SINGER-SONGWRITER Helen Connelly has another busy summer ahead of her.

Not only does she have a raft of gigs to perform, she’s also promoting her latest single, which itself is a taster of her new EP due out later this year.

Do You Remember marks a bit of a change in musical direction for Helen following the release of her debut, EP Love, Life and Lyricality, which came out in 2015.

She said: “That EP really drew on my love of soul, jazz, blues and R’n’B and I suppose was quite folky in an acoustic kind of way. The new songs when they first formed in my head were quite epic sounding so when I went back into the studio I wanted to see if I could replicate that.

“I’m so pleased with how they turned out because although they still have those touches of blues and jazz, they also have that big sound I was hoping for.”

With her new big sound, Helen has also changed the way she performs.

“I was doing a lot of acoustic sets on my own,” she explains, “and I still perform like that but to do the new songs justice I knew I needed a band behind me.

“That’s why I got a group together which is Wayne Thompson on drums; A J Kemp on guitar and Charlie Fisher on bass.”

Helen, from Wivenhoe, discovered her talent for singing quite by chance when she was introduced to musician Kirsty Morgan.

Last Saturday Helen played the Rayne Music Festival and next up is at Traitors Gate Pub in Grays on August 3; Mimosa Restaurant in Colchester on August 12; and then Smoke and Fire Music Festival in Maldon on August 20.

For more information visit www.helenconnellymusic.com.