Copenhagen's Fie Eike dives into an underwater world with "Fluid"
Fie Eike is a composer, songwriter and producer with Norwegian roots who was born and raised in Denmark. Based in Copenhagen, she creates melodic and atmospheric songs and playful instrumental compositions with a deep emotional imprint infused with curious playfulness and Nordic sophistication and mystery. The songs and compositions are often driven by Fie Eike’s vocal with great emotional depth and elasticity, piano, electronic elements and field recordings from nature. The result is a soundscape that moves between art-pop, electronica and jazz with a post-classical undertone.
Her latest single “Fluid” explores the feeling or state of “fluidity”, where we lose the connection to ourselves and our core because we “over-adapt” in order to fit in, and our boundaries become fluid in our existential pursuit of belonging. “Being flexible and able to adapt can be a positive and important skill. But in the context of our need for community and belonging, it can sometimes become a weakness, if we adapt too much and lose our sense of self in order to fit in or do what we think others expect of us,” Eike explains.
She elaborates: “The need for belonging is a basic human instinct and it is a very beautiful thing, as long as we don’t lose ourselves in the quest for it. Because the paradox is, that in order to belong or experience true connectedness and love, we must first belong to ourselves and have a sense of separateness that allows both ourselves and others to see us clearly. Because the sense of belonging we achieve by trying to fit in and please others, is essentially hollow and fear based, and can create unhealthy relationships and leads us further away from our own truth and from belonging.”
Musically and lyrically, “Fluid” is set in a beautiful underwater world of wonder. But it is also a world of extreme “fluidity” in the sense that everything is blurry and undefined with no clear boundaries and poor conditions for real connection. There is an existential longing for belonging, not just a longing for love and community, but a longing for connection to one self - for assuming form and a true self expression. Part of the inspiration for the song came from one of Eike’s favourite fairy tales, ‘The Little Mermaid’ by Hans Christian Andersen.
The soundscape is ethereal and otherworldly with a sense of wonder and melancholy but also hope. Field recordings of water merge with an electronic backdrop, led by a strong, fragile and emotional vocal. A beat emerges with the tempo increasing, towards a new movement of strength, transformation and hope.
“In a sense, ‘Fluid’ explores the state of being before assuming form”, Eike explains: “We go through this process of moving from a state of “fluidity” to assuming form during our childhood and youth, but in reality this process happens many times throughout our lives, in varying degrees, as we grow, transform and heal. Life can sometimes knock us off our feet and disconnect us temporarily, but the key is to become aware of it, so that we can come back to ourselves. There is a great vulnerability and risk in daring to belong to ourselves, but no true connectedness and love can happen without it.”
Fie Eike's first singles from her upcoming debut album, have garnered attention from tastemakers such as, The Line of Best Fit, Earmilk and Atwood Magazine. Her upcoming debut-album is due in November 2024, and has received support from KODA Kultur and the Danish Musicians' Union.
