In a house in the woods about 40 miles west of Cleveland, Hooked Like Helen began as the musical brainstorms of husband-and-wife, Jon and Nikki Stipp. The band’s home- recorded 2019 five song EP, Tragedy of Physics was co-produced by Nikki and GRAMMY award-winning Isha Erskine (Ziggy Marley, The Black Eyed Peas) and garnered international attention. The music video for the angsty- beautiful piano ballad “Liar” premiered on Radio Disney platforms and the song was included on the Motion Picture Soundtrack for High Strung: Free Dance. The film – starring Thomas Doherty (Disney’s Descendants 2 and 3), and Jane Seymour – was released on Netflix on May 31st 2020, and prominently features “Liar” in an emotional, groundbreaking dance sequence choreographed by Tyce Diorio (So You Think You Can Dance, Taylor Swift’s “ME!”).
Hooked Like Helen’s roots in sync placement in film and television run deep. Nikki custom wrote music for 9 scenes in the wildly popular 3-time Emmy-winning Netflix docu-series, CHEER and lent several instrumentals to scenes in Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts (recently nominated for a 2022 Sports Emmy) via a work- for-hire contract with BMG. Previously, Hooked Like Helen songs “Get Well”, “Surface Break”, and “Concrete Tub” were placed on MTV’s Unlocking The Truth. “Surface Break” was also featured in the poignant final segment of Davis Guggenheim’s The Dream Is Now.
Hooked Like Helen has been the recipient of several prestigious music awards and nominations including the HMMA’s. Nikki and Jon were honored with Duo Of The
Year and EP Of The Year at the 6th and 7th annual Josie Music Awards respectively in 2020 and 2021. Hooked Like Helen has also had the honor of being named a winner in the International Songwriting Competition and its sister, Unsigned Only, two years in a row.
Hooked Like Helen recently joined the family at RSK, a Nashville-based artist management firm headed by Ryan McMahan. The duo is currently collaborating with several talented and well-established producers in Music City including the multi GRAMMY award-winning, platinum-selling Skidd Mills and the brilliant Noah Henson (Pillar, Brantley Gilbert).
Hooked Like Helen’s music embodies a unique vein of alternative; dark lyrical themes of existential pondering provide an eerie contrast to HLH’s sonic sensibilities in a timeless, ageless context in which melody reigns supreme. Lush, layered harmonies and intricate baselines carry the songs of Hooked Like Helen through a slightly sad world view, always with a groove and a constant sense of Pop.