A former winner of Blues & Soul magazine’s best newcomer of the year award Hilary Mwelwa, aka Hil St. Soul, was born in Lusaka Zambia and at the age of five relocated with her family to London, England. Growing up, hers was a home filled with the iconic sounds of Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to name but a few so it was no surprise that as a vocation she chose music. Hilary’s breakthrough came in 2000 when, partnered with Victor Redwood-Sawyer and recording under the name of Hil St Soul, she announced her arrival with the album ‘Soul Organic’ which was followed four years later by ‘Copasetik & Cool’. Garnering a top 20 placing on the Urban Adult Contemporary Charts with the song ‘Pieces’ it paved the way for more of the silky same, first with the runaway hit CD ‘Soulidified’ that Blues & Soul described as being “as good as it gets” and then in 2008 with ‘Black Rose’ which included classics in the making such as ‘Wash Away’ and ‘Gravity’.
It also cemented what had evolved into a long term relationship with the Shanachie label, an association that endures to this day and which has been responsible for the launch of her brand new single, a sumptuous duet with Noel Gourdin, ‘Blessed’.
All in all, with underground soul hits like ‘Smile’, ‘Pieces’ and ‘Strictly A Vibe Thing’ to more commercial numbers such as Aretha’s ‘Until You Come Back To Me’, the Isley Brother’s ‘For The Love Of You’ and a cool reworking of the Ohio Players smash ‘Heaven Must Be Like This’, Hil St Soul continues to be a shining beacon of the UK urban scene.