NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Country singer Brooke Eden shines with that glow that engaged people have as she counts down the days to her upcoming beachfront wedding, chatting about travel preparations and mother-in-laws bonding over text messages.
For the Florida-born singer, falling in love came hand-in-hand with learning to love herself as well. That meant taking care of herself after long stretches of touring left her physically ill, but also re-introducing herself to fans.
"This chapter of writing music was the first time that I was writing just for me," said Eden, whose new EP "Choosing You" came out in July. "I was not writing toward what other people wanted me to say or what other people wanted me to write. I was really writing my heart, and it's the first time that I really wrote like within this self-love chapter of my life."
Eden released her first new music in years in 2021 with a trilogy of sunshiny singles, including the Motown-inspired "Sunroof," in which she introduced the world to her longtime girlfriend, now fiancée, Hilary Hoover. Her follow-up EP this summer went deeper into the sound of soulful country pop as Eden explored her personal growth and resilience.
AP: The track "Left You For Me" is about escaping a bad relationship because you've learned to love yourself first. What did that message mean for you?
Eden: For me, this song meant I was leaving behind all of these expectations of what other people thought my life should be. My own expectations for my life. And that was really the first time in my life where I asked myself, "What would make you happy? What would make you feel like you're the best version of yourself?" And that was the first time I did that.
AP: How much of the music is reflective of your personal life?
Eden: I write about love constantly because it's something that was so foreign to me until I met my fiancée. Like, I never understood Taylor Swift until 6 1/2 years ago because I was like, "Teardrops on your guitar?'" Like, girl, get over him. He's a jerk, whatever. And now I'm like, Oh, my God. If that ever happened to me, I would be crying on my guitar, too! So love made me understand life so much more. And it helped me become a better writer. And I'm sure a better friend, more empathetic and understanding. And that goes into my songwriting. It's really cool to get to write about it from a first-person perspective of this is what love should feel like and this is what love shouldn't feel like.
AP: What made you decide this was the time to come out publicly?
Eden: I was reading a book called "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle, and she was talking about integrity and just clearly defined it as integrity is when you are to the world who you are in your home. And I realized that I was living my life with no integrity. And then I didn't want to continue to live my life with no integrity anymore.
Country singer Brooke Eden poses in Nashville, Tenn., on July 21, 2022, to promote her new EP “Choosing You.” (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)