Eve Simpson, the acclaimed singer/songwriter from Edinburgh, is no stranger to changing up the music scene. Locally, she is known for her merger of Geordie and Scottish influences, hailing from the former (northern England) and now residing in the latter. Her latest release, "His Euphoria," tackles the harsh reality of misogyny in professional spaces, while staying true to her poetic lyricism and natural talent for composition. It is the debut single off of her much-anticipated, upcoming EP 'All Her Strange.'
The track derives influence from the music of yesteryear while still staying contemporary,
balancing the sounds of both of her homes just like her previous releases. In the same vein, the track's music video is offered in both a reels-accessible format and on YouTube in a traditional viewing format horizontally. The Youth Music NextGen Fund, partnered with People’s Postcode Lottery, Turtle Bay, and TikTok, have funded the EP. Simpson's constant innovation caught the eye of the Fund, and has allowed her to follow this release up with live performances, as well.
We sat down with Eve to discuss "Her Euphoria"'s message, her inspiration for the track's sonics, and what we can expect next from this exciting time in her career.
FLEX: “His Euphoria” has a really strong message combatting the often blatant, and disregarded, misogyny women face. What was it like to explore this theme lyrically?
Eve Simpson: It was definitely cathartic - I wrote the track during the first lockdown, away from the environments I felt suffocated in by a form of misogyny that was newer to me as a young woman. Having this space gave me the freedom to articulate my frustrations away from such environments. I revisited the lyrics when I found out I got the funding for this EP, and altered/refined them slightly, which was cathartic in itself, as I had even more time to reflect on how I felt. I've definitely grown through the initial writing, and the refinement of the lyrics, allowing the song to be less of a list of things that would go wrong, and more a piece of armor to which misogyny can be plainly seen for what it is.
F: Did you have any specific musical influences for this track?
E: It draws on the Woodstock-like, 1960s folk movement, evident in the rawness/closeness of the percussion, and a lot of the harmony lines echo Joni Mitchell's. I see the track as very organic, it was very freshly recorded, and there is an almost country-feel to the fiddle line, whilst maintaining both Celtic and Geordie influences. I wrote a song when I was around 14/15 called 'A Woman's Work', which featured on my first EP, and I very much see this track as a coming-of-age version of A Woman's Work - the reality of experiencing everything I observed in my adolescence.
F: Your collaboration with TikTok on your music video is so fascinating! Tell us a bit more about this process, shooting the video in two different format?
E: I got the idea when I found out TikTok had been a principal partner in the Youth Music NextGen grant. I was reflecting on how I view/consume videos, predominantly all in reel-form, and wanted to combine the love I have, and other music lovers have, of listening to more than 30secs+ of music, with the ease of viewing everything on your phone, and decided to try the music video entirely in portrait. As TikTok is a place for multi-media exploration, I wanted to combine my love of dance with this format, and knew a full-length music video could be more accessible and attractive to viewers in portrait-mode, than landscape. There is no right or wrong way, but I wanted to try this as something a bit different, and to move with the times whilst sustaining my artistic integrity (keeping the song/narrative its full 2.5min length). There are so many things wrong with the evolving industry, but I'm a big believer in evolving to make things fairer, and trying something different in the hope it can contribute towards doing that.
F: How do you hope this newest single introduces listeners to your upcoming EP? Is it indicative of your sound going forward?
E: The song definitely sets the tone of the EP, as one that addresses themes combining the personal and political throughout. It is definitely more experiential/personal in nature; everything I write about I have experienced, rather than being more observations like my first-ever releases pre-2022. I hope this vulnerability shines through, and it's something that took me a while to be brave enough to embrace. I saw receiving the Youth Music funding as a sign to put that part of myself out there and to embrace becoming more honest in my songwriting.
This EP is very much a product of being back in South Shields during the first lockdown, evident in the sounds of home. It is very singer/songwriter/folk, and that is very much a product of what I was listening to during that time. However, I'm always up for exploring new sounds/ideas as a growing artist, so I want to take full advantage of being at the stage where I'm growing in listeners and folk connecting with my music and want to make that as wide as possible. I've been working with different producers up in Scotland, and the breadth of my three singles released prior to this show how much I want to experiment, grow, and avoid streamlining my music too much.
F: What can we expect from you as an artist in 2023?
E: As a celebration of this EP, three years in the making, I'm going on my first headline tour this Spring:
- 17th April, Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh - 20th April, The Poetry Club SWG3, Glasgow - 21st April, ZEROX, Newcastle
- 27th April, Sofar Sounds, Leeds
- 28th April, Sofar Sounds, London
I hope to play some more shows in the Summer, and enjoy playing once again with a full band. I then really want to spend the latter half of the year being a wee bit quieter, writing, and connecting with a community of artists within Edinburgh. I've been releasing since last October, and I definitely will need a break from the release cycle, to properly reflect, and take stock, over what has been a massive achievement and project in the making. I'm so grateful I got the Youth Music Funding that put me in this position, and I can't wait to share the tracks with a full band very soon. I'd love to see you at a gig if you're able to make one!
"His Euphoria" is available across streaming platforms.