Ophelia’s Eden’s discography offers a captivating blend of electro-pop and alternative pop to soul and folktronica. Her sound draws inspiration from a diverse range of artists such as Quincy Jones and Billie Holiday to Bon Iver, James Blake, Little Dragon, Jungle and Maribou State. She grew up in the countryside hills and salty air of Devon, and then spent time developing her artistry in Brighton. She is currently living and traveling the world in her campervan, inspiring people along the way with her quirky style, passion for travel and advocacy for mental health.

Ophelia's Eden chats to us about her latest single 'MAD' which was released at the beginning of the month.

Thanks so much for speaking to ReVamp! Growing up, what was your childhood like, in terms of music?

Thank you so much for having me! 

My mum and dad would always sing their favourite songs together, they both love music. I started playing guitar at school when I was really young and then I really fell in love with playing the piano. Mostly teaching myself, playing around with the keys and sound. I was lucky to have an acoustic piano at home, which was amazing! I would just sit for hours making up my own songs, and then playing in the garden singing poems I'd written. Growing up in the countryside, I've also always loved being outdoors. 

Was music something you have always been passionate about and wanted to pursue?

I've definitely always been really passionate about music, I started recording my own music at around 16. I always loved going to the local open mics, there was one which was focussed on blues and jazz which I loved going to, luckily back then they didn't really check ID's in the local pubs. Me and my friends used to sneak away to festivals and get the megabus across the country to see our favourite artists perform. Playing, singing, performing and song writing has always been an outlet for me, I was usually skipping other lessons to go and play the piano in the practice rooms at school. 

You are currently travelling around with your camper van, what made you want to do this, and what have you learnt about the world since doing this?

Me and my boyfriend were both working at home during lockdowns and covid, and barely left the house! I loved my studio, and sometimes miss it! It was so incredible to have that space to create my album, but it was in the basement with no windows! We would walk down to Hove Lagoon with our dog, where there's loads of campervans dumped outside the garage and we'd dream about having our own camper and travelling the world. When Kofi got his driving licence and we bought our van we were so excited to go, we made the choice to leave in 6 months. Moving out of our flat we'd lived in for 4 years and building the inside of the van was a big mission, but we just wanted to get on the road! 

I've learned that the world is amazing! People are incredible, and we can do the things we love! Living in the van means you sacrifice some big things like... having a fully kitted out indoor space (our van is very basic) being away from your closest friends and family but I wouldn't change it for the world. I love being able to sit outside all day whether it's raining or sunny! 

You have a new single out ‘Mad’, focusing on mental health from your new album ‘Boundary Road’, which is set to release in August, how important as someone who has a platform, is it for you, to speak out about mental health, and how do you look after your own mental health?

Honestly learning to look after my mental health is still something I'm working on, I've definitely gotten better at it over the past few years but I'm pretty avoidant so I don't really listen to my mind and body until it's too late. Spending time outside and making time for the little things like reading a book, or a bit of pampering! Working on my passion makes it hard to clock off and do something by myself for fun instead of doing it to make progress with my music and career. But I'm working on that!

Why was ‘Mad’, the latest single you wanted to release from the up-and-coming album, what made it different from the rest?

I think MAD is a super fun song, it's got a catchy hook, one that people always sing at my gigs which is always so nice! I worked with Rob Blake on this track, whereas all the others I produced alone in lockdown so it's just really nice to have shared the process of creating this one with someone! 

Can you give us a sneak peek on the album and what fans can expect from it, please?

My upcoming album Boundary Road is all about the divine feminine and reconnecting with the world and nature. In the past few years I've noticed that people have uncertainty for the future, with climate crisis, war, pandemic all going on I don't blame them! I've definitely felt like that too. But our planet is an incredible place and I don't think we should underestimate the power of unity and the impact that we can make if we shift our perspectives. The divine feminine is all about intuition, compassion, nurturing,  and expressing creativity, and sensuality. Connect with that part of yourself and you will see it mirrored in the world around you. The opening song for the album was a poem written by Amy Charlesworth, which I created the melodies for and produced into a song. When she sent me these words, I felt really inspired. It's about flowing with the current of the river rather than trying to push against it. For me, it's an amazing metaphor for flowing with the universe and being patient. The other titles are, Magic, Mother's Love, Whatever be will be, Take all you need, Love Trip, Can't Go Home, She, Little Bit of U, MAD and What about now. 

You released ‘Mad’ on 2nd June, what has the response been like?

It's been incredible so far! I've been sitting to this song for a few years now, It's so great to see people bopping along to it and enjoying it. When it was featured on BBC Introducing Daniel Pascoe said some incredible words about it as well which was great! 

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

I love it all! I love coming up with the melody, making interesting sounds in Ableton, distorting things, I love just singing random stuff until I find something I like, coming up with melodies in the shower or whilst walking. I just absolutely love making music! 

Finally, what is next for you and what are you most excited about releasing your album?

Well, just the other day we filmed live performances of She (coming out next month as a single!) and Flow (first song on the album) in Parque Nacional Peneda-Gerês (North Portugal) , an incredible place that blew me away! I just couldn't believe the epic beauty of these mountains, it just kept going, it was unreal! And on top of that, we filmed the performances with a drone so you can really grasp the location and epic surroundings in the video! I'm currently editing the audio now and going through all the footage and I am so excited to share it! It will be released with the album in August! I've also got some album celebrations planned on 17th October in Brighton (soon to be announced!) and I'm setting up a gig in my hometown Totnes, Devon! 

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