Ottawa Dream Pop Artist Eau the Music Finds Hope in Silence on New Single “In This Silence,” Announces Debut Album, Light in the Dark
Ottawa based indie rock and dream pop artist Eau the Music has released “In This Silence,” the first single from her forthcoming debut album, Light in the Dark, arriving October 16. Written, produced and mixed entirely by Ophelie Quraishi, the artist behind Eau the Music, the track captures the uncertain, in between moments of life, from relationships to grief to the ongoing relationship she holds with herself.
The song began as a voice memo, a simple strum and melody that surfaced the phrase “in this silence, I remain” before Quraishi fully understood what it meant. She wrote it during a time of self-reflection, drawing on a regular meditation practice that had already begun opening up new layers of reflection. The lyrics carry multiple meanings at once, touching on the fear of being misunderstood, the discomfort of uncertainty, and the quiet trust required to give both herself and others room to simply be.
That searching, deeply personal quality runs through the entire album. Quraishi began writing Light in the Dark following the deaths of her father and stepmother, who passed a few months apart after long illnesses. Meditation became her way through it, and in reconnecting with her own emotions, she found herself writing songs, an outlet she had never explored before and had no formal training in. What started as a way to process loss became a full creative reawakening, one she describes as reconnecting with a version of herself she had known as a child but had lost touch with over time.
At the heart of “In This Silence” is a meditation on finding peace in uncertainty, with lyrics like “In this silence I remain,” “Love survives me once again,” and “But the lights will shine again” reflecting resilience, patience and the quiet hope that endures even through loss and misunderstanding. Inspired by Eau the Music’s meditation practice, the song captures the emotional space between grief, relationships and self-discovery, mirroring the deeply personal journey behind her debut album ‘Light in the Dark,’ which emerged while discovering her creative voice.
Remarkably, Quraishi built the entire album herself, teaching herself guitar, vocals, synth, bass and drum programming entirely by ear, and recording everything in the home studio she constructed piece by piece in Ottawa. “In This Silence” was the first track she attempted to mix on her own, a process that took months of trial and instinct before she found the sound she was chasing. She has described her songs as built from anywhere between fifty and two hundred layered tracks, with certain guitar and synth parts kept exactly as they were captured in a single, unrepeatable take.
Eau the Music’s story reaches back to her 2022 debut single “Unfamiliar,” written for her first band, First of the Last Stars, about her father during his illness. Her solo work has already found an audience beyond Canada, with her single “Life” serving as the title track for ‘Back Tide,’ a UK short film from Hellion Films exploring revenge, guilt and abuse before ultimately arriving at hope, a project she also helped score. She was additionally recognised as a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition and was recently profiled by Women in Music Canada.
At its core, Light in the Dark is about transformation, the kind that begins uncertain and uncomfortable before settling into something peaceful. Quraishi has described the album as an invitation for listeners to sit with all the parts of themselves, the light and the dark alike, the same honesty she brings to every layer of “In This Silence.”
Hi, Ophelie! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me. I’m a solo dream pop artist based in Ottawa. I’m releasing my self-produced debut album ‘Light in the Dark’ on October 16, digitally and on vinyl. ‘In This Silence’, the first single from the album, just came out on July 17. It’s about liminal spaces and the value moments of silence can bring. I love mixing atmospheric tones with heavier guitars as I try to catch moments and feelings through songwriting and producing.
You didn’t set out to become a songwriter, yet grief ultimately led you to discover a creative voice you didn’t know you had. Looking back now, do you think music found you when you needed it most?
I think it absolutely did. As a listener, I remember it being a refuge for me as a kid and teen and as a former dancer, it was hugely important to me. I had no idea I’d one day be able to write music myself. I’m very grateful I discovered songwriting and for its timing as well. At the same time, it’s hard to believe I ever lived without it.
Meditation seems to have shaped not only your healing but also the way you write. How has learning to sit with silence changed the way you approach creativity and even the way you listen to your own instincts?
When I’m connected to myself, through meditation or mindfulness, it permeates my day to day. It makes it easy for me to sit and write a song. That same flow or connection provides clarity and brings my instincts to the forefront. If I can’t access my creativity or my instincts, it probably means I’m a little out of balance – so it’s a great calibrator.
You taught yourself every instrument, built your own studio, and mixed this album yourself. Were there moments where you questioned whether you could actually pull it off, and what kept you going through those doubts?
I definitely had doubts at various stages. I took time off from my day job to arrange, record, produce and mix the album, so it was a big leap. I did a lot of soul searching to get to that decision, but once I dug deep enough, I knew I had to try or I would regret it: I had some very rough demos and this feeling I couldn’t shake, that I could turn them into something better, maybe even great.
In terms of mindset, I made a conscious decision to go into it with a focus on the process, not the end result. My goal was to learn to produce and mix and enjoy every minute of that creative freedom. I wanted to transform the demos into what I could hear in my mind, and in some cases I wanted to re-explore them from scratch. I thought that if I didn’t rely on outside approval and worked diligently enough, I’d be able to make something I would be proud of. Looking back it was the right way to go, and I aim to maintain that mindset.
I did hit a wall with a couple of the tracks on the album. It taught me to give those tracks some space. In those cases what helped was being able to move from track to track freely. Some days I’d work on one song exclusively, but a lot of the time I would work on two or three tracks, switching back and forth. That flexibility really helped keep my energy going, my positivity up, and allowed me to keep moving the album forward. It also allowed me to take a break from a track when needed and come back to it with a fresh perspective.
Some tracks didn’t end up on the album. Instead of the initial twelve songs I started out with, I ended up with nine. It was the right decision though. Time has allowed those three tracks to morph into something totally different, perhaps for a next album or EP.
Light in the Dark was born from profound personal loss, but listeners will inevitably bring their own experiences to these songs. What do you hope someone who’s navigating grief, uncertainty, or change takes away after hearing the album?
There are layers of awareness and transformation that many of the tracks push forward, bit by bit, moving together as a whole. My wish is that these songs help listeners connect to their deepest emotions and their own truths. It’s a big ask, but maybe someone will feel the same self-compassion, radical acceptance, and hope that I did.
Upcoming Shows:
September 2, Ottawa, House of Targ
November 12, Ottawa, Club Saw
Connect with Eau The Music:
Website
Bandcamp
Facebook
Instagram
TikTok