Judith Hill: Taking Back Her Spotlight After Life With Michael Jackson & Prince

If the name Judith Hill sounds familiar, it should.

She’s twice been on the verge of stardom, first performing with Michael Jackson — as a backup singer, she was featured on the documentary “20 Feet From Stardom” — and was prominent in the “This Is It” film that was released after Jackson’s 2009 death; and, by 2016, she was considered a protégé of Prince, who was producing her debut album at the time of his death.

Those tragedies took a toll on Hill not only professionally, but deeply personally; particularly the death of Prince, whom she considered a mentor and friend.

But with the rise of social media at that time, and the trolls that came with it, she found herself being harassed online as a “black widow.” The experience threw her into a tailspin that has taken time, work and grace to emerge from.

Hill has reclaimed her life and art, rebuilding her music career with the help of therapy and a supportive family, releasing an album, Letters From A Black Widow, April 26 and touring extensively in support. The multi-instrumentalist merges soul, classical, blues and jazz influences into an extraordinary work.

She credits her musician parents for influencing her style. Hill’s mother, Michiko (Yoshimura) Hill, is a classical pianist from Tokyo who met Hill’s father, Robert Lee “Pee Wee” Hill in the 1970s, during which time he performed with Sly and The Family Stone as well as Billy Preston. They both play in Judith’s band and tour with her.

And she’s been touring extensively over the last two years, solo and in support of JJ Grey & Mofro, as well as performing at festivals including Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. Represented by Jack Randall at The Kurland Agency and managed by Ivory Daniel, owner of The Regime, she’s just completed a showcase at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, and plans to continue touring North America and Europe through the year.

Pollstar: With your album, Letters From A Black Widow, you seem to be taking ownership of your own career after the deaths of Michael Jackson and Prince. How has your music helped you to do that?

Judith Hill: I am using my art to be able to speak. My truth has been very powerful, and it’s been something that I’ve been afraid to do for a very long time, just because the trolling really did cause an internal depression in me, and it really caused me to shut down. This is really a powerful step for me to be able to make this music and to be able to finally express my side of how it feels to be on the other side of it. And, it’s been a very, very liberating experience.

The deaths of two such important figures in your life must have been devastating, not to mention the online harassment. How did you deal with that?

I was a background singer with Michael, but Prince was a friend and mentor who produced my first album. We were launching my first album when he passed. But in both cases, it was incredibly traumatic and I didn’t know how to deal with that kind of trauma and pain.

Coming off of Prince’s passing became a very complicated grieving process, and it took years to unravel. I went to counseling and found people who could help me with my mental health and I tried to navigate all of the dark feelings. At one point, I was almost getting paranoid because of the trolls. But when you’re in your own universe of it, it can be very overwhelming and take over your whole world. Trying to get past that was difficult, and it took years. I gave myself time to not rush myself through the process. But I finally came to a place where I was able to find artistic expression for it, and that was really very, very powerful.

Your parents are also musicians, and tour with you. What was your musical upbringing?

My parents are a huge part of my upbringing in introducing me to music. My dad was focused on Motown and soul. And my mom was also very into Motown and jazz. She also started as a classical pianist. I listened to a lot of classical music, which I deeply love as well, and played it growing up. There was definitely diversity in the household, just because my parents had two such different experiences.

Sly Stone was a big part of my childhood and was really like the Bible to my musical understanding. What’s home base for me is the integration of folk and gospel and rock. I was lucky enough to have mentors like Rose Stone and Freddie Stone in my life just because they were part of my family’s inner circle. And my dad was Billy Preston’s bass player.


You were initially known as a vocalist. Now, you’re playing guitar and you always have played piano and written your own music. How has that helped you move forward?

I played a little bit of guitar when I was around Prince, but it was definitely after [his death] where I felt like it was a new voice for me. Songwriting is definitely something that makes me feel alive and gives me a home and a place to exist. It feels very cathartic and powerful for me. This has been an incredible healing process.

What do you want people to know about Judith Hill?

I want people to know that I never stop. I believe so greatly in music’s ability to heal and bring people together and bring a sense of transcendence. I’m really about that spiritual experience and using music to do that. Playing live is where I feel most at home. It’s my joy. I’m happy to share my story and hopefully it brings encouragement to anyone else who’s going through something similar.