Eden Gross first started singing when she was 3 years old. She was playing in the acting studio at day camp near her homein Parkland, Fla., when she began to belt out a rousing rendition of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem. The studio’s acting teacher overheard, and immediately encouraged her to sing more seriously.
Seven years later, Gross is still taking singing “seriously” — and she’s taken up songwriting, too. She recently released her second single, “The Last Kid on Earth,” having first connected with a New York record producer in 2019.
Gross, who is now 10 and is at work on her third track, sees music as a unique form of expression — which is something she thinks has been especially important during thesedifficult times。她告诉kveller苹果beplay，“我喜欢它是[音乐]通过不仅通过言语表达自己，但音乐讲述了这个故事，就像文字一样，学会找到其他方式来展示你的情绪并展示你所经历的内容。”
The past year-plus, of course, Gross and other kids around the world have been enduring the isolation, uncertainty,and lossof the Covid-19 pandemic. “We were put in a new environment that we weren’t ready for, we couldn’t get used to, we were just put in it,” she explains. “It feels like you’re trapped in your own head.”
For this reason, Gross’ songs, “Shadows on the Wall” and “The Last Kid on Earth,” are dedicated to kids struggling with their mental health. These songs touch on the fears, loneliness, and sadness that many have feltduring the pandemic— and before, too, of course — with the underlying hope that no one is alone. The lyrics of “The Last Kid on Earth,” for example, paint pictures of being “cast away on a desert island,” and “feeling out of place,” followed by the uplifting words, “know you’re not alone.”
Despite the struggles of the past year, Gross’s music is rootedin gratitude。“I’m so lucky I have so many things to rely on,” she says when asked how she coped with the pandemic. “I have drawing, and art, and writing, and swimming. I feel fortunate to be in a loving family, two parents who are always home, a loving community. Some kids have nothing.”
She adds that she doesn’t know how she could “go through” the pandemic without the support of her twin brother, Jordan, as well as Ollie, the family dog.
Gross is paying forward that gratitude. For each download of her song, “Shadows on the Wall,” she’s donating a portion of the proceeds to Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options (JAFCO) in Sunrise, Fla., and Eagles Haven, a community wellness center created for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and greater Parkland community, which was the scene of a horrificschool shooting2018年杀死了17人。（这些组织根据毛毛，鲍比的说法，“多年来一直在我们的雷达上。”）
Philanthropy is a value that has always been important to the Gross family. Gross’ mom, Shirley, notes that the Jewish tenet oftikkun olamis central to everything her kids learn, both at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy, the Boca Raton day school that the kids attend, and at home. “It’s not just the talk, it’s the walk,” she says.
According to Gross, her犹太社区has shaped her more than anything. “I am who I am because of my environment,” she says. “Everyone around me is giving and expressive and kind.”
We are in awe of Gross’s inspiring talent and generosity — way to go, Eden! You can find her inspiring music on platforms such asAmazon Music, Apple Music,Spotify,and more.
Header image by Melissa Perlman
