Interview: Swan Hil
Born and raised in Kentucky, Swan Hil made her way to Nashville, Tennessee to study Music at 18. During University she studied abroad in London England where she got a taste for English songwriting and Jazzy R&B that would shape her music today. Upon returning to the US, Swan wasn’t ready to settle down so she sporadically traveled to various countries in Europe, South East Asia, India, Australia, and down to Mexico. In every country, she observed and appreciated the music and the culture and has woven those elements into her own sound.
Preview Swan Hil’s music!
What led to you becoming an artist?
Music has always been a huge part of my life. Like so many children experience, my childhood had its challenges within the family dynamic. I grew up singing to soothe and express my emotions. As I grew I realized music is healing and I would love to help others the way music continues to help me.
What inspires your music?
I am inspired by the things I experience. I have traveled to various countries and have been deeply touched by the diverse cultures around the world. Love, pain, melancholia, joy, peace, etc.; the human experience is a beautiful tumultuous ride and I write about things that I have gone through and/or witnessed those around me go through.
Who are some of your influences?
Paul Simon has literally saved my life on multiple occasions. On my darkest days I play a Paul Simon record and immediately feel a sense of relief. I am also inspired by Common, Lauryn Hill, Sade and The Doors to name a few. Lyrically I pull a lot from the Beatnik era, Allen Ginsberg being a favorite.
What are some of your favorite memories from your career?
In 2019 I participated in a project with musicians from around the world to utilize music for change. This project was conceived of, created and completed in 24 hours. Our intention was to bring clean drinking water to 1,000 children in Indonesia through a non profit called Gravity Water. We reached our goal and the Gravity fed water systems were installed in December of 2020! If you’d like to learn more about how you can become a part of this mission, https://www.gravitywater.org
What have been some of the greatest challenges of your career?
I think my biggest challenge has been maintaining a balance between self-care, nurturing relationships and giving everything to the music. So many hours go into the multifarious processes in creating and releasing music and it is easy to get swept up in workflow and forget to take breaks.
Which of your songs/eps or albums is your favorite? Why is it your favorite?
I released my debut EP “Saturn” last November and it is especially important to me because I wrote about my experiences during my Saturn Return. Saturn is also a Roman God, according to the prophecy, who ate his children as soon as they were born out of fear that he would be overthrown by them. I found this concept interesting because our relationships to our parents shapes our entire life and decided to write a song about it.
What are you most excited to bring to your fans in the next year?
I am planning to release a couple of projects this year. I collaborated on an EP with Silver Gun’s own, Alexis Rodriguez. I traveled in Mexico a bit last year and was really inspired by some of the music I was hearing so I wanted to write and record in Mexico. One of the songs on the record was recorded in Mexico City and the rest we recorded in LA, all Latin Inspired rhythms! We had a lot of fun with the project and I am excited to share it. I am also in the process of cutting my first full length album which will be out later this year.
What are your goals for this upcoming year?
This year I hope to release both of the records I have been working on and tour a bit to share the music!
How can your fans best support you right now?
To best support me right now you can purchase my EP Saturn or stream it on any streaming service. My Bandcamp also has a track up for purchase that I wrote and produced to raise money for Inner-City Arts, 100% of the proceeds will be used for helping underprivileged children in LA receive training in music, dance, art, etc. The link for the Bandcamp is: https://swanhil.bandcamp.com/releases
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