Talking With Hill St. Soul

Hilary Mwelwa’s telephone voice is smart Black cockney capable of transcending clipped pronunciations of words like “threw” instead of “throw,” to access the church-ribbed ad-libs of American soul. The UK nestled but Zambian born singer has three albums this year with Soulidified. She and partner Victor Redwood Sawyer have worked as partners under the nom de plume of Hill St. Soul since the late ’90s. Their 2000 debut Soul Organic introduced them as authors of a style fused from urban London and classic soul. The follow-up, 2004’s Copasetik And Cool stayed the course of UK Black rhythms and a diasporic connection to stellar R and B. Spunky original songs rooted in styles of jazz, reggae, soul and hip-hop took space alongside congenial cover songs by the Isleys and Aretha. Soulidified shapes itself as a confident stride of polished melody, street beats and high-spirited vocals. BET and smooth jazz radio gave the first single “Goodbye” a nominal amount of rotation causing a newer group of people to ask Who is Hill St. Soul? Crate-digging soul devotees already know about the duo’s fire and splendor but when will everyone else find out?

What is Soulidified about?

It’s just basically a continuation of where Copastekik left off just in terms of the kind of songwriting but I think it’s a bit more intimate more personal. The songs don’t actually fit what’s going on in my life right now I wrote those songs a couple of years back at that time that was what I was going through but obviously I’ve moved on with that now. A lot of the songs are based on what I was going through at the time how I felt.

What do you like most about this album?

I think it’s definitely maturer I’ve matured as a singer/songwriter and I think you can hear that from a personal perspspective I’m pleased with the way it came out because I think I’ve definitely evolved and I’m definitely happier in terms of where I am as a person.

How did you end up doing the duet with Dwele?

My label said to me I should do a wishlist of all the people I’d like to work with and Dwele was one of the artists so the label and my management got in touch with his label and management and he heard the track and absolutely loved it and agreed to do it. It was kind of like um threw the whole thing into the hat, the hat into the ring as it were and he was up for the whole idea so that’s how that came about.

Who else is on that wishlist?

There’s so many people I’d like to work with, D’Angelo is definitely one of my favorite male vocalists of the day. He’s one person I’d love to work with. I’d love to work with Anthony Hamilton actually. Loved to do a duet with him because he’s got that kind of gritty, soulful voice um I think I put Kanye West, I love what he does, Lauryn Hill if we’re going to go down the female list I love Jill Scott so yeah there’s so many people I’d love to collaborate with.

Do you think soul artists like yourself are better with an indie or do you think majors should be signing more singers like yourself?

Oh yeah I definitely think it would be great to see some major labels taking on artists like myself because it can only kind of help in terms of the profile of the authentic style of music, I think the indie route is great because obviously a lot of the times you find that the label is more understanding of where the artist is coming from in terms of the creative side of things and just how they want to be perceived in the public eye as it were. But I don’t think it would do any harm if major labels came on board because it can only help and further the cause in terms of keeping the true artistic style of music alive really. You go down the road that suits you but if a major comes along it’s a great opportunity but it really just depends on the individual person sometimes major labels don’t necessarily understand you as an artist and they might want to change you creatively so it’s really what you want. But in the situtaion I’m in it’s great because it’s allowed me to just sort of express myself creatively the way I want to so I can’t really complain.

Where are you from?

I was born in Zambia which is kind of central Africa south it’s part of Zimbabwe back in the day I think it was called Rhodesia and they kind of parted and it became Zambia which is next to Kenya and Tanzania kind of surrounds Zambia. I was born in Zambia but came to the UK when I was really young so I’ve kind of grown up in the UK I suppose in terms of the way I am as a person. I’ve definitely been influenced by both sides but obviously having grown up in the UK some people would think I am westernized because I do still go to Zambia every now and then and I understand the whole culture I appreciae it. I’m a bit of both actually I would say I guess I’m more English in how I speak but I appreciate where I’m from.

Can you name one thing about where you’re from that you hold on to culturally?

I would say the food actually I missed that. There are certain things that you get over in Zambia that you can’t really get over here or if you do it’s not the same.

For example?

Mangos. They don’t taste the same as mangoes from Africa because obviously you have the sunshine they normally kind of flower in December kind of like um it’s the rainy season there’s a lot of sunshine as well so they’re really yellow and sweet really juicy so I would say things like that. And just kind of um home food as well.

Have you ever thought about moving to the states to further your career?

I’d love to if the opportunity arose that’s something I would consider that’s something I would do if there was a lot going on with me in the states that warranted me to live over there. I’ve spent quite a lot of time there in the past few years so it is kind of like my second home. My first stop is usually like Times Square. I get to hang out places like Brooklyn I’ve been there more like the outskirts like New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia. I’ve gotten a little taste of the East Coast parts of it.

How do so many of you English soul singers speak with the accent but don’t sing like it?

I think it’s down to the US is obviously the home of R and B as we know it back in the day. And I just remember growing up I was born in Zambia. If you saw my dad’s record collection he’s got like all them old school soul singers like Curtis, Stevie Wonder, Harold Melvin and The Bluenotes, Lionel Richie back in the day when he was with the Commodores that’s the kind of music I’m used to listening to and I guess when you’re sort of brought up on that kind of music and you know I’ve listened to people like Aretha Franklin kind of taking notes as it were I think you kind of pick up on the whole singing style and it’s a really weird thing because even I have to when i hear myself back in interviews and I hear my accent I’m kind of like omigosh because I sound quite Cockney I sound very English. It’s so strange I don’t know how to explain it must be influences of people I listenened to growing up musically.

What is the UK soul scene right now? Many of us have fond memories of Loose Ends and Soul II Soul.

I just think the UK soul scene has taken a backstep if you like. There are a lot of good singers out there the kind of music that you know of UK soul Loose Ends and the Soul II Soul we just don’t have that anymore. There are some people who stay true to that style of music but we don’t get exposure cause the kind of urban music that has taken over the UK at the moment is grime which I don’t know how to describe it it’s just very noisy rapping but in an English style really fast so you can’t understand what they’re saying that’s just my personal opinion. There’s not that much of an appreciation for British soul music. I think they look at it like it’s a bit dated whatever. I think it’s definitely different but there are artists out there doing that kind of music but we just don’t get the exposure so I suppose in some ways I’m actually quite lucky I’ve been fortunate to have done three albums and people are aware of my work and you know it is sort of very soulful musical and I’m kind of pleased by that but I don’t feel like there are enough of us.

Is there anyone over there that we need to dig for?

There’s a singer Tee show day she’s like jazz, you’ve got people that have been around for years like Donnie and Omar. He’s definitely someone I admire he’s got his own sound and he’s sort of maintained and kept at what he’s doing regardless of what’s going on around him on the UK scene because it has changed.

I know you went to school and got a bio-chemistry degree what made you choose music instead?

I don’t know if I consciously made the decision it might have made the decision for me the reason why I did the biological science is because I kind of excelled in the sciences when I was studying my A-levels and what have you so it was kind of a natural progression. I wanted to study a degree so it was a natural thing to go into a science degree. But while I was doing that I was always trying to pursue the music thing I mean I kind of looked at it like a hobby if u like. I suppose I was indirectly nurturing myself whenever I had spare time I would go into a studio and you know took time out to refine my craft it’s been a gradual thing. I just kind of fell into the whole getting a deal it wasn’t even like my first deal was like a big deal but it was good in the sense that it got the work out there people heard what we were doing and people loved it and things kind of spiraled from there.

When did you find out you could sing?

I really think it’s in my bones because it’s not like I’ve been singing since I was a young kid. It was much later in fact I can remember when I was at University I decided I wanted to take I use to sing in the bathroom and at parties you know get on the mic I never really took it seriously until I went to University and that’s when I decided I wanted to at least do a demo and send it to record companies and see what happens. So it wasn’t like I decided from years ago that singing was going to be my vocation it just kind of happened. I suppose every time I did these little things parties or whatever I would always get good feedback people like ‘you know you should really sing’ ‘you have a great voice’ so it’s definitely something that I kind of latched onto later in my years as it were.

How did you hook up with Victor Redwood Sawyer?

that actually happened when i took a year out of university to record this demo and i did an acapella of “Until You Come Back To Me” that song actually goes a way back for me I suppose every time I did auditions I did that song. when i did this demo this acapella the studio boss said “You’ve got a beautiful voice you should really think about doing some original tracks” and he hooked me up with these in-house producers who were working at the local studio who happened to be Victor and his writing partner Tony. So I kind of started working with them then but then it kind of grew into a friendship basically keeping in touch. Everytime I had time off from work or study I would go into the studio so I guess we kind of grown creatively from there and just a natural progression. There is a certain chemisty there and I think that’s why I’ve done most of my stuff with Victor I don’t have to explain to him what I’m looking for he just kind of knows I come with ideas and he comes with ideas and we just sort of for some reason it just always comes out great.

Who are you listening to right now?

I’ve got Dwele, Anthony Hamilton’s new one, I’ve got Kanye West I know that’s a bit old I love his stuff and John Legend as well and I’ve got Mary’s one I quite like her new one ummmmmm and who else who else I listen to a lot of old stuff.

Special muses?

The thing is when I’m writing I just reference stuff when you listen to my album there’s so many styles in there I just think mold it into my own little thing. just all those styles r and b, hiphop, jazz.

What would you be doing right now if you weren’t doing the music thing?

I’d probably be doing what I was doing before my first album which was tempting in a bank good money yes! * laughs*

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