BETWEEN THE LINER NOTES
The True Identity of Eowyn
By Jennifer E. Jones
CBNmusic Producer
CBN.com – Nashville, TN – At first glance, Eowyn looks awfully intimidating. Her willowy black hair falls carelessly around the pale skin of her face, and the chain that hangs from her spiked belt gives her an overall tough-goth-girl appearance.
She certainly stands out amongst the other female singers in her league. When you see her on stage, she owns it with true hard rock power. However, when she sits down with CBNmusic, I find the petite songstress is surprisingly sweet with a slight southern drawl and a warm smile.
Now on her third album, it's obvious that Eowyn is comfortable in her black makeup, but she’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t always that way.
“I grew up very insecure, really worrying about what other people thought of me,” she tells CBNmusic.
Eowyn was fortunate not to fall into the wrong crowd in high school. She was outspoken about her love for Christ even at an early age. However, her faith couldn’t reach far enough to lift her own self-esteem.
“Even though I was strong and courageous, I still would get depressed all the time,” she says candidly. “This album is about finding myself in Christ and finally being happy with who He’s created me to be.”
The journey from depression to confidence took some time. If you’d met Eowyn four years ago, she was singing quite a different tune.
“I was an [Adult Contemporary] artist. I started out trying to fit into the industry,” she says. Back then her main concern was what kind of female artist makes the most money. She soon found that she wasn’t cut out to be the next Rebecca St. James.
“As I began creating more songs, it all started leaning towards rock,” she recalls. “I knew Christian rock wasn’t getting the same acceptance as the AC market. I just kept going, 'This is me.' I feel this album, the way I dress, the way I move on stage, every bit of it is me. I’ve always been an oddball.”
 That oddball image was something that couldn’t be squeezed into a diva’s mold.
She adds with a laugh, “I tried to tame it down because I was scared of what people would think in the industry. Now it’s like, you know what, God will give the favor if this is what He’s called me to do.”
Vulnerability is new territory for the singer. She admits that she still looks into the audience members’ faces hoping for a hint of acceptance. “It’s hard,” she admits. “You’ve got to find that balance.”
She’s had plenty of opportunities to wow crowds across the nation. She’s well into a monstorous tour that will run straight through November. It's time spent with not only fans but with family and friends as well.
“Thank goodness my band members and even one of my band members’ wife -- we’re all best friends,” she says. “My husband comes on the road. He’s the tour manager.”
With a flurry of tour dates and album promotion, Eowyn has always had a lot on her plate. At one point this year, God sent a reminder to her to keep first things first.
“About six months ago, God really spoke to my heart and said, ‘Are you willing to give up your husband for this ministry?’ It wasn’t in a way like I was going to but it was a check to set my priorities again on my marriage and my family instead of myself.”
Eowyn saw the blessings immediately when she set her eyes back on the important people in her life. She says, “When we redirected the focus on each other, God began to pour on the blessings.”
While she’s honest that music is a God-given call on her life, Eowyn isn’t about to lose sight of who she is and who she’s living for.
“Every time I put my focus off God, I begin to feel that anxiety. Even my husband is like, ‘We need to be praying again. We need to get back into the Word.’ It’s a constant trying to reset your priorities and it’s hard… Why am I doing this in the first place? It’s to reach the lost. It’s about lifting up the name of Jesus even if it is in a very unique and different format.”
Identity (2006)
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