At just 20 years old, HILLARI’s narrative presents anything but mundane, having received two 2024 Spellemannprisen nominations and securing several collaborations with esteemed voices across the globe. Her second year builds off of that spark, recollecting the transition from an everyday student to a touring musician through her first single of 2024, “New Beginnings.”
The Bacolod native reportedly wrote the track during her first writing trip to North America, reflecting the reality she faced when balancing her priorities, passions, and a new outlook garnered as a full-time artist. HILLARI describes the process as a “breaking point,” noting a back-and-forth between her concern for others and herself.
“Towards the end of high school, I realized that I had to change my priorities. The day I wrote ‘New Beginnings’ was a wake-up call for me. I had to confront myself and my own self-destructiveness,” says HILLARI.
She adds: “I had to start over, reconsider my priorities, and take care of my own health. It really felt like a new beginning.”
In uncovering this new beginning, she worked with Grammy Award-winning producers Yakob (Jakob Rabitsch)—who is responsible for SZA’s “SOS” and 6lack’s “East Atlanta Love Letter” among others—and Ari Pensmith, the mind behind Snoh Aalegra’s “Dying 4 Your Love,” Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” and Tyla’s “Water.”
Listen to HILLARI’s “New Beginnings,” now available across all major music streaming platforms, gearing for the release of its music video at 9:00 p.m. GMT+8.
