After tiring of the drudgery of playing clubs in the Seattle area with little reward, Hilarie Hughes retreated to a 4-track bedroom studio to create something personal, something not initially intended for others' ears: an attempt to reconnect, not just with music, but with herself. Removing herself from the intent to please others allowed her to crawl into the raw emotions and fertile imagination of her mind... to hit nerves and face truths... to create music with more integrity, more of an edge, and more of herself.
Hilarie's southern California childhood, steeped in country music, led to an unending infatuation with the lush melodies and pop sensibilities of the Beatles. The night she took the stage of a biker bar with her father's band at the savvy age of four, singing Kenny Rogers' Lucille , the die was cast: performing music became Hilarie's method of expression. Her fascination with the rise of New Wave led to an inevitable collision with punk in her early teens.
Hilarie's confidence belies a compelling vulnerability, giving a refreshing air of honesty and personal insight to her music. Her voice is by turns mature, playful, commanding and intoxicating, backed by supple instrumentation that slyly vacillates between hard-driving and plaintive.
Dating back to her years fronting Seattle band M9, and continuing as a solo artist, Hilarie has performed as the opener for bands such as Super Deluxe, Tattle Tale, Red Aunts and SNFU. She has lent vocal tracks to recordings by Seattle bands Man Ray and Shiro. The independent film Conflict of Interest featured Hilarie’s original music. In 2000, her song “Not Ballad†won Hilarie a spot as semi-finalist in “Roxygen on Oxygen,†a music competition for female songwriters sponsored by Oprah Winfrey’s website, Oxygen.com. Another track, “Refillâ€, is performed live in the 2006 independent film Lost on the B Side.
A whirling dervish of divergent interests - filtered through a twisting prism of Blondie, Patsy Cline, early Sinead O'Connor, Linda Ronstadt, Siouxsie and the Banshees and the ongoing inspiration of John Lennon and the Beatles - the Longview, Washington resident now describes her journey through the musical landscape as one of rediscovering sensuality, self-value and identity after divorce and motherhood... and recognizing the urgency of those emotions when faced with the mortality of loved ones.
The fruit of her soul-searching labor of love is her self-titled debut, Hilarie Hughes.
"There's a sharp edge to this sweetness that I find irresistible. Those who prefer their pop flavored with the slight acidity of adult experience would do well to seek out Hilarie Hughes' solo work..." - Matt Brown (NadaMucho.com)
Huey is Heavy:
