Hil St. Soul wraps up the year with the video for “Party On.” She delivers the celebratory message in time for the holiday with colorful, carefree scenes. The London-based songstress shot the video in her native Zambia, and her energy floats whether she’s sitting in the hair salon or walking in style down the street.  The new visual comes one year after the release of her critically acclaimed Back In Love album. She shared the story behind “Party On” in a press release.

“It is a celebration of love, life, and the unyielding power of soul music. I wanted to share my roots and heritage and showcase the beauty of my country. Zambia is a gorgeous and culturally rich country with so much to see and explore. It’s relatively untapped, and it is a beautiful representation of the motherland. It is where I was born and where my musical inspiration began, so it only seemed right to go to the motherland to create my work of art.”

“Party On” is what so many people need to hear going into the new year to leave behind any anxiety and bad feelings in 2023. 

Hil St. Soul is still riding the wave of her latest album Back In Love with her single “Fingerprints.” The current music is a joyful return to form and a dynamic reconnection with fans. “Fingerprints” reveals the state of a heart in love and how that feeling lingers over time never losing its emotional weight despite separation. Soul’s performance takes all the skepticism out of reconciliation and makes it sound like a fated true love. Her vocals convey a carefree surrender to memories of a past romance and the classic soul production values add warmth. The story and sounds are what fans expect from Soul as they continue to appreciate her style after more than two decades of music. “Fingerprints” will light up the spring and summer with a feeling of eternal love that some will call a neo-soul throwback but is really timeless RnB. 

Hil St. Soul imagines a romantic connection during the holiday season on “Christmas With You.” The U.K.-based chanteuse has released her first-ever Christmas song. She shared the story about her debut holiday tribute in a statement,

“After completing my current album ‘Back In Love,’ myself and my producer Lorenzo Johnson started a conversation about doing a Christmas song. It’s my first time ever recording a Christmas song, so I was up for it! Essentially this song is about a long-distance relationship and the longing to spend Christmas with that special person or people in your life. Christmas for me is a time of celebration, a time where family members get a chance to get together. It’s a time for gathering and spending quality time with loved ones, and in some cases a time for breaking bread. A lot of couples are away for work prior to the holidays but come back home for Christmas and it’s time for them to reunite.” 

The sultry plea for togetherness is a nod to couples but at Christmas, it becomes a universal theme for anyone feeling alone. “Christmas With You” is more new music from the singer who just released her critically acclaimed Back In Love album. Hil St. Soul just entered the pantheon of singers with original  Xmas music and it is a song that will be heard year-round. 

Hilary Mwlewa dons her Hil St. Soul alias to return with Back In Love after stepping away for a decade. The Zambian-born chanteuse reintroduces her contemporary meets classic style with a crew of storied producers including Prince Damon, Regi Myrix and Lorenzo Johnson, who have collectively worked with some of the most recognized R&B denizens of the past two decades including Ledisi, Calvin Richardson, Noel Gourdin and Dwele. Their three-year period of creativity dipped in nostalgia with a swaggy cover of the Ohio Players’ “Heaven Must Be Like This.” But Mwlewas’ original composition “One Life” was the watershed moment for the album. She says, “The evolution of Back In Love was a very organic process. I recorded new songs over a period of time and before I knew it I had a collection of songs. My collaboration with Regi Myrix on ‘One Life’ was a defining moment when it hit the airwaves as it reconnected me with my audience. The love I got for that track kickstarted everything.”

Mwelwas’ candied tone is still intact with undertones of sultriness whether she is singing about the earthy side of love on “In My Groove” or making a case for a romantic weekend via “One Life.” Gourdin joins her on their “Blessed” duet and their vocals convey an affectionate celebration of togetherness. The wait for Back In Love reveals time well spent as Mwlewa has the same high energy on all of the songs. The fiery “Sweet Heaven” is near the end of the album and she turns up the intensity by giving her romantic testimonial with only an acoustic guitar to accompany her in the song. 

Back In Love was a journey that took Mwelwa away from her London residence and back home to her native Zambia and an exploration of house music before the new songs would form. The fans who started the ride with her from the beginning will be relieved to hear her new music and there will be plenty of un-initiated R&B lovers who will pledge some part of BIL to their playlists.