite jarring. I love the UK, but I feel a strong connection with French culture. I feel maybe that’s shaped my personality.”

As entertaining as it was, it was music – specifically the work of one French pop sensation – and not theatre group that really opened her eyes to boundless creative possibilities.

“The first time I remember being completely blown away by a performer was when I saw Mylène Farmer,” she enthuses. “She’s huge in France – but no one has heard of her here. She has this song about knowing she was a boy, written about a trans-woman. I thought it was a really powerful song, and there was such conviction in the way she delivered it. She was always kind of half-naked in her music videos, but not in a provocative way... she was just really comfortable with her sexuality. I was really blown away the first time I saw her. Every strong female performer gives me permission to do that myself.”

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One of Zyna’s songs already in circulation, Constellation Woman, provides an illuminating insight into the kind of themes she will explore on her album. 

“My songs are very personal, some of them are very feminist. That’s something that’s always been important to me. As a kid I loved Kate Bush – even though my mum wouldn’t let me play her as she hated her voice. I remember listening to Running Up That Hill under the covers and thinking she was talking about swapping roles with a man; I thought it was her power song about women getting to the top. I used to wonder why all bosses were men since I was tiny. I was very aware of the differences in the way girls and boys were treated. It felt so silly to me. I think that has fed itself into part of me.”

Following on from her love of Mylène Farmer and Kate Bush, Zyna Hel was gradually drawn to other strong female performers. 

“I loved Britney, Destiny’s Child, Madonna... all of those people have been a huge influence on me. Maybe not always musically, but in terms of being singularly themselves. I loved Alison Goldfrapp. My mum used to say to me: ‘When I was growing up, I could either be a cook or a secretary.’ She wasn’t from a rich family. I guess maybe my generation are some of the first who can decide to go out and do what we want to. It might still be hard, it might still be a journey for all sorts of reasons, but there aren’t the same sorts of external limitations for the most part.”

Catacombs, Blanck Mass and Record Labels

Upcoming single Catacombs was produced by Ben Power, better known as one half of Fuck Buttons, and now recording as Blanck Mass. It’s illustrative of the dark, enchanting electro that provides an ideal backdrop for Zyna Hel’s unique vocals. She has already built up a solid working relationship with Corrie, who will oversee the recording of her first LP this month. “I’ve worked with so many people; I’m such a perfectionist,” she smiles. “The music might sound good, but there’s no point if it doesn’t feel right. I’ve worked with people who have done some amazing things and it’s just not felt right. I think Julian has an insight into my music.”

While the album is still some way off from being released, the music industry has already taken notice. 

“I’m already speaking to some labels but I’m not supposed to talk too much about that,” she laughs. “I’m only going to go with a label if it feels right. I have a very strong idea of what I want and I would only go with a label who were on board with that. One of the downsides of how the music industry is changing is that labels don’t take the chance to develop artists anymore. They don’t give them the chance to see what they can really do. More and more artists are having to incubate themselves. People making music now have to be tenacious. You have to love it. It’s fucking hard work, because you’re having to do it yourself. Things have really shifted in the last 10 years.”

Those who have been fortunate to witness one of Zyna Hel’s rare live shows – “I haven’t played loads as I’ve been developing the music and the visual aspect” – will have an idea of what to expect from her album when it does appear. Yet the only person who really knows what’s in store is Zyna herself. “I want to create a world that other people can step into,” she says. “Maybe it’s because of growing up in a world where you feel you don’t belong, so you create a world where you feel safe and comfortable in – but also because it’s really fun. For me that’s what great art does – it creates a space and atmosphere of its own.”