Brooke Eden Credits Her Mom for Self-Confidence

Brooke Eden’s latest single, “Act Like You Don’t,” has the singer boldly telling an ex to move on and pretend that he still doesn’t care for her. Instead of texting to see how she is and letting her know that he misses her, she urges him to “act like you don’t.” The song is one of four tracks on her Welcome to the Weekend EP, released last year.

Each track featured on the project, all co-written by Eden, showcases the singer as a powerful female voice within the country genre. While she says she isn’t necessarily trying to be that commanding presence when she gets into the writing room, she does credit her mother for her confidence.

“I grew up in a very strong Southern household where my mom, she was pretty much the head of our household,” Eden tells Sounds Like Nashville. “My dad was the breadwinner, but my mom was the boss. She always taught me that as a woman, you’re very powerful and my dad was the same way. I never felt treated differently because I was a woman.”

Eden says both parents told her she can be whoever and whatever she wants and it is these values that are built within her and come organically. She adds that while she doesn’t specifically chase after songs that showcase this female empowerment, that’s what is in her soul.

“There’s so much going on with women’s rights and equality right now. I think it’s a cool time to be able to be that voice without really putting anybody else down,” she reasons.

While Eden admits that at first songwriting was intimidating, what made things easier was when she realized that every songwriter is like her — they’re simply trying to write a song that relates to the listener. The more relaxed she is in the room, the better a song will turn out, she notes.

One song in particular, the soulful “Silence Speaks,” Eden recalls as being a venting session after her boyfriend at the time told her he thought they needed a break. Nine days later, she noticed his new girlfriend all over social media.

“I wasn’t ever going to say anything to him. I didn’t want to waste any more time,” she admits. “My mom saw things differently, and so she texted him and I found out on my way to this write. I walked in and it was two people I had never written with before and I was like, ‘I’m so mad at my mom! She texted my ex.'”

Eden recalls the first verse of “Silence Speaks” falling out of her mouth.

“I was like, ‘He’s so lucky that I’m not this crazy ex-girlfriend. I could be doing all these crazy things and I’m not.’ That song was literally just a venting session,” she admits.

Another song that Eden says is her current favorite is “They.” While it’s not featured on her EP, she says it details the feeling many go through when society is telling them they have to act a certain way or be a certain person.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, you always have people telling you that you’re supposed to be something else,” she explains. “I think once you realize you’re not the only one who feels like that, it helps a lot of people to say, ‘Who are you to say that I have to look this way or be this way? I’m me,’ and be strong and firm in that.”

And for those who don’t have the courage to say that just yet, Eden has the song.

Brooke Eden’s single, “Act Like You Don’t,” is out now.