Helen Shanahan Releases Stunning Cover Of Tim Minchin's 'The Aeroplane'

Perth-based folk singer-songwriter Helen Shanahan is sharing her hauntingly beautiful cover of Tim Minchin’s ‘The Aeroplane’ with the world on Friday, October 4.

For those new to her world, Helen Shanahan is an indie folk singer-songwriter, graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and winner of the 2018 Western Australian Music Industry ‘Song of the Year’ award for her song ‘I Only Hide’. Helen has become known and adored for her haunting, emotive vocals, with her previous releases drawing extensive praise from Rolling Stone, Pilerats, AAA Backstage and much more.

The past few years have been a journey for Helen Shanahan. In 2021, she started her motherhood journey with the birth of her daughter Bonnie, and in the same year provided backing vocals for Tim Minchin and Missy Higgins. In 2022, she set her sophomore album 'Canvas' free into the world to much acclaim, with Jeff Jenkins of STACK Magazine describing it as “poetic and damn near perfect”. In 2023, she was nominated for WAM Folk act of the year, and 2024 has already seen her supporting Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett and writing for ARIA award-winning artists Vika and Linda Bull.

Her collaborations with iconic Australian musician Tim Minchin created the perfect foundation for this track, a cover of his song ‘The Aeroplane’ which he wrote for season two of his award-winning show Upright.

This tender, emotional song explores themes of unconditional love and support, and Helen Shanahan’s emotion packed vocals and beautiful range combines with that to create what Tim Minchin himself has described as “absolutely gorgeous”.  The gentle acoustic guitar at the start of the song melts to soft electric riffs, paired with slow and steady drums that build up the pure feeling of the song.

This song holds a special place in Helen’s heart, almost mirroring her life at the moment:“The song resonates deeply with me, especially now, with my second baby due just weeks after its release. The lyrics, ‘any fuel or any fire will do / I will fly to you,’ carry a special meaning for me.”

Get lost in Helen Shanahan’s hauntingly beautiful voice with her cover of Tim Minchin’s ‘The Aeroplane’, available on Friday, October 4.