by Veronica Henry
Contrary to reports across the news, internet and magazines, soul music is alive, well and thriving, thanks in part to artists like Kim Hill. Kim’s sound is unique and that’s a good thing in this business, but the soul emmanating from her melodious voice is unmistakable.
Kim’s path to music started early courteous of her grandmother. Growing up in a suburb of Syracuse, NY, her grandmother insisted that she, her sister, brother and cousin (who was raised with them) learn to play an instrument. Kim chose violin and piano and is now able to recall the situation with humor she didn’t feel at the time. “Being a black kid walking around with a violin case was not fly,” she laughs.
As easily as Kim took to music, her first love was dance. “They were so beautiful and so regal,” she says of dancers. She discovered the 
physical training and demands of gymnastics were complementary to dance, so she got into gymnastics and began competing on a regional level. Unfortunately though, she didn’t feel like she had the natural ability or flexibility that others exhibited.
Still unwilling to let the dream go, Kim went on to study dance at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts and started singing in jazz clubs to help ends meet while in school. “I always knew I had a voice,” Kim says, “I just didn’t trust it.” Initially trying to mimic musical greats like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, Kim decided to explore her own musical limits and ultimately found her voice. It was then that she started writing and creating music.
Determined to see her new dream realized, Kim moved to LA in 1993 and after getting settled into a small apartment and purchasing a few odds & ends, thought it would be a good idea to open a bank account. Imagine her shock when when she discovered she had a grand total of $36 left to her name. Some would have crumbled, hightailing it back home on the first bus, but instead, Kim started bringing in cash by working as an extra, including a spot on the show Living Single. Without a car (yes, in LA), she would board a bus, sometimes as early as 5:30am from Culver City to Burbank, garment bags and all. After 6 months and a few speaking roles under her belt, she obtained the coveted SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card.
Later, Kim would meet neighbors who proved to be very instrumental in her career. The two guys, from Yonkers and Harlem told her they had a group, which turned out to be none other than The Black Eyed Peas. They eventually met at a BMI showcase. “From the minute we met, it was as if we were kindred spirits. We immediately clicked. He’s like my musical soul mate.” Kim says of Will.i.am. She ended up staying with the group for just over 5 years and blames the split on immaturity and being unrealistic. “There was no blueprint to how to manage friendships while trying to make a record in a business that only gives you 1 or 2 shots.”
A brief stint with Interscope records in 1998 ended when they thought her sound wasn’t “Black” enough. It was then that Kim decided to pursue her career as an independent artist. She is quick to note the difference between being unsigned and independent, “Being independent means ownership, trademark, copyright, barcode and distribution. As opposed to being unsigned and on mission to have umbrella over you that could water down your music.” Though she’s not opposed to being signed to a major label, now that she knows her worth, she’s reluctant to take your standard deal. Luckily, she now has the luxury of being able to say thank you, but no thank you if something doesn’t suit her.
She also credits the Internet with providing her and other independent artists the opportunity to produce their own music. This new movement put record labels at the mercy of the consumer, the power really is in our hands. The industry really doesn’t have an anecdote for this right now.
Categorization is a sticking point with Kim, who also hates the term Neo-soul. “I think it’s a term that’s used to separate us.” She recalls going to a local record store to find a Me’Shell NdegeOcello record in R&B section, only to find it in the Rap section. The thought hit her then, “what are they going to do with me?” Kim feels very strongly that our music today is more of an evolution of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and others. It’s not a different type.
In her spare time, Kim likes to read, meditate and garden. Unlink the negative portrayals by the media, the bungalow that she calls home in South Central, LA is her sanctuary. Of her neighborhood, you can hear the smile in her voice as she says, “I Live in a neighborhood very misrepresented by the media. People are up taking their kids to school, picking up trash, touching up paint, just like anywhere else. It’s really an amazing place to live.”
While Kim’s last album, Suga Hill still enjoys success, she’s excited about her latest effort, Pharaoh’s Daughter, due out by March. “It’s my beautiful burden,” she says. “I started writing for this album in 04. I didn’t make this album, the album made me and until it got done making me, I couldn’t put it out.”
You can purchase Kim’s music now at www.dustygroove.com and the new album will be available there, at several music stores around the country and on her website: www.kimmykim.com. In addition, her website will be updated with her 2008 touring schedule.
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