Eowyn - Cultivation of an Identity

|PIC1|With two Top 20 rock singles, radio play in over 200 cities in the U.S., and three albums under her belt, Nashville hard-rocker Eowyn has created quite a name for herself while remaining an independent artist. Take an inside look at this unique artist and her latest release, Identity.

The most obvious thing to start with is your name, which is your real name, and you are named after the character in the Lord of the Rings. Are you a fan of the Lord of the Rings?

My dad was a huge fan of the books even before the movies, and he had all the calendars, and he just loved the fact that [Eowyn] was the king's daughter, and Jesus is the King, so there's a whole lot of spiritual meanings for him, but definitely, [he's] a big fan. I've personally watched all the movies and stuff - I kind of have to.


The LOTR books and movies have a lot of artistic element to them, as does your artistry and music. Can you tell us a little bit about why you incorporate the type of presentation that you do?

The theatrical element - I tend to like it, in that it captures people's attention. Especially to use it to right out the gate and grab their attention - I think musically and performance wise it kind of does that.

So mostly just for that sake, to get people's attention?

Well, I've kind of morphed over the years; I started out as a typical kind of CHR artist, which isn't bad, but I didn't move around a lot on stage - I was just behind a mic, never even took it out of the stand. And then over the years, I really started really finding myself and my individuality. And especially, even with this album being called Identity, I really felt that when I get on stage, God wants me to be up there, and [the live show] has been a really awesome testimony to Him.

And also it does, [the theatrics] grab people's attention. It might scare some people, just in general if you move at all on stage; I know Christian rock bands can scare some people. But I think especially for the youth, a strong stage performance really does it - it gets their attention and it's definitely a ministry opportunity.

You said that you started off as a typical CHR artist. Has your music morphed along with your stage act?

Definitely. I'm an artist, but I've had different bands for hire come in and out, and the band that I currently have has been with me quite a while, and this album was just awesome with them. Because usually when I write songs, I come to someone and I sing the lyrics and melody and then someone has to put chords around it, and this time it was my band that did that. And it really just made these songs exactly the way I wanted them. Because we all had a hand in it, and instead of a producer kind of taking it to where he wanted it to go, this album was exactly where I wanted it to go, so it was really exciting to do it.

I read your bio, and being saved at the age of 4, and having this heart to reach out to people with the love of Jesus, and beginning to sing in church at 6, etc., I was kind of curious to how you moved over the music that you do now - it's got kind of a dark edge to it.

(laughs) Well, firstly growing up, I was raised in the church, and my parents were actually inner-city missionaries. And so I would constantly be out in the inner city with them witnessing. Definitely though, myself - I went through a lot of insecure times. Questioning who I was, not in Christ, but questioning who I was as a person - just not feeling like I belonged anywhere, as [my family] moved a lot. And I went through bouts of depression here and there. And even over the years, and still now, I mean, if I didn't have Christ, I don't know where I would be.

And I think I can really relate to those girls who get down a lot and even the guys that get down and depressed. And these songs are really about when I'm in those moments going to God. Like for instance "Helpless" or "Locked Away," it's just about feeling helpless without Christ, but through Him, you can have that hope. And that's kind of what I try to do. Christians, sometimes we go to church and we say, "Oh yeah I'm great I'm doing good." And we just went through some really hard times - we're really down and yet we act like we're ok a lot of times. And I think this is a way for me to show people, I do have these feelings, but Christ is the reason why I make it through, and He is my constant support. And this is a way to kind of testify to that.

Can you tell me more about Identity?

Identity was an album that, from the very beginning stages to the finished product, I was in every step of the process. From the writing to the producing to the artwork of the album, I was involved in every bit of it. And it was so much fun, and I really prayed through with my family with it, even what the cover should look like, and I think it's really a reflection of me as an artist.

Content wise, it's about dark, honest lyrics, but with the hopeful side of Jesus Christ, and the whole album is basically about finding yourself in Christ and the fullness that He has for you, and not worrying about what the world would have you do. Even as an artist, for myself, things like thinking about what is best for the industry, because even in the music industry, you can make money in a certain genre more than Christian rock, but I really felt God calling me to this genre. And it is a little harder at times, and you do get a little more flack, people saying that it's not really from God, but I think that the album is just me being who He's called me to be.

You've had quite a bit of success already in the industry, yet you've stayed an independent artist. How are you situated in that area, and what are your future plans?

I've been independent for quite a while now; Identity is my third album. And I'm not opposed to going with a label, I have talked to several, but my heart is to do what God has called me to do. And if a label happens to meet that vision of what I feel God's calling me to as an artist, then signing would definitely be a possibility.

But it's been pretty exciting to see God open up as many doors as He has while I've been independent. A lot of my peers ask me, "What are you doing?" or "What do you have [that's given you this success]?" And every time, I say it - it sounds kind of corny, but it's so true: it's God. He's the one that has opened every single door along the way. And as an independent, I've had two Top 20 national singles on the rock charts, I've had national distribution, I have a radio promoter and a publicist - it's really neat, but everyone of those are like, when I stop and think about it, it blows my mind, because that's not what I would have assumed could have happened as an independent. And that's why I think it's so awesome that it isn't what I can do or what anyone that works for me can do, but it's what Jesus can do, and it's just His testament of who He is as our God.