Getting To Know: Eden Rain

Prepare to dive into the fascinating world of Eden Rain, a Yorkshire native whose musical journey is a delightful blend of childhood sing-alongs and a teenage talent show epiphany. Raised in the heart of Yorkshire, Eden humorously likens her early musical upbringing to a "Von Trapp vibe," where long car journeys were enlivened by family sing-alongs to homemade mixtapes, and multi-part harmonies were the soundtrack of her formative years. It was, as she reminisces with a hint of nostalgia, a "wholesome relationship with music."

Yet, it wasn't until she took the stage at a talent show at the tender age of 13, delivering Carole King's "You've Got A Friend," that the pieces of the musical puzzle started to fall into place. Singing in that spotlight sparked a connection between writing and performing in her young mind, setting the stage for a remarkable musical journey.

Eden's evolution into the confident artist we see today is a testament to the authenticity of her creative path. She openly recalls a time of "overthinking it a lot," attempting to fit into existing musical niches, and ultimately feeling empty. It's the journey to embracing her unique, unpolished self that truly defines her artistry. As she eloquently puts it, "The artist I wanna be is a bit rough around the edges - hopefully in a good way. Who I am as a person is a bit of a patchwork quilt of different things. I used to polish myself up for people, but then I looked around, and the things that my friends like about me are that I'm a bit frazzled and slightly chaotic; I wanted to lean into that a bit more because that's more genuinely who I am."

In this interview, we'll get an exclusive glimpse into the captivating journey of Eden Rain, an artist who embodies the power of embracing one's authentic self and creating music that resonates with the raw, unfiltered essence of life.

"Pet Names" is set to release soon, and it's been described as heartwarming with your warm vocals and quirky songwriting. Can you share the inspiration behind this track and what it means to you?

To me, writing pet names was a super cathartic experience about feeling like I was just having crazy brain fog and I couldn’t get my shit together, but my friends, family, partner all sort of came together to pull me out of myself. It is sort of a song about being loved and allowing yourself to be looked after. Sort of like a little pet!

2. How has your journey been leading up to your sophomore EP 'But I'm Alright Now'? Can you tell us about the evolution of your music and what listeners can expect from this new project?

I think I’ve taken a more planned approach to this EP. I think definitely the songs feel like they connect to each other, I think I also wrote a lot of them with similar themes as I wrote them all in a short space of time and got everything I needed to off my chest, with this EP I think- more guitars, weirder lyrics and definitely more upbeat with energy.

3. You're headlining The Lower Third in London and performing in your hometown of Leeds. What can fans anticipate from your live shows, and how do you prepare for these performances?

I’m so excited !! I definitely am working on including the art and animation combined with the music. I often get nervous and excited onstage and act as if I’m doing a one woman Netflix stand up special so that’s… something. My band are wonderful and we usually spend our rehearsals with 80% chatting about random stuff and 20% practice, which seems to be the winning combination. (And it helps that they are very talented)

4. You've garnered support from various press outlets, Spotify playlists, and BBC Radio 1. How does it feel to receive recognition for your music, and what do you think sets your sound apart from others in the alt-pop genre?

It’s always so exciting to get press and streaming and radio support. It reminds me that the music exists in the actual world and not in the echo chamber that I made it in. My favourite thing is seeing what random peoples playlists I have been added to - my favourite one was someone’s called ‘Songs To Piss To’. I think there’s so much amazing music in the alt pop scene, I try to just focus on my lyrics and making them feel the most true to me in meaning and in weirdness and hope that that’s helps create my own original sound.

5. Your early musical upbringing had a "Von Trapp vibe," filled with family sing-alongs and harmonies. How has this background influenced your current approach to music and songwriting?

It basically just made sure that I have the widest possible spectrum of music to draw from for references. It also means that I can make music with my brother who’s a musician and producer (and in my band !) and I always ask my parents for their opinions son my songs. My musical DNA is definitely a confused mix of styles but I have fun with that.

6. You mentioned that it took some time for you to fully embrace your musical identity. Could you share more about that journey and what made you confident in your own musical mindset?

The thing that helped me embrace my path the most in music was just trusting my gut.

I think I am never 100% confident that the music I’m making is perfect and exactly right but that helps me get better and write more and evolve. Also performing live helps me understand what songs people react best to and enjoy the most.

7. In your description of the artist you aspire to be, you mentioned being a bit "rough around the edges." Can you elaborate on what this means to you and how it reflects your authenticity as an artist?

I think part of it is just not taking myself too seriously. I want to be able to write about important and meaningful things but I also want to be able to write songs about taking the bins out, or sugar baby’s or weird looking clouds. I’m definitely not polished as a person so I don’t think my art should feel like that either.

8. As you continue to develop your music, are there any specific themes or messages you hope to convey to your audience through your songs and lyrics?

oooh hard question. My biggest hope for my music is that people draw out from it whatever resonates for them. I think that’s a really special thing to see

9. Can you give us a glimpse into your creative process when writing and producing your music? How do you find inspiration for your songs?

I usually turn up to a session with a producer with a massive stack of notebooks and then we put some chords or instruments down and I chug cups of tea and stare into space until i summon up some feelings. Although a lot of the time working with different people means that it sort of changes how I write depending who I’m working with.

10. Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations as an artist, and what can your fans and listeners look forward to in the future?

More live shows definitely, more music, more art and hopefully blending all those three things. I want people who listen to my music or come to my shows to feel like they’re stepping into my world. My goals are to just get the music to reach the people who might like it, and to travel to play it.