A Journey into Identity, Music, and the Debut EP 'the fool' with Eden J Howells
Written by: Keyali Mikaela
In the world of music, there are artists who don't just create melodies and lyrics; they craft authentic narratives that resonate with the depths of the human experience. Eden J Howells, a London-based non-binary and queer artist, stands out as one of those voices unafraid to delve into the complex and often uncharted territories of life, love, and identity through their music.
Eden's debut EP, "the fool," is a testament to their storytelling ability, seamlessly blending different musical styles and themes, delivering a profound and evocative experience for their audience. In this exclusive interview, we have the privilege of exploring the journey of this emerging artist, from the creative process behind "the fool" to the personal experiences that have shaped their music. We'll also delve into their identity, their thoughts on representation in the music industry, and what lies ahead in their promising musical career. Join us as we uncover the stories and emotions behind the music with Eden J Howells.
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Next Wave: How has the release been going for you? How’s the reception been on it?
Eden: So far, so good. Yeah. Lots of kind messages from people. I've had some nice blogs and magazine articles, like from you guys. And yeah, it's exciting.
Next Wave: I know you have your EP release show pretty soon. What do you think are the next steps after that?
Eden: Yeah. It's a big one. I've been thinking about it. I feel like the EP came out, and I was like, okay, new music, next thing. Oh my God. Panicking, but kind of just trying to rein it in a little bit and be like, okay, let's enjoy this moment first and kind of sit with this for a little while before jumping on to the next new thing. But I'm always writing new music, and hopefully there'll be another EP. I'm just kind of happy to sit in what we've got at the moment, trying to be more present.
Next Wave: How have you been prepping for your show coming up?
Eden: I have been posting a lot about it on socials. As with everything, always trying to post on socials. I feel like that's so crucial to musicians these days. I've been at Halloween parties and things. I'm like, “Hi, my name is Eden. What do you do? Yeah, I do music. What are you doing on the 8th of November?” Making new friends, things like that.
Next Wave: Have you found that it's pretty easy to make that connection with people?
Eden: Yeah, I guess so. I think it's getting easier the more that I do it. It's annoying if I'm like, oh, I do music, you should listen to it. But I think I'm getting to a stage now where I find it nice, and people respond well to what I have to say. I really enjoy meeting new people as well, learning about what they do and meeting other musicians. Creating more of that community, which is nice.
Next Wave: So talking about your EP, it's very personal. Very personal lyrics. What inspired you to kind of share more in-depth of those themes, to give that piece of yourself out into your music?
Eden: I don't really think I have any other choice with the kind of music that I make. Music has always been very therapeutic for me. It's always been writing about what's going on in my life and writing about how I'm feeling. That's really how it started for me, how I kind of got into music in the first place. Like we were saying about community just now, I feel like the music that I do share with people, a lot of them relate to stuff more than I think that they will. I'll write a song that I think is really specific to a very specific thing that's happened in my life or a specific feeling, and a lot of people relate to that on their own personal level. Which is a really nice bonus.
Next Wave: How does that creative process work for you when you're writing these songs and putting them out?
Eden: Usually the writing process for me is, I just sit down and usually I write with my guitar and write lyrics and music at the same time. I have a little folder on my notes app on my phone for when I'm out and about, I see something cool, I think of something cool, or something comes up for me. I have thousands and thousands of one-liners or singular words in my little notes app that sometimes I go through for inspiration. Or if I'm lost on a particular word or a particular phrase when I'm writing, I'll look there. And then I bring that to my band. If we jam with that, we just play it over and over until they figure some stuff out. It's quite an organic process, which is nice.
Next Wave: You mentioned having inspirations like Hozier, Ben Howard. Do you pull from them when it comes to writing and creating your own music? Do you look up how they go about their own process and bring that into yours?
Eden: I used to very much write in a very singular way. I think in moments where I've not been feeling particularly inspired or if I've been kind of having a bit of writer's block, I have started looking to artists or particular songs that I'm liking at that moment. I'll try and do something like that. Like ‘mercury,’ for example, is very much inspired by Hozier. I think his most recent album, not the one he just released, but the one before that. That album was a big inspiration for that song.
Next Wave: Then you released ‘nice enough’ before the EP came out as a single. What was the decision in releasing that one first?
Eden: ‘Nice enough’, I don't know. It's the one that's most talked about within my fan base from the feedback I get at live shows and things like that. When I would play it live before it was released, people would come up to the end and be like, “oh, I really like this one. The one that goes like this,” and a lot of the time, it was ‘nice enough’. I just thought, people really like this, and I know that a lot of people will be like, “oh, I want to listen to this song, can you release it.” And it kind of just made sense as the single as well, because I feel like it's sort of a standout track within the EP. The other three songs are a little bit more similar in terms of the energy that they offer.
Next Wave: With your EP release show coming up, do you have any plans for other live shows in the future?
Eden: Yeah, I've got a few booked. I've got a gig on the 21st of November at Katzpace in London. That's going to be with my full band, and that's going to be exciting. I'm doing a couple of solo shows as well. I tend to throw those in every now and then just to have a more intimate show. Then maybe a bit of a break over Christmas.
Next Wave: You’ve also mentioned wanting to bring more attention to queer artists. Where do you feel that you fit into that picture of the music industry moving forward?
Eden: I feel like there are a lot of things in the industry that I would like to see that I'm not currently seeing, and I'm hoping that I can be a force of good to try and push those things into happening. Actually, the gig that I'm playing on the 21st of November is a specific trans, non-binary night, and I think that's a really good example of things that I would like to see. I know that there's a really big push now, and absolutely rightly so, for more female artists’ spaces. It would be nice to see that as well for trans and non-binary artists, because I feel like sometimes we do get left to the wayside, or sometimes we do get kind of pinned on being in the women's representation, which again, that's taking space away from women as well. So we need to think about that.
Next Wave: You've mentioned “the fool” talks more about your experiences being a young, queer, neurodiverse person. Can you share a little bit more about it?
Eden: Definitely. Yeah. So I got diagnosed in 2021 with ADHD, and I think it was a really interesting process for me because a lot of the songs that I'd written around that time and in the past as well, like ‘the ceiling’, that I'd released in 2021 and ‘ordinary’, is a big testament to this. They're both very, undiagnosed neurodiverse person coded. I'd written them about these experiences that I was having of not feeling like I fit in and there was something wrong, but I didn't know what it was. Getting diagnosed, finding that community online and talking to people about it really solidified that for me, helped me take ownership of those things and find beauty in it, in a weird way.
Next Wave: So the EP's title and your journey to releasing “the fool” suggests that this is the beginning of something kind of special. Something significant. What have you planned for what you want to put out in the future and how has this EP shaped where you want to be as an artist?
Eden: Yeah. I don't know. When I came up with the title for the EP, it felt so perfect because like I said, and you alluded to, it does really feel like this is the beginning of something big. This is the beginning of my career, essentially. I've released a couple of singles before this EP. But there were a lot of things going on in my life that I couldn't really focus on my music too much. I'm very much in a place now where music is the main thing that I'm focusing on and I feel very energized to focus on my music. I put in the work, and I'm seeing it pay off slowly but surely. I guess that's kind of why it feels to me as if it's something big, and I don't know, explosive, almost.
Next Wave: Does it feel more rewarding that you have this EP out, you're doing all of this, and it's you that's getting all of this kind of thrown out there. You don't really have a huge team to back you up, and it's still doing fairly well for just being one person.
Eden: Yeah, definitely. It's rewarding. There's definitely this side of things where sometimes it can be a little bit daunting, and even a little bit demoralizing, spending hours and hours sending emails and creating content for things not to go viral, or whatever it is that we can deem something to be successful as. Taking a step back and remembering that the people that are here are enjoying my music, they're so important. Every single person that hears a song and resonates with that song, that's a massive win for me. That's really what it's about, just holding on to that. And yeah, it feels good.
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Eden J Howells' music is more than just melodies and lyrics; it's a testament to the power of authenticity, vulnerability, and storytelling. Their debut EP, "the fool," takes listeners on a profound journey through the highs and lows of life, offering a diverse and emotionally charged musical experience.
As we come to the end of this insightful interview, we've had the privilege of discovering the artistry and experiences that shape Eden's music. From the deeply personal narratives to the exploration of identity and self-discovery, their journey is a testament to the richness of the human experience.
Eden's willingness to embrace the unknown, share their story, and use their art as a platform for representation is an inspiration. We eagerly anticipate the chapters yet to be written in their promising musical career and look forward to the impact their music will continue to have on listeners around the world.
Thank you for joining us on this journey into the world of Eden J Howells, and we can't wait to see where their artistic path takes them next.
Listen to ‘the fool’ below.
