For Helly Shah, the journey from a “chaotic household” in the quiet city of Bharuch to the electric stages of Mumbai has been anything but linear. In an exclusive sit-down for unstumbled, the spoken-word sensation opens up about her latest tour, Marriage Material, the internal “Great War” of choosing art over a steady paycheck, and how she finally decided to stop being the narrator of her life and start being the main character.
From School Debates to Spoken Word
Helly’s realization that words possess a unique gravity started in her school days through participating in debates, drama, and recitations. Despite a natural stage fright, the feeling of a room falling silent as she shared her thoughts made her realize the power of the stage. Beyond performance, her love for reading fiction and non-fiction as a child shaped her understanding of how words can move a person, even on paper.
Her professional transition began in 2017 with her first open mic at a venue in Mumbai. Watching peers in the burgeoning scene, she began to understand that she wasn’t just a poet — she was a performer. She recalls picking up nuances from colleagues like Amandeep, realizing that the space between poems is just as important as the poems themselves.
The “Great War” Within
Choosing poetry as a career wasn’t just about external support – which her parents provided in abundance – but about winning an internal battle. While her father was surprised and supportive when her first video hit a million views, Helly struggled with the “external tension” of watching her peers pursue Master’s degrees and corporate jobs.
“You have to find the right balance between critiquing yourself and being kind to yourself,” she explains. Living without a monthly salary and constantly reinventing her art to stay relevant is a reality she faces every day. For Helly, the reward isn’t a “system” of treats; the reward is the rush of making a room full of people happy.
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The Evolution: Marriage Material
If her previous tour, 25 & Single, was about navigating a quarter-life crisis, Marriage Material is a deeper exploration of internal pressures.
Why This Show is Different:
- The Main Character Shift: Helly has moved from sharing stories she already lived to sharing the story she is currently living. She now aims to provide the raw, unfiltered version of herself rather than just “polished” performances.
- Bridging the Gap: The show aims to address the silences in families. Helly wants to bridge the generational gap, starting conversations in the “awkward pauses” families often have regarding responsibilities and dreams.
- Universal World-Building: Helly approaches her tour by building a world that feels personal yet universal. It targets the childhood and daily lives familiar to anyone who grew up in India.
- A Living Show: The performance is not static; it evolves every night. Helly views it as a culmination of her self-work that will grow as she does.
Experience the evolution yourself – you can grab your tickets for the Marriage Material tour here.
Rapid Fire: The Full Breakdown
We put Helly in the hot seat to get a glimpse into her creative process and personal favorites.
- Metric or Rhyme? Rhyme; she loves a good rhyme.
- Pen and paper or Phone notes app? Pen and paper.
- The hardest poem to perform emotionally? “The year no one loved me”.
- Favorite Taylor Era? Folklore.
- Midnight or 2 AM for writing? Neither – she is a morning person and prefers 6 AM or 7 AM.
- A word you’re currently overusing? Khwaab (Dream).
- The “Marriage Material” vibe in one color? Vermilion red — the color of Sindoor and Lal Joda.
- Chai or Coffee while drafting? Coffee; she is currently on a “probationary” trial with black coffee.
- A perfect metaphor or a devastatingly simple truth? A devastatingly simple truth.
- A song to perform as spoken word? “You’re on your own, kid” or “This is me trying”.
- One city on tour you’re most excited for? Bangalore for the receptive crowds, but Gujarat and Mumbai because they represent the beginning and ending “at home”.
- The first poem you ever memorized? William Blake’s “Auguries of Innocence” and the Hindi classic “Hum Panchi Unmukta Gagan Ke”.
- The tour in exactly three words? Honest, Brave, and Heartfelt.
Advice to Her Younger Self
Looking back at the girl from a small town who felt she had to dream “within her class boundaries,” Helly has one definitive piece of advice: “Stop editing your own dreams”. By embracing her bilingual writing and refusing to box herself into audience expectations, she has found that honest work always finds its audience.
