Motherhood and a break from the pitfalls of fame have given Karise Eden the strength to sing again

SHE impressed viewers with her big voice when she won the first season of The Voice in 2012. And then ... silence. Can Karise Eden return from obscurity to make it big?

WHEN Karise Eden was in the very early stages of her pregnancy with her son Blayden, she had a dream about being at soundcheck before a show.

A spiky-haired little boy in jeans came racing towards her and fell over.

“It was so real. I brushed him off and picked him up when he started crying and said ‘Do you want to help Mum at soundcheck?’ and put him in front of the mic. He started singing Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” she said, laughing.

That dream comes back to her as she reveals her five-month-old son will be napping backstage when she heads out on her Things I’ve Done national tour in June.

Steely determination ... Eden is calling the shots as she gets back to work after the birth of her son Blayden. Picture: Adam Yip

“I was already envisioning my life before he was born and it’s simple. He’s coming, he will be there,” she said.

“If anything, it rips my heart out to think one day he won’t be tour with me. He’s so content with music, he absolutely loves it.”

Blayden was just weeks from being born in December last year when the shy young woman with an undeniable musical gift recorded the final vocals for her Things I’ve Done album, her first original material since winning the inaugural season of The Voice in 2012.

“He definitely knows my voice. He falls asleep in my arms while I am full-tilt belting out the whole Amy Winehouse album Back To Black,” she said.

“When I stop singing, he wakes up and starts crying.”

Born performer ... Eden lives to sing live and is excited about introducing her original songs on a national tour. Picture: News Corp Australia.

A long break from the spotlight, motherhood and the support of her partner Jason, friends and her music team have remarkably matured the awkward and anxious young woman who stole Australia’s heart with her powerhouse vocals.

Confident and exuding a steely determination to pursue her musical dreams on her own terms, Eden said she remains grateful for the opportunities the talent competition afforded her.

But with the benefit of hindsight, she said she just wasn’t ready for the demands of an artistic career and the vagaries of fame when she was 19.

“It was life-altering and stressful and I just wasn’t ready. There are other 19-year-olds who could take all of that in their stride and carry on, but for me personally, I couldn’t.

“Now I’m ready.”

While some critics may have assumed Eden would have been thrown to the wolves by the music industry, she credits Universal, the label she landed with after The Voice, for doing everything they could to support her.

When her nerves started to fray, they took her off the road and shielded her from the spotlight, sending her overseas to focus on writing her own songs rather than forcing her to continue to sing those covers which had made her famous.

They gave her time and when she was ready, put her in the studio to make Things I’ve Done.

Teen nightmare ... Eden was grateful for the opportunities which came after winning The Voice but needed time to adjust to her new life. Picture: Channel Nine

She recalls the crazy months after the Voice finished with baffled incredulity, as if they happened to someone else.

Like the day she started with breakfast in Brisbane, had lunch in Adelaide and finished with dinner in Perth.

Or how the moderate drinker who enjoys “a couple of bourbons” and requests cola as her pre-show beverage was offered something entirely different before one gig.

“I don’t do drugs, I have never done drugs — mum and dad met in rehab and I might write a song about that one day — and artists have been doing them since the 60s, 70, 80s, maybe because that’s just how it is,” she said.

“I remember asking a woman backstage at one gig if I could have some coke and she said she knew where I could get some. I meant Coca-Cola, it’s what I always have on my rider.”

Eden is ready to get back to work and has 23 city and regional concerts booked around Australia kicking off from June 4.

Performing live and connecting with her fans, the people who helped her realise her musical dream, remains the love of her life. Next to Jason and Blayden, of course.

She said having a child has enriched her lower registers so she will spend the next few weeks “retraining” her voice to hit the killer high notes.

Eden is excited to finally perform the songs she “poured blood, sweat and tears” into for the record that was finally released late last year and meet the fans who have stayed loyal while she found her feet.

“I like performing on a more personal level, smaller venues, getting to know these people and having a yarn after the show until 2am,” she said.

“This is a big comeback for me and I want to be the best I can be, build things up nice and slow over the next couple of years.

“I think I know to take my time with it.”

Karise Eden kicks off her Things I’ve Done national tour at the Middle Back Theatre in Whyalla, South Australia on June 4 and finishes at the Rooty Hill RSL on July 18. For all tour dates, kariseeden.com.au