By Kim Parnell –

Singer-Songwriter Karise Eden opens up about winning the first-ever series of The Voice, working with Seal, the difficult teenage years, the albums and how good it will be to perform on stage at River Heads Rocks. 

Take us back six years ago to 2012; how did it feel to win the first-ever series of The Voice at 19 years of age?

It seems like it was a lifetime ago. If I can remember anything, I felt like I was a deer in the headlights. I can’t encapsulate what that meant for me at that moment. But there was high stress, an extensive schedule, and not much sleep.

At the time, I didn’t have any confidence or belief in myself. I must admit I struggled with that confidence for a long time. For many years singing was survival to me, and as a teenager, I was too busy surviving week to week. I would sing at anything. I just did as I was told. I didn’t know then that I would grow up to become a singer.

What was it like working with Seal?

Seal was great. Everything that he said had meaning. He was intense. At the time, I was very young and mouldable. He was very wise and very caring and has the biggest heart. I was like a wide-eyed toddler just taking everything in and eager to please.

Your last studio album was Born to Fight, released in 2018. Tell us a little about this album and the inspiration behind it?

I wanted to come back down to earth a little bit, and this album helped me do that. There is a lot more instrumentation and presentation. You hear it live on stage. I guess the whole inspiration around the Born to Fight album was to keep things real.

Tell us about the genuine struggle with touring, being a musician, and being a mum? 

My son is now seven, and I have a thirteen-month-old daughter. You know, it has its moments where it is amazing, and it also has moments when it’s not that amazing too, and I am pulling my hair out wondering why I am doing this, but I am not alone in this. We all go through those moods. But life is definitely stressful and fast-paced. I find it a constant juggling act, and sometimes it can be a bit rough, but I am no different from anybody else working and being a parent; we are all human.

How does it feel to be known as the first artist since The Beatles to have four songs in the top five of the Australian Charts?

They say to always focus on the positives, but I was also the quickest artist to have that many singles fall off the charts quickly as well. (laughs).

Yes, it’s incredible. I guess at times; it gets lost in my insecurities, though. I often try to remind myself of my achievements, especially when self-doubt creeps in. I have had a double-platinum album, a platinum-selling single and a gold-selling single. At twenty-nine years of age, I am still teaching myself to remember my successes. (laughs).

Still, ten years after The Voice, people only hire me to hear me sing ‘It’s a Man’s World’ and ‘Halleluiah’; they forget about everything else I have done.

In your teenage years, you were moved from foster home to foster home and have been open about mental health. How much has your past influenced your music?

My past is the beginning and the end of me, and everything is intertwined. Everything from who I am and where I have been to how I have lived comes out in my singing. It hurts, and I guess you could say that I am a very traumatised person. A lot of it is coming back to haunt me now that I am married and settled. I think that this is true for many adults as they grow up and try to start trying to figure things out. When I was on that show, I was a very haunted young girl, and I am still unpacking that baggage. This seems to resonate with people through my music. I don’t sing a song that I don’t understand. When I am singing, it is really real for me. I actually find it kind of healing.

How excited are you to be performing at River Heads Rocks? What does performing again mean to you?

I can’t wait. I am just excited to get back out there with a full band; I have new music, the EP is coming out in May, so I am excited to showcase my new song. The last two and a half years have been rough for many people. If I was talking about myself, I realised how much being on stage had become a part of me. We can’t wait to smash out some music for everyone. 

What can people expect if they come to hear you play?

I am a screamer so get ready for that. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mine. There will be a lot of originals. It will be real, raw, live, and authentic music. We just want to have a good time.

 You can find out more about Karise Eden on these links.

Instagram – @KariseEdenMusic

Webpage – www.kariseeden.com.au

River Heads Rocks 2022

Saturday, June 24 – 26

For more information go to

www.frasercoastrvpark.com.au/river-heads-rocks.