Nashville Singer/Songwriter Brooke Eden Proud Of Her Wellington Roots Story by Julie Unger • Photos by Abner Pedraza
Brooke Eden might be in your high school yearbook. Look for her in the directory under Brooke Helvie. The Nashville singer/songwriter attended Wellington High School for her sophomore, junior and senior years, from 2004 to 2007. She then went on to attend the University of Florida from 2007 to 2011, where she studied marketing, business and mass communications. Eden has always been in the spotlight, in one form or another. Her father, a musician, invited her to sing with his band when she was only 5 years old. The desire to perform was strong, and Eden sang her little heart out. She competed in children’s pageants, sang on the SunFest youth stage and went on to win Miss South Florida Fair. At the University of Florida, Eden was the opening act for Gator Growl, a giant homecoming party. “Swamp Stomp” was one of Eden’s first songs written in Nashville, and she performed it at University of Florida for talent night. Of course, Eden’s name is most familiar around the nation due to her stint on American Idol. She made it to the last elimination round in Season 7, and then tried again in Season 10 but didn’t get very far. “I loved waking up and doing rehearsal,” she recalled. “In the end, it was exactly what I needed to say, ‘This is what I want to do.’” Her experiences on the show forced her to grow up as an artist. She graduated from college three years later, spent nine months in Florida doing five shows a week, and found out who she was musically.
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June 2014 |wellington the magazine| 10th Anniversary
“Who I was then and who I am now are two different worlds. I think the evolution of an artist, when they find themselves, is very exciting,” Eden said. “I feel like when you’re doing what you love and what you’re passionate for in life, you’re just a happier person. Music makes me so happy. I can be anywhere as long as I’m singing and making music, and I’ll be happy.” Eden’s career trajectory has led her on a path that has included all different types of performances. One of her favorite experiences so far was when she had the opportunity to sing on stage with Sugarland. They had sent Eden videos of what to expect. “I got to go up on stage and sing with them,” she recalled. “It turned into a whole song, which was so cool, and they were so sweet. It was an awesome experience, because not only was I singing with Sugarland, my favorite band, but I was also singing in my hometown, at the Cruzan Amphitheatre, which was a huge dream of mine. I got to sing the song ‘Baby Girl,’ which was kind of the story of my life at that time.” Eden describes performing in front of a large audience as “exhilarating.”