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Biography
"Helin-Mari Arder is one of the few singers helping to soothe the drought in Estonian jazz-singing," wrote the Estonian music critic Joosep Sang in December 2002. Then Helin-Mari had just started her take off as a jazz vocalist. By now she is considered one of the most outstanding young Estonian jazz-singers. Her roots are in classical music as she started her music studies playing the violin, singing in choirs and in a children's music theatre. She was drawn back to music after her studies of French language and literature at the Tartu University, but this time it was jazz and pop music.
Helin-Mari sings in several languages and also composes the songs of her own. The most known is her song "Väike päike" (Up Above). In addition to Estonian, English and Finnish, she sings in French, Italian and also Portuguese. Although jazz standards are closest to her heart, she also loves French chanson and Brasilian bossa nova and samba. After receiving a nomination of the best jazz-singer at the Nõmme Jazz Festival (2001), Helin-Mari was invited to the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland. Since then she has toured with many celebrated musicians in Europe, Russia and USA.
