Today we’d like to introduce you to Chel Hill.
Hi Chel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Every Saturday morning, my dad would blast everything from Motown to Soft Rock hits in order to wake us up. Music has always been a major staple in my life. I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada where my third-grade music teacher, Mrs. Peggy Thompson, saw potential and taught me how to write a song. She entered my first song in a state-wide song contest and it won–I’ve been writing songs ever since. I knew I wanted to connect with people through songwriting. I attended the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts for high school and entered local talent contests. I won the 98.5 KLUC contest with a song I wrote and as the grand prize winner, my singing partner at the time, Melinda Valenz, and I had the opportunity to open for the show ‘V’ at the Venetian Hotel.
After high school, I moved to New York (The Bronx), and Frank Liwall at the Royalty Network, Inc. hired me as his assistant. I worked there during the day and went to every songwriting session I could make it to in the evenings. Slowly but surely, I started getting syncs, placements, and deal offers. My older brother introduced me to the Soul Diggaz and their engineer Sam and through them, I had my first opportunity to work with the German girl group No Angels which was so much fun. Though things didn’t pan out on the business end of that placement (a part I had no involvement in), it was my first time writing for major label artists and I’ll never forget it. After years in New York, I returned to the west coast.
A producer named Skylar introduced me to Atlantic Records executive Aton Ben-Horin (who was a manager back then) who gave me an opportunity to work with his major label artist. From there, I had a session with producers Hyuk Shin and John Major where I wrote “Pretty Girl” and that song became my first Billboard charting placement on F(x) album ‘Pink Tape’. It has all come full circle and on “Spend A Little Time” I am now collaborating with the legends who made the music I grew up on. Working with Ron Nevison, Jeff Bova, Denny Fongheiser, Tony Franklin and Phil X has been incredible. I am very thankful to Alex Bäcker and Tom Mitchell who were key in making it happen.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have definitely experienced struggles along the way. Of course, there’s the common challenge of being a starving artist and trying to make things work in order to invest in your art. It’s never easy marching to the beat of your own drum, but as an artist, you are building your own company. When I was getting started, many of the tools that are available to independent artists now weren’t available. It was rare for an independent artist to see success at a major level. It was an industry where deals and opportunities definitely favored the major labels. There were offers I wanted so badly to accept because I admired the people or organizations extending the offer, but the terms just didn’t make sense from an artist’s perspective. It’s hard to deal with that side of things when all you want to do is live out your passion for making music and being creative.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m proud of the fact that my successes span across multiple genres (Hip Hop, KPOP, Rock, Soft Rock, Pop Music, etc.). It’s representative of who I am as a person and the fact that I love all types of music and people. I’ve also managed to survive in this industry. As an introvert working in an industry built for extroverts, I’ve somehow managed to “put myself out there” enough to progress. I’ve survived and keep at it and for anyone who struggles with pushing past their comfort zone, that is a feat in itself.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
When I was younger, the first book I ever read about the music industry was All You Need To Know About The Music Business by Donald Passman which I found quite informative. In the past, I’ve attended The ASCAP Experience, and Billboard Music Conference (Billboard MusicCon), and continue attending informative panels given by the Recording Academy. I encourage every artist to take advantage of the information available at these types of events and panels. Submithub has been great for connecting with curators.
The app Mixed In Key is useful for finding the key and BPM/tempo of a song. I also picked up the skill of graphic design early on from having to create my own visuals and I use Adobe Creative Cloud almost every day now. I am also so thankful for the many influencers who share what they’re learning about navigating the music industry and everything from Spotify and Youtube to touring as independent artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chelhill.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelhill/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chelhill/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChelHill
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChelHill
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/chelhill
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chelhillofficial
