Threads of Silence

Have been re-visiting the tracks of one of my favourite Australian musicians lately. There aren’t a lot of Australian musicians that I know. In the past when I was in Hong Kong I only knew of Air Supply and Kylie Minoque. Then because of the Olympics I got to know Savage Garden, Christine Anu and more Kylie Minoque. After moving to Australian, I found out Kylie Minoque is just everywhere and a number of Australians worship her like a goddess. I tried to tap myself into the whole Australian music scene, as I love music but never really got quite into it. I didn’t even know that Olivia Newton-John was Australian until quite late. There are some odd balls ones like Kid Mac that I got quite into but for the mainstream industry it remains alternative to me.

Then came along Karise Eden, a 19 year old girl whose big voice shocked the audience last year and got all four judges in The Voice turned around their chairs the moment she finished her first bar. It was a story in the making – a girl stranded in life trying to make it through something she was passionate about. She told her story with her heart through other people’s song and Australia was moved. Her first original track “I was Your Girl” still gives me chills even now. She was “a star in the making”.

Then The Voice finished and as with the glamour of its contestants no matter what position you took in the competition. It was a reality show after all. People and audiences moved on from one reality to another, and that’s the reality of it.

Karise Eden released her debut My Journey album as with all other “talent show” winners and hoped for the best. The album is basically a compilation of covers. Most of them were released previously on iTune as part of the competition process. The other original track was “You Won’t Let Me”. Another heart felt song that I still string my heart along whenever I listen to it.

Then there was silence. A long period of silence. You wonder whether the media had finished churning her inside their publicity machines and had now spit her out. I wonder would this unique musical voice be drowned by a pop culture that focuses on artificial bodily constructs and bashing eyelashes.

Then she returned to The Voice for another performance with a new original track “Threads of Silence”. To be honest I didn’t watch The Voice this year, as I did not feel the need to do so. Also I do not have that $100 iTune voucher that I got from friends last year to spending on “voting”. But then I ran into her YouTube performance when I was wondering what happened to her.

I was stunned. Completely stunned. Karise, after a year of real life photoshop has become less real in her image. In fact she was kind of distance. It did not really fit with her usual heart warming down to earth image. Her hair is now polished like silk dropping down a silver waterfall. Her face looks more brushed up with features clearly spelt by the drawing pen. But when the first note came out after a hallowing keyboard introduction, she is still that captivating singer that caught everyone’s attention last year.

The lyrics:

He said you could do anything but anything is nothing when you need a bit of helping out
You could go anywhere but anywhere is nowhere when emptiness is where you stand

Completely drew out the conflicts and dilemmas of a person who wants to strike it out by itself. We all went through this stage in our lives and some might be even going through this now, but Karise has bared her emotions on stage while we strolled along the busy streets trying to pretend that we are living a life we want. Those two lines brought out our yearning to be strong while compromising ourselves to the reality. Then she sang:

Holding the Threads of Silence that lead me to your dawn.

The issue is – is this our dawn or yours?

The song for me is haunting because I most of the time I refuse to comprise my principals but when I do need to step back for the greater good, that is exactly how I felt.

I don’t know whether that is what Karise is feeling being in the media industry. A 19 year old trying to make her way and stand tall to do something she is proud of. But how many occasions did she need to give in, that is something nobody can see beyond her glamorous visage.

I hope “Threads of Silence” does not reflect Karise current feelings but she did as Seal said in the competition, “tell stories that nobody dared to tell through her music”. I might not like her rendition of “Hallelujah” but “Threads of Silence” once again proved that Karise Eden is a gem in the Australian music industry. Hopefully one day these “Threads of Silence” could weave a successful career that she rightfully deserves.

To listen to Threads of Silence click here