Local Talent: Eva Ullmann

 Local Talent

Eva Ulmann

Eva Ullmann is a singer-songwriter from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. She is a second-year music industry major at Northeastern.

Tastemakers Magazine (TMM): Your EP Youth came out in 2019. What was that process like? What was it like putting it out into the world?

Eva Ullmann (EU): I wrote those songs in 2017 at 17-years-old, recorded them in 2018 and released them in 2019. I love that EP so much but it’s definitely an old representation of myself. I wrote the songs pretty much in a week. It was winter break and I was going through a break in relationships. I had dated this kid for two years, I was about to date another kid for a year and half and I was feeling all the emotions and wrote all these songs.

The one that took me the longest was [the title track] “Youth.” That one I was like, “I want to write the song. I know what I want it to be about” but I had clue how to write it, couldn’t figure it out. I rotated the idea around in my mind for like two weeks and then just sat down on the couch and did it one day. Those are the best songs when you’re like, “I don’t even know if I wrote it.” There’s like this thing, if you talk to any songwriter they’ll tell you the same thing. Sometimes when you write a song it’s like, “Okay, what rhymes with time? How do I piece this together?” And then sometimes it’s like some external force funnels through you and you’re just like, “Wow, that took me five minutes and I have a masterpiece.” Some songs come out perfect and this was one of those songs.

TMM: What are you working on right now?

EU: I’m working on my first ever album. I’m hoping for it to be around eight to 10 songs. I’m just trying not to rush things. I’m really excited because this is my first release in two years, which is really nerve wracking, but super cool. I feel like I’ve been through a lot in the last two years. I moved to Europe, went through a pretty big breakup with my ex from high school, which was hard. And then he asked me back and it was this whole thing. I dealt with a lot of family issues. It’s been a weird two years, you know, and there’s a pandemic. There’s so much I can write about.

I sound different now. I’m using my range more effectively. The last album I feel like was very singer-songwriter-y. Pop but a little bit of folk, maybe a little country in there. This album already is definitely pop but it has some soul and R&B influences and it’s almost sultry I want to say. I’m talking about more adult issues. I’m trying to be more honest, which is so hard. I sit down to write a song and automatically want to write something that’s so commercial no one knows what’s actually going on in my life. But I’m trying to write about what’s happened to me, what’s happened in the last two years. I started going to therapy and I want to talk about that because I think it’s such an important thing to do. I want to talk about what it feels like to grow up as a woman.

TMM: It’s kind of funny watching you struggle with the word sultry. I think it is so telling of this transitional moment where you are trying to own your sexuality but it’s not an easy thing to do as a woman.

EU: Yeah and sometimes it doesn’t feel like me. I don’t think I give off like sexy energy at all. Sometimes when I say, “Yeah, this song is sultry” I’m like “Ew, gag.” But I’m kind of ready to not be seen as a little girl anymore. I’m kind of ready to be seen at this moment. But you’re right, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head right there. It is a transitional moment. It’s still a little weird but I’m excited about it. And I’m sure moving forward I’ll feel more confident. I look at Beyonce and am like that is a woman. I’m starting to see that in myself and I think that’s going to come through.

TMM: What has your experience with the music community at Northeastern and in Boston been like?

EU: I’ve made so many connections students-wise that already I’m only a sophomore and I’m stacked. It’s so cool. This whole entire project is going to be student-done. No other people are going to be involved in this, no professionals. I have so many friends who are songwriters and friends who play guitar.

TMM: You currently have 40,000 followers on TikTok. What is like having that platform and what are you hoping to get out of it?

EU: It’s definitely given me a lot more hope that this can happen for me because in this day and age you won’t get anywhere if you don’t have a following. You won’t get signed. They need to see that the public likes you in some way. I will say it’s definitely taught me a lot about not tying self worth to social media because I blew up, I had about 10 videos that did really, really well. And then like nothing like for months. I lost followers. I was freaking out a little bit. I was just like, “Why aren’t people listening anymore?” And then I did [a series of videos] where I’m trying to sing the hardest rifts on the internet even if I fail. I started doing it a few weeks ago and that blew up and now I’m at 40,000 followers. I gained like 20,000 followers in two weeks but now I’m back down to having like only 80 views, a 100 views, a 1,000 views on my videos. It’s just a roller coaster.

Also Tik Tok is so cool because people like authenticity. I voice crack in a video and it did better than any other video. I was always being authentic but I was definitely being a more perfect version of myself in the beginning videos. And now I’m like falling on chairs and voice cracking.