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In this candid conversation, Mancunian artist Helen Mac opens up about her long-awaited album Precipice – a deeply personal body of work shaped over more than a decade and out now via Now Listen. From its origins in intimate bedroom recordings during lockdown to its evolution in the studio, the album captures a journey marked by resilience, vulnerability and creative honesty. Helen reflects on the emotional weight behind standout tracks like “Undergone” and “Precipice”, sharing how experiences of love, loss, mental health and rebuilding have informed her songwriting. As she steps forward with her most authentic release to date, Precipice stands as both a culmination of years of growth and a powerful statement of survival, courage and hope.
Vents Magazine: Precipice feels like a long time coming, with songs written over more than a decade – when you listen back now, what does this album represent to you at this point in your life?
Helen Mac: That’s an interesting question! When discussions started about what songs were going to go on this album in about May last year, I was sat with a group of friends and listened to “Precipice”, “Spirit” and “Undergone”. I was struck by how relevant the material was to my life at that time. My husband needing years of dialysis where I was providing care at home. He finally had a kidney transplant in June of last year. It was more difficult for him, but it was hard for me! I did feel like I was “just about holding things together” which is what someone said recently about Precipice. If you listen to “Teenage Princesses”, the subject matter regarding people’s use of, and retreating into social media and gaming, is more relevant now than when I wrote it in 2020. Some songs have come full circle from when they were written. Unfortunately when you have bipolar disorder, “history” might not repeat itself, but how you feel about yourself and place in the world does repeat itself. That’s fairly unavoidable. So it has been a journey but it’s still relevant.
Vents Magazine: You’ve mentioned that some of these songs began as bedroom recordings during Covid and later evolved in the studio – how did that shift in environment shape the sonic identity of the album?
Helen Mac: The overall identity wasn’t vastly changed as Chris Hughes (my producer) adds production in a way that’s sympathetic to the songs that I bring to him, which were mainly piano/vocal with layered harmonies and some ideas for production. Chris then worked to create a very polished production, which I couldn’t achieve at home and without his skills. The writing and recording process was different for each song, so some songs were recorded and produced completely in the studio and some mostly at home. I recorded a lot of the vocals at home and some of the effects were sang in. I didn’t expect to take it into the studio at first, so the vocal production in “Precipice” for example was created the same way someone like Kate Bush would have had to create effects as the technology wasn’t available. I just didn’t know how to use the tech! This was all kept in and definitely part of the sonic identity of the album.
Vents Magazine: There’s a real sense of honesty running through Precipice – was there a moment where you consciously decided to lean fully into that vulnerability, or did it happen more instinctively?
Helen Mac: Yes, it wasn’t a decision, it just happened. I would say, you have to lean completely into the vulnerability or there’s no point in creating the art. I feel like it would be pointless otherwise. I was going to say that I always just go with what happens but that isn’t true! There have been times during the writing process when I have made conscious decisions on whether to “go there” or not. The vast majority of the time I’ll go with the truth however harsh it is. If I’m not going to go down the road 100%, the song has to get binned off completely.
Vents Magazine: The focus track “Undergone” is incredibly raw and powerful – what was it like revisiting that period of your life while writing and recording it?
Helen Mac: Ahh thank you! The thing is with “Undergone” I’ve heard it loads of times. I wrote it in 2014 and recorded it in 2020 at home, so there was only the strings added in the studio. It’s been one of my favourite songs (of mine), so I had become a bit, not “numb” to it, or used to the emotion, but I’ve always felt it as a positive song, about liberty. Funnily enough, when we started shooting the video, this year, the very first run through we did, I started crying out of the blue! So there must be some scrap of humanity left in me! The worst track on the album for getting emotional is “Underneath the Rainbow Parachute”! But that’s another story.
Vents Magazine: That song touches on leaving a controlling relationship and starting again – how did music help you process that transition and reclaim your sense of self?
Helen Mac: Massively. This was one of the most creative times in my life. I had a proper piano at the time which helps with writing. (I haven’t always had one, due to circumstances, where I’m living etc. I’ve had an electric piano but it’s not the same.) I wrote a lot of songs and spent all my free time in the studio. My daughter was 3 years old and she would spend time with her dad, and on those days I would always be in the studio. I was in central Manchester and felt part of the music scene again. I would do open mic in the jazz bars. I had moved back in with my parents and had no money or job, so I started hosting parties for kids at the weekends where I would dress up as Cinderella or Elsa from Frozen and sing all the princess songs. As Ruby’s mum, we sang and danced and went to play centres! And everything else was music. I look back at this time with a sense of affection and pride.
Vents Magazine: The title track “Precipice” is another powerful moment on the album – can you talk about the experience of writing that song and how it came together?
Helen Mac: The writing process was different than usual. I usually start on the piano, get an idea and then write a song based on inspiration from the piano parts, but I wrote “Precipice” in my head and worked the piano part out after, like I would with a cover? If that makes sense!? In all honesty, it’s the only song I’ve ever written when I could hear it completely finished, before putting anything down. I took it into the studio with all the vocals done, a beat and a baseline and possibly strings. Loads of vocals meant to sound like instrumentation, like the plucked strings, which Chris left in. He changed the beat (I wanted it to be like a strict tempo Rumba) and added more intricate production. We did about 5 masters before being happy with it.
Vents Magazine: Across the album, there’s this thread of survival and accountability alongside hope – did those themes emerge naturally over time, or did you find yourself shaping the tracklist around them?
Helen Mac: I think both? The subject matters did change over these years in accordance with what was happening to me and in the wider world, but we did shape the tracklist to form a journey. We started off with about 17 tracks and made last minute cuts so that we had this particular set of songs in this order. Weirdly the tracklist also works back to front. Where the album currently starts on the “Precipice” and ends with the serenity of “Waves”, it could also start with “Waves” and end on the “Precipice”!
Vents Magazine: Having spent years refining your craft before releasing this body of work, do you feel like Precipice marks a new chapter for you artistically or more of a culmination of everything that came before?
Helen Mac: It’s the end of that chapter. I’ve started recording my new album which is pretty much written. The new material is different. I’m nearly 49, I’m very different, life is completely different from when I wrote Precipice. I have to be true to that in the music I create. I’m no longer in the buzz of the music scene in the city, but I still have a lot to write about that people relate to.
Vents Magazine: Now that these songs are out in the world, what are you hoping listeners take away from them, especially those who might see parts of their own story reflected in yours?
Helen Mac: I think to remember that very few troubles are permanent. Sometimes we go round in circles, but these circles count and we learn something every time. Most of us are just doing the best that we can with the cards we’ve been dealt. If you relate, let the song move you, and have a good cry, you will feel better after! And know you are not alone.
Vents Magazine: What’s next for you? Is there anything in the pipeline that you’re excited about?
Helen Mac: I’m just grateful that Precipice is being heard. And the new album is in production with 3 songs nearly finished. There’s a possibility that there’ll be a third single from Precipice and I’ll make another video. I’m also looking at a co-write with one of my music idols! We’ll have to wait and see about that.
