She was 19 when she took out the competition in 2012 under the guidance of her coach, British singer Seal, winning a $100,000 cash prize and a recording deal with major label, Universal Music Australia.

Her debut album, My Journey, topped the charts in Australia and a string of singles followed. But behind the scenes, Eden was struggling with her sudden fame.

"It's the age old story with a lot of people that come off reality shows in Australia: you've gotta wrestle through and find your own," Eden says. "I guess that's what we've all done in our own way."

Three years after releasing her last studio album, Born To Fight, Eden has returned with a new single and a new sound.

This time she's doing it all herself.

My Old Friend is her first release as an independent artist, a move that has Eden, 29, feeling equal parts excited and daunted.

Eden's shift toward life as an independent artist is a comeback of sorts for the Central Coast-raised singer-songwriter who has spent the last few years working through the process of taking control of her career.

"A couple of years ago I managed myself for just over 12 months and really got a taste for it while I still had the record company on my side," she says.

"That was interesting to go through. I reassessed everything and realised what I wanted to do and, admittedly, it has been a huge learning curve and it hasn't all been daisies, you know, but it is what it is.

"I feel like I've got good support and a good team around me, and we're just doin' it. I'm getting back out there and doing some stuff a little bit more my way."

My Old Friend is an intensely personal, emotionally-charged track that Eden wrote about grief she experienced in recent years following the loss of a loved one to suicide and the sudden death of her best friend's husband.

It is a tough song to perform live according to Eden who admits that she struggles to discuss the song's meaning in-depth.

"It is a very personal song," she says. "I have gone into detail and made a statement about it on Facebook, but I can say that it is a song about grief.

"It's something that I experienced personally and I guess that's sort of part of my job, to write music that resonates with people in the hope that it's received well.

"I guess that's what I've done here, release something that is really raw and true to me.

"When I've sung it live I always say to people 'Raise a glass for all of those that we've loved that are no longer here with us' and that's the overall vibe of the song."

My Old Friend is the first taste of a new EP which will be released in early 2022.

Musically, the song is a shift into darker territory, driven by her unmistakable raw, bluesy vocal style that immediately drew comparisons to her musical idol Janis Joplin when she appeared on The Voice.

"The EP is going to be a little bit darker, a bit heavier," Eden says. "Some of the songs are a bit different to what you may be used to hearing from me musically.

"From the producer's mouth himself he said 'If you've ever wanted to hear what Karise sounds like unchained, now is your opportunity'."

The release of the single ends a three-year absence for Eden.

Lockdowns and border closures forced her off the road, so she took the opportunity to slow down and enjoy family life on her hobby farm acreage in Queensland.

"I have been living out of a suitcase since I was, what, 12 years old, so I was actually more happy to not have that weight of travel on my shoulders all the time," Eden says.

"I think being in a position in Covid where things aren't really flourishing as much because there was no certainty, I guess for a moment there would have been a time where I lost a bit of interest and was really focused on my family.

"I actually was pregnant with my daughter during Covid. We battened down the hatches out in the bush when Covid hit.

"There was not much else for a couple to do [laughs] so, hey, let's have a baby!".

Eden was still performing live up until a month before her daughter arrived in January 2021.

"I did a tour when I was about seven or eight months pregnant last year. I realised I had to stop when she started kicking the back of my guitar when I was on stage," she laughs.

"It was like 'Oooh, time to stop' because it was very distracting."

As well as welcoming her daughter in January (who joins her son, Blayden), Eden also managed to sneak in a wedding to her long-time partner.

She will embark on a run of dates early next year to promote the single and the upcoming EP.

"I've had a few shows and a few little runs here and there but it has definitely just been Queensland based," Eden says.

"Now that the EP is coming and everything is opening up, I'm really inspired and happy to keep going."