songwriter - storyteller

A little about me...

A child of the '70s in the Deep South, I was born into an extended family of hard-working shrimpers with a preacher father and teacher mother who both played music and valued the arts. I learned Suzuki piano and started acting and singing in plays, musicals, and operas. As a teenager, I picked up the guitar and found a way to put the notebooks full of songs I’d been writing for years to music. I continued performing, both with theatre and her own music, throughout college at the University of Richmond, where I studied Theatre, Leadership, and Dance. Pursuing an MFA in Theatre at Yale School of Drama, I found myself manically writing songs and yearning to perform. I was graciously given a leave of absence to pursue a songwriting career, and moved to Manhattan (never to return.)    

Unbelievably lucky, I landed in the heyday of NYC’s “Antifolk” music community, host to then-up-and-coming Regina Spektor and Langhorne Slim. My songs didn’t quite fit the “Antifolk” bill, but I was given regular gigs, developed a solid fan (pre-social media) fan base, and recorded and released several lo-fi demos and a solo acoustic record. During my tenure in Manhattan, I also hosted the two largest weekly open mic events for singer/songwriters in the city.

Making what was poised to be my first fully produced studio record, I found myself pregnant (and single.) I decided to leave New York, shelved the record and music career and moved back to my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. For those first years of motherhood, I hyper-focused on my family and my work supporting other artists. I had a rewarding and successful decade managing acclaimed NYC-based poet, Mike Tyler, and running his production and publishing company, The Art Cannot Be Damaged, Inc. 

Pre-pandemic, fueled by the Jungian philosophy that the greatest burden placed on children is the unlived life of the parent, I decided to finish the record I had shelved when leaving Manhattan. NYC-based Producer and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Kobrick and I assembled an all-star band of Grammy award-winning musicians. Over the course of two years, we recorded in several studios, both in Manhattan and Charleston. I began writing about the process: how I had navigated the many storms of single motherhood and marriage; losing myself and becoming myself again; leaving the highs and lows of bohemian East Village rock-n-roll life to become a middle-class suburban mom of three finishing a record. 

“The History of You and Me,” an epic twelve-song record with a gorgeous narrative arc, is set for release in 2024.

Hills was selected by Some Serious Business for their “SSB AWAY: Artist-In-Residence” program in July of 2022 where she workshopped and premiered the release show for the record, combining her autobiographical storytelling with songs from the record.

Hills has begun to assemble a band and is performing shows with her producer and long-time collaborator, Thomas Kobrick. (thomaskobrick.com, @thomaskobrick) Kobrick blends his love of jazz and lush orchestrations to create a unique style of alternative music production. Kobrick’s extensive work in musical theatre and music production combine with Hills’ storytelling and songwriting to create a charming live performance. The duo performs with electric and acoustic guitars and Kobrick joins Hills singing harmonies and duets. 

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