INTERVIEW: Sheila Eden (Nepthisis)

Sometimes I just wonder how grateful I am to be living in the same era as some outstanding artists and musicians, and the guest of this interview fits perfectly this profile. I had the chance to interview Sheila Eden, whose project, Nepthisis, is definitely one to have our full attention.

Hello Sheila! How are you doing at the moment?

I’m doing well, thanks for asking. Glad to have just passed the turn of the New Year into 2023. It’s always good to take time to assess where I’m at and how I want to be in the world, to get clear on my dreams, and make actionable steps to get there.

Your latest single, “In the Shadows”, is absolutely mesmerizing! What kind of feedback have you received about it so far?

I’ve received lots of positive feedback. Thanks for saying you find it mesmerizing. It was on a list of weekly Top 10 songs from Prog Magazine, played on some International Radio stations, and has had hundreds of thousands of streams on Instagram reels promoting the film “Bones and All”. I’m proud of the work we put in and what came together.

Can you share with us your creative process?

The creative process changes and develops over time. My process most recently is geared towards making songs for film and tv, where licensing standards are in play. To start, the producer and I discuss and flesh out our ideas for a new song. Then, we build our own unique, stripped-down start of a track with the structure and sound ideas incorporated but minimized. Then, we write and record lyrics according to a chosen theme. We often write about themes that are widely applicable and heavily used in specific types of scenes in shows and movies. Then, we go back and flesh out the instrumental and tweak it, usually going bigger and more impacting. Finally, I record or re-record any extra ideas or added vocals at this point. The song gets professionally mixed and mastered and then pitched to different projects for film and tv, either directly or through agencies.

I think your songs would be perfect to create an incredible atmosphere: will we be seeing you touring or doing some live shows in the near future?

I would love to do this and do have ambitions to build a show in the near future. In my ideal future reality, I want an incredibly atmospheric show. I envision myself with wailing operatic vocals – as a dark, veiled mourning goddess of the night – alongside crunchy guitars and hard-hitting drums.

Has the pandemic affected or changed the ways in which you create and deliver your music?

It sure has. During the pandemic, I learned to rely on myself. I taught myself to record vocals to radio quality and as much DIY as possible. I was no longer going to studios, but I believed I could put in the time and effort to develop as an artist and record myself by learning to utilize digital software and equipment.

What is essential to be an artist nowadays?

To be an artist nowadays, you must be resilient, and you must stand out. You must dare to go against the grain and the norm and remain authentic and vulnerable. You must have thick skin and keep going and creating as long as it still lights your fire.

Is there anyone in your family who is also a singer or a musician?

My sister has a voice of an angel, and many other family members sing well. I grew up with my father always singing Pavarotti around the house and my grandparents in the choir for their church. Music and the voice were always adored.

Do you think that women in metal are being treated differently than men? If so, what do you think the main issue is?

This is a challenging question for me to answer to the fullest. Women in metal are less common than men to this day. And there is a long-standing association between the male gender and metal music. As a result, there was a minor disregard for budding female metal musicians in the past, but that is changing, and people are coming to love and respect the plethora of different female metal musicians.

Since “In The Shadows” is being used to promote “Bones and All” with Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell, and directed by Luca Guadagnino, let’s play a little game: if Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

I would want Evan Rachel Wood to play me. I deeply appreciate her work.

Thank you so much, Sheila, for taking the time to do this interview! Would you like to add anything else to FemMetal’s readers?

Please stay tuned for our ongoing releases. We are inspired to keep creating dark, cinematic, rebellious anthems in our work.