Kacy Anne Hill (born May 1, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and former model.
She was born and raised in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
and had previously worked as a model for
American Apparel
American Apparel Inc. is an online-only retailer and former brick-and-mortar stores operator based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Canadian businessman Dov Charney in 1989, it was a vertically integrated company that ranked as one of the ...
. She released "Experience", her first non-album single independently in 2014. She additionally worked as a backup dancer on
The Yeezus Tour
The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of West's sixth solo studio album, '' Yeezus'' (2013). The venture served as West's first solo concert tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis S ...
for American rapper
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, where he discovered her music and signed her to his GOOD Music label "immediately".
Hill released "Foreign Fields", in 2015, which was later included on the ''
Bloo'' EP, via GOOD Music. Hill was also #6 on
Dazed and Confused's Readers' 100 list and #29 on the
Dazed 100 list in 2014.
In 2016, she was famously featured on rapper Travis Scott's album ''Rodeo,'' on the song ''90210.'' She released her debut album ''
Like a Woman
''Like a Woman'' is the debut studio album by American singer Kacy Hill. It was released on June 30, 2017 by G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam Recordings.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a co-producer
* signifies an additional producer
Sample cre ...
'' in 2017.
Hill announced that she had left GOOD Music in 2019,
and independently released her second and third studio albums, ''
Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again
''Is it Selfish If We Talk About Me Again'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Kacy Hill. It was released on July 10, 2020 independently, following her departure from Kanye West's label GOOD Music. Much of the album's art was ...
'' in 2020,
and ''
Simple, Sweet, and Smiling
''Simple, Sweet, and Smiling'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Kacy Hill. It was released independently on October 15, 2021. It was preceded by the singles "Seasons Bloom", and "Easy Going". The album was made primarily in ...
'' in 2021.
Early life
Hill was raised in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
and attended
Arizona School for the Arts
Arizona School for the Arts is a non-profit public charter school in Phoenix, Arizona. Emphasis is placed on a college preparatory curriculum and the performing arts. Its mascot is a one-legged pigeon named Stumpy.
History
It was founded in 1995 ...
.
Hill has a younger sister, Emma. At an early age, she was influenced by music, playing the oboe and saxophone and singing in choir.
[
Hill began modelling at the age of 16 after being discovered by a wedding photographer.] She moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
after high school to pursue a modelling career, which led to her becoming the face for American Apparel
American Apparel Inc. is an online-only retailer and former brick-and-mortar stores operator based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Canadian businessman Dov Charney in 1989, it was a vertically integrated company that ranked as one of the ...
. She got into music when she met a director named Stephen Garnett, who later directed the video for her first non-album single release, ''Experience''. Regarding her modelling career, Hill stated that she never felt passionate about it. In an interview with NY Mag
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...
, she was quoted as saying, "It wasn't something I really wanted to do; it was something that was there, so I went after it."
Career
2013–2019: Debut and ''GOOD Music''
Hill was a backup dancer for Kanye West during his 2013–2014 The Yeezus Tour
The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of West's sixth solo studio album, '' Yeezus'' (2013). The venture served as West's first solo concert tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis S ...
. She had released ''Experience'', a non-album single at the beginning of the tour. The song was produced by Jaylien Wesley, also known as JAYLIEN. The video for the song was shot in ten minutes between her getting off a plane and going to a tour rehearsal. During the tour, West was provided with a copy of the song and he immediately signed Hill to his GOOD Music label after his show in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
.[
Her song "Experience" received international media attention, with ]Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
naming it a "track you need to hear" as well as The BoomBox naming Hill an artist to watch in 2015. Hill was also #6 on ''Dazed and Confused'''s Readers' 100 list and #29 on the Dazed 100 list in 2014.[ After the release of "Experience", Hill wrote songs that became part of her debut EP with GOOD Music. Entitled ''Bloo'', the songs were said to be a collection of what Hill wanted to accomplish musically.] The ''Express Tribune
''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Intern ...
'' named her one of 10 new music artists you are bound to have on repeat. Additional accolades came from GQ who stated "Hill's barrelling towards the big time" and NY Magazine who stated she was "ethereal yet catchy" and "one to watch." Her first major feature was on the song "90210" on Travis Scott's ''Rodeo''.
Hill finished recording her debut album in December 2016. In early May 2017, she released two singles, entitled "Hard to Love", produced by Stuart Price
Stuart David Price (born 9 September 1977) is an English electronic musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer known for his work with artists including Madonna, Dua Lipa, The Killers, New Order, Kylie Minogue, DMA's, Example, Take ...
and Oskar Sikow
Oskar Sikow (Oskar Engström) is a RIAA Gold awarded record producer and songwriter from Stockholm, Sweden. Sikow has collaborated with artists such as Kacy Hill, LANY, Skott, Erik Hassle
Kaj Erik Persson Hassle (born 26 August 1988) is a Swe ...
, and "Like a Woman", produced by DJ Mustard
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane (born June 5, 1990), known professionally as Mustard (also known as DJ Mustard), is an American record producer and beatmaker. He is a frequent collaborator of fellow California-bred artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign; among var ...
, Terrace Martin
Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...
and DJ Dodger Stadium (DJDS). Both singles were announced as the lead cuts from Hill's debut studio album, ''Like a Woman
''Like a Woman'' is the debut studio album by American singer Kacy Hill. It was released on June 30, 2017 by G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam Recordings.
Track listing
Notes
* signifies a co-producer
* signifies an additional producer
Sample cre ...
'', released on 30 June 2017.
In August 2018, Hill independently released the single entitled, "Dinner". In May 2019, Hill announced that she had left GOOD Music on Twitter.
2020–present: Independent releases
In July 2020, Hill released her second album ''Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again
''Is it Selfish If We Talk About Me Again'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Kacy Hill. It was released on July 10, 2020 independently, following her departure from Kanye West's label GOOD Music. Much of the album's art was ...
'' independently, featuring co-production from Hill herself, Francis and the Lights
Francis and the Lights is an American pop project led by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen.
Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when credit ...
, and BJ Burton
BJ Burton is an American record producer, songwriter, engineer, and mixer. He is known for his work with Bon Iver, Francis and the Lights, Low, Charli XCX, and The Japanese House, and has also worked with the likes of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, ...
, as well as Cashmere Cat
Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...
, and Hill's now-partner, Jim-E Stack
James Harmon Stack, (born January 21, 1992) known professionally as Jim-E Stack, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and DJ born in San Francisco, CA, and based in Los Angeles, CA. His solo releases have featured Bon Iver, Empr ...
, who inspired a lot of the album's tracks. According to Hill, the album was "Turned down by every label but it means the world to me." The album was met with favourable reviews from critics with music publication Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
describing it as "Bright and open, built with sounds that move and breathe with the artist". The album has surpassed 15 million streams as of January 2022. She released a remix EP for the album in December 2020. Hill also contributed to Japanese-Australian singer-songwriter Joji's ''Nectar
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
'' album in September 2020, co-writing "Like You Do".
Hill began teasing her third album via social media, working on the record alongside Jim-E Stack and John Carroll Kirby. She finished production on the album in July 2021. She released the lead single, "Seasons Bloom", on 27 August 2021, featuring production from Ariel Rechtshaid
Ariel Rechtshaid ( ;) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production.
Rechtshaid was the lead singer and guitarist of the sk ...
, Jim-E Stack, and Hill. Another single, titled "Easy Going" with production from Ethan Gruska, Jim-E Stack, and Hill was released on the 24th September. The album, titled ''Simple, Sweet, and Smiling
''Simple, Sweet, and Smiling'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Kacy Hill. It was released independently on October 15, 2021. It was preceded by the singles "Seasons Bloom", and "Easy Going". The album was made primarily in ...
'', was announced for release on 15 October 2021 the same day. The album was met with positive reviews from critics, with Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
describing it as "charming" and "imbued with a sense of lightness". Hill will also embark on her first headlining tour, the Simple, Sweet and Selfish Tour, in promotion of the album, as well as her previous album.
Hill released her first self-produced track "If I Could Say" in June 2022, via web3
Web3 (also known as Web 3.0) is an idea for a new iteration of the World Wide Web which incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies, and token-based economics. Some technologists and journalists have contrasted it w ...
-based music platform Sound.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Guest appearances
References
External links
Kacy Hill official website
Fan page on Def Jam Recordings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Kacy
1994 births
Living people
GOOD Music artists
Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona
21st-century American singers
American women singer-songwriters
Female models from Arizona
Def Jam Recordings artists
American female dancers
Dancers from Arizona
Dancers from California
Musicians from Los Angeles
Singer-songwriters from California
21st-century American women singers
Singer-songwriters from Arizona