Living far too deep inside my head

Rising pop-folk singer-songwriter Eve Christina is set to leave her mark in the music industry with her debut EP ‘Call Me Baby’. Originally from England, Eve has already gathered significant attention from international listeners through social media. Her music has been described as raw and honest, with a comforting lyrical touch, with fans saying her songs are ‘devastatingly beautiful’. Today, Eve is here to discuss her new EP, her career path and the songwriting process. 

Eve, you've been described as a singer-songwriter whose music brings tears to listeners' eyes and receives amazing responses on the radio. How do you feel about this emotional impact your music has on people?

It’s difficult to comprehend that my music touches people the way it does. Truly nothing compares to how special that feels. Writing has always been such a cathartic process for me, so seeing the finished product be a similar comfort for those listening is just magic. 

Your songwriting has been praised for its honesty and rawness, often described as ‘homemade therapy.’ Can you share how your personal experiences influence your writing process?

For me, there is no point in writing a song if it isn’t honest in some way at least. Even when I try to write outside of myself, say inspired by someone else’s experience, it always ends up being somewhat reflective of myself. Maybe that’s just super narcissistic of me. When I wrote ‘Fig Tree’ for example, I started it with the intention of it being inspired by ‘The Bell Jar’ by Sylvia Plath, but by the time I got to the first chorus, it became very clear that I was projecting. I think my songs sometimes know things about me before I do.

Influences like Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple, and Adrianne Lenker are often mentioned in relation to your music. How have these artists shaped your approach to songwriting and performing?

All of these artists embody that raw emotional honesty in not only their lyricism but also their delivery. I listen to Fiona singing ‘Under The Table’ for example, and I get pissed off on her behalf. I listen to ‘Both Sides Now’ by Joni, and I feel like I have lived several lives. I listen to ‘Ruined’ by Adrianne and am instantly in the most all-consuming, delicate love of my life. They all perform and write with such authenticity, that there is no attempt to recreate a sound that already exists, it’s just purely them every time. I feel like that should always be the goal.

You've grown a dedicated fan base through social media. How has this direct connection with your fans influenced your career and the way you release new music?

I feel so connected to my fans, I could never put into words how special they are to me. Especially at this early stage of my career, to have people be so passionate and dedicated to my art when no one is telling them they should be is something I will never ever take for granted. They influence my decisions regarding releases all the time! My EP is a combination of songs that I knew I needed to release for myself, and then also songs that I knew people wanted. I would do live streams whilst in the studio recording the EP, and it was always so insightful and useful to have the listeners’ opinions on the tracklist and production etc. I put a couple of songs on the EP just because I knew certain fans loved them. If I know what people want, and as long as it feels authentic to who I am as an artist, it doesn’t make much sense to keep that from them (within reason obviously, RIP breakups and breakdowns, you will be missed).

Your fans describe your music as ‘phenomenally heart-wrenching,’ and ‘devastatingly beautiful.’ How do you manage the emotional intensity of your music during the creation process?

Not a lot of management occurs. I just write whatever needs to be written, and if that means writing something that is heart-wrenching, that’s what I'll do. I get so lost in the process, that being anything but entirely honest in my lyrics is never an option. If I were to change lyrics because they’re too intense or too brutal, I feel as though the entire landscape of the song would change and become watered down. Art is supposed to make you feel something, and it definitely makes me feel uncomfortable when I have to sing ‘I let them use my body, that’s the only time they want me’ in front of my parents… sorry guys.

Your latest singles, ‘Family Business’ and ‘Needy,’ have resonated deeply with your listeners. Can you tell us more about the stories behind these songs and what you hope listeners take away from them?

‘Needy’ was one of those songs that when I started writing it, it ‘wasn’t about me’ but pretty quickly became clear that I was taking crumbs of different experiences that I had had, and moulding them all together. It’s about the period post-breakup where it feels like the other person is moving on a lot quicker than you are. Watching them proceed with their life (as they should) and not being able to shake the feeling that you’re suffering whilst they’re hardly bothered. It’s an exaggerated version of my own experience (as is the case with a lot of my songs), but the underlying feeling of needing more from that person than they’re willing to give you, rings very true. Honestly, I was never even called ‘needy’; I think when I wrote that, I was mostly projecting my feelings about myself, living far too deep inside my head. ‘Family Business’ is (allegedly) based on an experience I had where I was seeing this guy, it was very wholesome and lovely, to begin with, but soon became pretty awful as his little facade started to fade. There was a time specifically when I was at his family home, and his dad was making derogatory jokes about his mum. When I think back to that time, and then think about how the boy treated me, it’s so clear that he had just been raised poorly and that this cycle of misogynistic behaviour was going to be difficult to break. The whole song is an extended metaphor. The English student in me really went wild.

With a significant number of your listeners coming from the USA, Canada, and Australia, how do you feel about your music reaching and touching people across the globe?

Again, incomprehensible! Just so so crazy to me. Not to be cliche, but music is just so universal and magical in that sense. Thinking about someone in Canada listening to one of my songs at the same time as someone in Greece feels so special. To be able to connect to people globally through my words is genuinely a dream come true.

As someone who started writing songs at 15, what advice would you give to young, aspiring singer-songwriters looking to share their own honest and raw stories through music?

Don’t hold back! If you feel like you need to say something through song, say it. Also, try not to get overwhelmed by the feeling that you need to recreate something that already exists. You probably love that artist or that song because of its originality, so attempting to make what has already been made, is redundant. I find myself thinking often ‘Should I change my sound to be more like this person because people really like that’ and the answer is always NO. All of my favourite artists I love for their authenticity. It is so obvious to me when someone is writing or performing in a way that is clearly inspired by someone else. Of course, taking inspiration from other art is completely fine, (most art is magpies here and there) but don’t allow other people’s success to cloud your judgement and your artistic vision. Everyone has their own sound, their own path, their own timeline, you just have to trust that. I have to remind myself of this all the time. This entire answer is just me projecting.

Looking ahead, are you currently working on any projects that you would like to share with your audience? Perhaps an EP or a live show? 

Yes! My debut EP ‘Call Me Baby’ came out on the 12th of July! I am so beyond excited for everyone to finally have this project as their own! So much love and time has gone into each song, and I hope that translates. Six songs, some written back in 2021, some written at the end of 2023, all completely me. The title comes from a lyric in my song ‘Fig Tree’ and I felt like it captured the project's feeling so well. I sing a lot about feeling young, fearing growing up, and struggling with the concept of age. Then, in contrast, ‘baby’ is a term of endearment in relationships; wanting to feel sexy and mature. The dichotomy of the word feels so present throughout the project (and my life). 

Also, my mum calls me baby, so that’s cute. 

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