Craig Eddie, the 23-year-old Scottish singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, today releases his brand-new single The Outside [09.07]. The deeply personal track follows Craig’s phenomenal win of The Voice UK in March 2021, which saw him storming to the top of iTunes charts overnight with original winner’s single Come Waste My Time. Penned by Craig after returning to his hometown of Falkirk, The Outside is an intimate reflection on his own relationship with mental health, bravely sharing his personal journey and struggles in the emotive track.

Inspired by his personal experience of the most recent lockdown and his return home after The Voice, Craig, a strong advocate for mental health from a young age, opens up about his relationship with anxiety, depression and depersonalisation within the track. Exploring the impulse of shutting off the outside and the noise of the world, the track also touches on the notion of being alone with your feelings and the yearning desire to step away and be somebody else. These emotive nuances can be clearly felt on the track, as Eddie wrote and recorded The Outside in his bedroom studio, while seeking solace from the world outside.

Craig Eddie says: “I used to think the feelings I had, my thoughts and my own experiences of anxiety, were so intricate and unique. I hope with the song I can help others struggling with their mental health in making them feel like they’re not alone, that there is someone else out there going through it too. I think it’s important to be open about the subject and help break the stigma around mental health. It’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

Growing up in the small town of Falkirk with his parents, it was Craig’s grandfather who gave him his first guitar at the age of 11. All of his family thought it would be sold again within a week, but Craig instinctively knew he wanted to become a musician and started doing everything he could to work towards this dream, writing his first original songs at just 12 years old. After finishing school, Craig worked numerous jobs, including in bakeries, call centres, warehouses and more, all to fund his music and focus on finding his sound. Since winning The Voice earlier this year, Craig has been working on new music and is set to play his first live dates in autumn, including shows at Glasgow’s legendary King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.

The Outside is Craig’s second release after signing to Universal. A music video for The Outside, filmed in Craig’s bedroom, encapsulating the intricate feelings when writing the song, directed by Andy Goff is out now. Watch the video below.