Allison Eide, a talented pianist and composer, has been captivating audiences with her emotive and powerful music. Through her compositions, she brings awareness to mental health issues, striving to break the stigma surrounding them. Her latest music, was inspired by the challenges she faced during the pandemic and serves as a source of healing and strength to listeners.
Allison’s approach to composing is highly intuitive, as she often begins with a simple melody or chord progression and allows the piece to develop organically. Her songs, like “In The Moment,” encourage listeners to embrace the present and find joy in life’s simple moments.
She will perform at First Lutheran Church in Blair, Nebraska, on April 22, 2023, at 7PM. With her genuine passion for connecting with her audience and her unwavering dedication to making a positive change in the world, there’s no doubt that Allison Eide’s star will continue to rise in the years to come.
Allison was kind enough to answer some questions we had about her music, life, and what’s important. What follows are our questions and her answers, unedited, honest, and wiser than she might admit:
BLAIRTODAY: (A) Can you share more about your musical journey, starting from when you first began performing with your father, Peder Eide, at the age of 12?
ALLISON EIDE: I was born & raised in a music family; my father, Peder Eide has been a national singer-songwriter and worship artist for 25+ years and I have had the privilege of getting to write, tour, & perform with him since I was 12 years old. When I was 6 years old, my older brother (he was 8) was taking piano lessons and I was jealous of him. I crawled up on the bench and began trying to teach myself his songs, and soon my parents let me start lessons as well. Not long after that, I wrote my first little song and fell in love with composing music. In middle school, my dad would let me jump on stage for a song or two at his concerts, and it was then that I had no other dream than to write songs & sing them with people. In 7th grade, my dad brought me on my first tour as a guest artist. Throughout middle and high school, we were blessed to get to tour, write music, record studio and live records together. It was his kindness, wisdom, and support for this dream of mine that completely launched me into my career today. I am so grateful for every moment I get to sing with him.
BLAIRTODAY: (B) Your 2018 national debut EP, “In the Moment,” was an important milestone in your career. What inspired you to create it, and what was your experience like during the process?
ALLISON EIDE: In the Moment was recorded and released my senior year of high school in 2017-2018. Growing up, I was writing new songs everyday, but it wasn’t until the end of high school that a group of songs surfaced that I felt were ready to put out into the world as my debut original music. Blessed with some helpful connections & wonderful musicians through my dad, I saved enough money to head into the studio and crank out this EP. The process of making this EP in the studio totally felt like my element, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The inspiration behind In the Moment was my current interpretation of what it feels like to be a human.
Life is full of beautiful, sad, exciting, defeating, thrilling moments that are all strung together into one long timeline. It’s messy, but it is good. The most assuring part of it all was that God and who He is does not waste a single moment. He uses everything for His good. I have struggled with my mental health since I was little, and there were a lot of moments I wish I could’ve forgotten. So I think the concept of God using every moment for His good brought me a lot of peace at eighteen years old.
BLAIRTODAY: (C) How do you generate ideas for your Reel Songs on social media? What kind of responses have you received from your audience?
ALLISON EIDE: Great question. Reel Songs was like a “writing game” I started in college on social media to not only grow in my music writing, but connect with my audience as well. (I grew up playing sports and loved a good challenge of any kind). My followers will suggest topics that they wish songs were written about (i.e. depression, church hurt, friendship conflict, ice cream, athlete-life, etc.) and I will give my best attempt to write a 30 second song on that topic. In that process, writing a brand new song every week wasn’t the hard part, it was the letting go of my perfectionism when it was time to put it on the internet. Some songs truly do flop, and I’m learning the beauty of experimenting as an artist. But then there are songs that, out of nowhere, people begin resonating with & I’ll get dms with words like “this changed my life” or “you have no idea how much I needed this.” There is one reel song that I didn’t feel adequate to write about at all, but by the grace of the Lord, it’s now going to be a new single this next year because of the response people have had towards it. To be honest, it’s very humbling and I’m honored the Lord has allowed me to insert these songs into anyone’s day to day. One of my favorite quotes I cling to when it comes to creating songs with Jesus is, “Lord, help me be less of a song writer, and more of a song receiver.” I’m still learning everyday, but that’s my heart.
BLAIRTODAY: (D) Mental health is a major theme in your work. How have your personal experiences influenced your music and your mission to support others?
ALLISON EIDE: I’ve struggled with mental illness since I was 10 years old. It wasn’t until I was 21 that we figured out I had a disorder called Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD), which is a branch of intense anxiety. While my whole life felt like an internal roller coaster, I would thrive on stage and in performance settings, but behind the scenes felt very debilitating. I struggled with deep loneliness and felt misunderstood all the time. But through God’s kindness and grace, the one thing that was always there for me… songs. There was a song by an artist or singer that would somehow get me to the next day, and the next day, and the next hour, and the next moment… God always provided a song.
Throughout college, I ended up creating and writing more music than I ever had before. Once I graduated, looking at the songs from the outside-in, I realized they were all songs about following Jesus while struggling with mental health. What does it look like to be a Christian and struggle with mental illness? What does freedom in Jesus look like with that “thorn in the flesh”? And I thought to myself, “if there are millions out there that have experienced what I have or worse, what if I could give them a song that helps them get to tomorrow?” The one thing worse than struggling with mental health, is struggling with mental health alone.
My heart beat behind my music & story is to help people know that they feel seen and known in the mind and body each lives in right now, walking away with the joy that comes with knowing they have incredible purpose in this messy, good life.
BLAIRTODAY: (E) As a former NCAA athlete, in what ways has your experience in sports informed your approach to music and life in general?
ALLISON EIDE: There are many answers I could give to this question, but for me, the one thing that it all centers around is: REST. Growing up, my dad would always say, “let the game come to you.” In my time as an athlete, when I became frustrated, I would try so hard to force plays, shots, passes, etc. I’d get four hours of sleep a night to wake up and go workout for three hours trying to fix where I didn’t feel good enough. In my relationship with Jesus, I would similarly binge sermons, podcasts, pray really really hard, try with all my might to figure out the answers and solutions to what I was going through. Though these things on their own are wonderful, we were not created to earn God’s love, we were created to receive it.
The moment I choose to pause, rest, and let the game come to me… I can receive the freedom and joy God has promised. In this nasty hustle culture out here, true hard work is to learn the art of rest.
BLAIRTODAY: (F) Can you tell us more about Moment Ministries and the objectives you have for the organization?
ALLISON EIDE: Moment Ministries is a discipleship camp for middle school and high school girls based out of the twin cities. Our mission is to inspire and equip young women to live in their identity in Christ. We are entering our 6th annual year of camps this July 2023 in Rosemount, MN. I founded this ministry the Summer after graduating high school in 2018 in hopes to bring hope and confidence to young girls. These blossoming and impressionable ages are often treated as a time to merely push through and survive. But I so believe God has so much more for the middle school and high school years than just survival. There is amazing value and purpose He has placed on the lives of each and every girl, in every season of life. Registration of these camps JUST opened! You can go AllisonEide.com to register your girls now. There are limited spots!
BLAIRTODAY: (G) We’re excited to hear about your upcoming project on mental health. What can fans anticipate, and how does it differ from your previous work?
ALLISON EIDE: I am so excited about this project. The musicality and sound of this project is totally different from my EP In the Moment. It’s been a neat process to really define my sound and style over the last six years. It’s got a bit of funk/soul while also packed with emotional ballads.
The heart behind this album is to reflect on what freedom in Jesus can look like with that “thorn in the flesh”. Songs that allow a listener to know that it’s okay not to be okay. In fact, Jesus doesn’t repel the mess, He actually draws near to it. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 has been my life passage, and this album stems from that. It’s in our weakness we are made strong. Some songs are goofy and joy filled, others are raw and deep. Honestly, it’s just a messy, good life.
BLAIRTODAY: (H) How do you maintain a balance between your various roles as an artist, athlete, and founder of a discipleship ministry?
ALLISON EIDE: Not very well in the past LOL! I’ve tried so many time-blocking, boundary-setting, efficiency tips out there, but there is something I started two years ago that has actually helped more than anything… it’s the practice of Sabbath. Rest! I am convinced of rest. Taking 24 hours once a week to break free from my phone and work life, and just be in the moment has been a game changer. I found it illogical at first, when I already was overwhelmed by all the things I had to get done. But my best friend told me, “God can do way more in you in 6 days when you are at your worst, than you can in seven days when you are at your best.” It was hard to establish this practice, and choose to sabbath even when I hadn’t finished all my work on time. But the Lord’s grace truly did follow it. I am more productive and yet rested than before.
BLAIRTODAY: (I) Your current tour is bringing you to Blair, Nebraska. What inspired you to include this location in your tour, and how has the tour been going so far?
ALLISON EIDE: I remember meeting my friend Kelsey McCaig my sophomore year of high school at a youth conference in NE. I was singing with my dad at this conference, and we connected there. As I was praying about where I wanted to bring this show, I felt the Lord say to direct message Kelsey on instagram and see if she wanted to help make this happen in her city. It ended up being a total God connection and she and Erika at First Lutheran have been total champs making this show possible.
We hit the road for our first show in Columbus OH this Sunday the 16th and we are so excited for what the Lord is going to do! So grateful in the ways He’s made this tour possible.
BLAIRTODAY: (J) In your song, “In the Moment,” you sing, “A lot of times, I rejoice… A couple times I’ll regret, there are moments I haven’t experienced yet. Try my best to be wise, to choose what is right, ’cause I believe every moment is divine.” Although that language is not specifically Christian, it does ring true as being a mix of Proverbs teaching on wisdom, and Paul’s admitting the thing he wants to do, he does not, and the thing he doesn’t want to do, he does. The lyrics could be seen as simply a young person who realizes there’s more to learn, or an ode to deep Christian philosophy. What is the inspiration for lyrics like that for you?
ALLISON EIDE: Love this question. I actually pulled from the Scripture where Paul talks about doing what he doesn’t wanna do, and not doing what he wants to do. The line “I believe every moment is divine” is the phrase that I believe ties this song in a bow. I wrote this song with the goal to help people not take life too seriously, and remind them that it is messy, but is good. And like mentioned before, by God’s grace and kindness, it doesn’t let a single moment go to waste. So just take a moment, breathe, and laugh because God genuinely has it all in His hands.
BLAIRTODAY: (K) Are there any interesting facts or behind-the-scenes stories that your fans might be curious to know about you or your music?
ALLISON EIDE: Interesting music facts, here are a few:
- I compose new music ideas like every day, but it takes me months to even years before I feel like the lyrics fall into place.
- The In the Moment music video had 30 people in the cast & they were all friends and family (check it out, they killed it!)
- This Spring tour, I am playing all unreleased songs for the new record, so you will get to be the first to hear them
- My musical influences are: Ben Rector, Lawrence, and Switchfoot
Interesting facts about me:
- I am a youth director at an Ethiopian Church in MPLS! My brother is adopted from the country of Ethiopia and it is my dream to live there one day
- I am allergic to caffeine (really sad)
- I am an avid swing dancer
- I have four siblings and they are all more musically talented than I am
- My favorite hobby is cliff jumping
Don’t miss the chance to witness the raw, emotional power of Allison Eide’s music live. On April 22, 2023, at 7 PM, the First Lutheran Church in Blair, Nebraska, will transform into a sanctuary of healing and hope. Join Allison for an unforgettable evening as her heartfelt melodies and evocative compositions challenge the status quo, shatter the stigma surrounding mental health, and leave you breathless. Secure your seats now, and prepare to be inspired by the captivating force that is Allison Eide.
Event Address: First Lutheran Church (2146 Wright St, Blair NE 68008)
Contact Kelsey: kelseymccaig4@gmail.com
Contact Erika: ecada@firstlutheranblair.org
or leave a message for Kelsey and Erika at 402-426-4073
