"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. Yet 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.

Since her first appearances in front of a wider audience Helin-Mari has received a very warm welcome. As the jazz singer Mare Väljataga, her teacher in the Georg Ots Music School has said, Helin-Mari quickly found her personal approach to music and she has always had something to say to her listeners. The message is often delivered by interpreting other authors' songs, but Helin-Mari has also songs of her own. In 2003 and 2004, she successfully took part of the Uno Naissoo Competition for Young Composers and came in second and first respectively. One of her first songs, "Väike päike" ("Up Above"), was also used in the film by Sulev Keedus, "Somnambuul".

After receiving a nomination for 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 participated at various festivals in Estonia, Finland and Switzerland (Montreux) and toured with many celebrated jazz musicians in Estonia, Finland, Sweden, France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Her past studies at the Tartu University often allow Helin-Mari to thrill her audience by singing the songs in their original language. 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. The musicians who work with Helin-Mari share
this love. Together with Teet Raik on the acoustic guitar and Ara Yaralyan on the double bass, a trio was formed in 2001.

In December 2003 Helin-Mari and her trio released their first CD "Hetk vaikust" ("A Moment of Silence"), where many Estonian tunes were also interpreted with a gentle bossa nova touch. Working together has been very important to the trio and currently they are about to release their second CD "Su aknast näen" ("From Your Window"). This time in co-operation with the saxophone player Siim Aimla and the drummer Ahto Abner, it brings listeners a collage from jazzy Estonian tunes, jazz standards and bossa novas in many languages. This year also sees Helin-Mari touring Estonia with her trio and other musicians with the concerts "Meu Brasil" and “Mu süda ärka üles” ("Wake up My Heart").