INTERVIEW: Eves Karydas heads out on her 'summerskin' headline tour

2018 was a pretty special year for Australian singer-songwriter Eves Karydas. She has been releasing music since 2013 (originally under the name Eves The Behavior) but it wasn’t until last year that her debut album was released, summerskin, pushing her from underground favourite to one of the brightest and most promising new singers on the local music scene. Now, not even two months into the new year and it is looking like 2019 is going to bring even more success for Karydas.  She has just wrapped up supporting George Ezra on his national tour and is now days away from the opening date of her own headline tour across the country. We recently caught up with Eves to find out more about her upcoming tour.

Hi Eves! You’ve just finished supporting George Ezra around the country. How did that all go?
It was amazing! Such an amazing run of shows, and just a really different audience for me. Everyone was so lovely as well, that’s the word I’d use. The whole audience was lovely. George was lovely. It was an incredibly positive experience.

Your headline tour kicks off February 14 in Perth, how are you feeling?
I’m feeling really great. Just so excited that the shows are selling out and to be touring an album for the first time. I know everyone probably says this, but I am genuinely scratching my head over it.  To be playing two shows at The Corner in Melbourne is just like…I’m very grateful!

What can we expect from the shows?
I’m playing the whole album, it’s the first time that I’ll be playing a lot of those songs live. I think for me, I’m using this tour as an opportunity to give context to the record in a way that you can’t really give to people who just listen to the album on Spotify. There’s so much that went into this album and there’s a lot of stories behind it. That’s one of my favourite things, being able to communicate with an audience. I always spend a lot of time after the shows meeting people as well. It’s very much an open dialogue at my shows.

Will there be any surprises in the setlist?
I’m actually playing two brand new songs. I’m really excited about that, because it’s like keeping one foot in the album world but one foot in the future as well. I’m also doing a cover of ‘Sunflower’ by Post Malone. I did a little acoustic cover of that on my Instagram about a month ago and everyone just really liked it so I was like ‘I should probably play that on tour!’

The final date of the tour will be your first ever headline gig in your hometown of Cairns. That’s going to be an amazing show!
I used to busk outside of that venue (Tank Arts Centre)!  On Sundays there’s a market so I would go and set up my guitar. It’s just so crazy! Really cool, I think I would be very proud of myself if I could tell 14 year old me!

When you were out the front busking at 14, did you ever dream that one day you’d be inside, performing on the main stage to a sold out crowd?
I’m sure I did. I can’t actively remember thinking ‘I want to play in this venue,’ but I had huge dreams. I think at 14 my dreams surpassed that! It was like ‘I’m going to be playing at the Entertainment Centre,’ which is still my dream.

I’m guessing stepping out on stage is still a nerve-wracking experience, no matter how many times you do it. Hope do you cope with it?
I kind of get over nerves and anxiety by just reminding myself that I have prepared a lot to be at this point in my career and I know I am good at this. So, that kind of gets me over any anxiety. It’s finding that confidence in yourself that I think is what people love going to see in a show - someone being confident and empowered and delivering their songs and their work with heart. If I can do that, then I know I’ve done a good show and that’s what gets me over any sort of anxiety.

Is performing live one of the highlights of the whole musical process for you?
Yes, I’ve really fallen in love with performing over the last couple of months in a way that I haven’t done in my life. I feel like I’m in this territory now where I’m focusing more on what’s the potential of this show rather than getting on stage and suddenly feeling nervous and just needing to get through the show. It’s nice being at that point because it makes me super excited for the future. It makes my goals bigger. I love seeing my progress and knowing that in 5 years’ time I’ll be an even better performer than I am now. Even by the end of this tour, I’ll be a better performer.

Your debut album summerskin was released last year – what’s riding that wave been like for you?
It’s been really wonderful. The album came out in late September and I’ve been lucky enough to be touring pretty much consistently since then. I’ve got to stop eventually to write my next album. It’s just good to see the music cross over into new territories and new audiences. Like I said earlier, the George Ezra crowd is a crowd that I’ve never been exposed to before because it’s very much just commercial radio, those are the people that make songs number 1. It’s a lot of young kids as well, which was just such a great experience for me because I want to see my music translate into that realm. So, I was just so grateful for that opportunity.

Your just released a video for the single ‘Wildest Ones’ last week as well – it is gorgeous!
Thank you! Me and my friend Michelle who shot it and co-directed it with me just went and did it ourselves. We took a road trip down the coast south of Sydney and we were just really lucky - the weather was perfect and there was pretty much no one on the beach. I needed someone close to me to film it because it’s very intimate and it’s got a very defined message. I edited it myself, it’s just so much a piece of me that I haven’t had anyone else involved in the creation aside from some close friends. I think it’s the perfect portrayal of that song.

After your tour what else is on your radar for 2019?
Well, I’m setting aside a bit of time after this tour to write and start getting my second album on the way. We’re hoping to put some new music out later this year. So, just working towards that and not really stopping!

Eves Karydas will be appearing across Australia on the summerskin tour throughout February. Tickets are on sale now, click below for more info.

14 February – Jack Rabbit Slim’s, Perth

15 February – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide

16 February – Corner Hotel, Melbourne

17 February – Corner Hotel, Melbourne

21 February – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney

22 February – Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane

23 February – Tanks Art Centre, Cairns

To keep up with all things Eves Karydas, you can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Listen to our podcast with Eves Karydas here