This first Q&A session features Grace Eden, a 20 year old musician based in London, and her take on change.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and the type music you make?
“I’m a folk & indie artist, starting my musical journey in 2015 whilst in high school. I am all about mental health and wellbeing, it’s important to take care of yourself, whether it’s going on a walk or eating your favourite ice cream! I also have an EP called O Love which you can check out on Bandcamp, as well as my very very new Xmas release Fortune, enjoy folks .”
I know you went under another name before lockdown, what was it and what sparked you to change the stage name?
“It was Grace Jane (I know….. not that different ahaha). Over lockdown I felt that it didn’t serve a purpose in my new musical journey anymore and having evolved as a musician, I wanted to signify this growth in my stage name. It was almost like being born again with new christened vibes . Also, the name Grace Jane is quite ubiquitous and wanted something that I could identify with more uniquely”
What inspired your EP “O Love” & what did it mean to you personally?
“TBH… it’s a breakup EP but I wanted to put the content out to move on into this new phase of my life. From within, I felt I needed something to signify growth and development in my life at that point. I would say that this was a pivotal point in my musical career, it changed my perspective on the content I’d previously written.”
Looking back, how would you say your recent release has made you evolve as an artist and as a person?
“Taking time out made me realise that there’s more important stuff than writing about what love is, it’s an emotion that you feel. You can fantasise about it but it’s different to the reality of it all. Writing about reality and what’s happening in our world, i.e. mental health, current affairs and the environment have more value than the superficial stuff in my opinion.”
Fave artists OTD?
“Recently I have been listening to a lot of Sam Fender and Billie martin (folk and indie vibes again lol)- I love how both artists openly touch on mental health in their songs.”
What projects do you have on the go?
“I’m working towards getting some more releases on Spotify in the new year, as well as my Xmas project “Fortune”. 1/3 of the Bandcamp profits from my “Fortune” project will go to a mental health charity. Lockdown has really affected a lot of people including myself and thought there wouldn’t be a better place for that money to go.”
Finally…the question we’ve all been waiting for- how do you perceive change?
“To grow and develop as a human being, things need to change, whether it is good or bad change. No one likes the sound of bad change, but it does make us stronger, making us more able to deal with difficult things. It also does make us more appreciative of the positives when they come along, you know? Usain Bolt has years of injuries behind him but still managed to beat the world record. Though he did have to heal those injuries properly before getting back to racing. My “O Love” EP was a massive part of my healing process and I realised that to move forward, you sometimes have to take a step backwards. But those setbacks do not determine your future, it’s how you deal with them. Change is important, (TOOO) important!!! I am all for it.”
You can follow Grace Eden on:
Bandcamp
Youtube
Facebook
Instagram
Depop
Article written by: Jojo Akagwu