Judith Hill
Powerhouse vocals and deep-pocket funk that bridge the gap between gospel roots and Prince-era showmanship. High-voltage soul for big rooms and bold moves.
Powerhouse vocals and deep-pocket funk that bridge the gap between gospel roots and Prince-era showmanship. High-voltage soul for big rooms and bold moves.
Judith Hill sounds like the exact moment a backup singer steps into the spotlight and the entire room realizes they were witnessing a hidden giant. Her music is a high-definition collision of classic funk, church-reared soul, and the kind of theatrical rock energy that feels both vintage and futuristic. It is music that refuses to be small, characterized by massive vocal runs that never feel like empty showmanship because they are grounded in a gritty, percussive rhythm section.
What makes her truly distinctive is the 'Paisley Park' DNA woven into her arrangements. Having been mentored by Prince, she carries that specific torch of multi-instrumental mastery and genre-blurring ambition. You can hear it in the way a tender piano ballad can suddenly pivot into a distorted guitar solo or a heavy, slap-bass groove. Her voice has a unique 'sandpaper and silk' quality: capable of pristine pop clarity one second and a deep, gut-wrenching growl the next.
Start with 'Back in Time' to hear the raw, funky energy of her collaboration with Prince, then move to 'Baby, I'm Hollywood!' to experience her full evolution into a cinematic soul auteur. It is the perfect soundtrack for when you need to feel invincible, or when you want music that respects the history of R&B while pushing it into more aggressive, experimental territory.
Judith Glory Hill (born May 6, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She has provided backing vocals for such artists as Michael Jackson, Prince, and Josh Groban. In 2009, Hill was chosen as Jackson's duet partner for the song "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" during his This Is It rehearsals. After Jackson's death in 2009, she, along with the rest of the This Is It cast members, performed at Jackson's memorial service and attracted global attention when she sang the lead on the song "Heal the World". Hill's rise to fame is recounted in 20 Feet from Stardom, a documentary film that tells the untold story of the backup singers behind some of the "greatest musical legends of the 21st century". She is also a featured artist on the film's soundtrack. She won the Grammy Award for Best Music Film for her performance in this film. A number of Hill's original ballads, including "Desperation" were featured in the 2012 Spike Lee film Red Hook Summer. In March 2013, Hill became a contestant during the fourth season of The Voice. Hill opened for Josh Groban during the third leg of his All That Echoes World Tour (North America) in Fall 2013. She also performed two duets with him in his set for "The Prayer" and "Remember When It Rained", the latter of which was released as a single. She also toured with John Legend on the UK leg of his #AllOfMe tour in the Fall of 2014. Her debut album Back in Time, recorded at Paisley Park with Prince as co-producer, was officially released as a free download on Judith Hill's WeTransfer account on March 23 and made available until March 25, 2015, via a Livenation email with a note from Prince.
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