The Soulstress Returns: Helena May’s Electric Summer With "Side Effects"

June 30, 2025

The Soulstress Returns: Helena May’s Electric Summer With "Side Effects"

With a velvet thunder voice and grooves that undulate through the soul, Helena May is an old hand at the spotlight. From UK 's top neon-lit venues to Europe's chic, jazz-drenched watering corners, she's established herself as the "Blue-Eyed Funky Soulstress." Her Brit-Funk vibe is like a total revamp—supercharged with energy but still smooth and elegant.

2024 has been an important year. On Puzzle Pieces: Side A, Helena dropped four fiery singles securing awards such as 'Track of the Week' on Jazz FM and a spot on the prestigious A List at Austria's Superfly Radio. The sound? Classic roots with finesse. Live performances and interviews on BBC Radio London clinched it. "That was great," Robert Elms stated. "She's on my 'Ones To Watch' list," Simon Phillips of Jazz FM affirmed.

Now, as summer's sunlight stretches long along the horizons, Helena May presents Side Effects, the first release on Puzzle Pieces: Side B. It's funk with a purpose, soul with attitude—straightforward, unvarnished, and irresistibly catchy. Her voice cuts through the track like sunlight on water, atop a funky horn section and a bassline that doesn't walk so much as it struts. There's poise, there's grit, and above all, there's groove.

It's the kind of track you'll catch yourself rolling down the windows and driving into the heat of July. Produced by Helena herself and producer Fabian Wollner at Vienna's Sheep Hill Studios, and mastered by London legend Stuart Hawkes, Side Effects is a statement. A reminder that funk never died, but instead acquired a new coat of swagger. If you need the soundtrack to your sunrise or your next midnight getaway, Helena May's got you covered—bold, brilliant, and unmistakably hers.