From the studying music in the Himalayas to creating 30-foot braids for a music video, Alana Hil has had her fair share of adventure. And now, in her latest EP, Diaries Of A Common Woman, she’s shining a spotlight on mental health and what really matters – using art for good.
We caught up with the R&B, soul singer on the way to film a music video for her latest hit, “Say It” to chat about art, healing, and the making of her new EP.
(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
JUICE BOX PRESS: I know that you’re on the way to film the video for “Say It” right now, but can you tell us anything about what to expect from it and what this new era will bring for you?
ALANA: Yeah, so “Say It” is a song basically that I wrote to someone in my immediate family because there is a lot of trauma there and I feel like basically I need to hear them say, I’m sorry and I love you so I can move on with my life and heal that trauma. But yeah, this genre of music that I’m kind of going into leans more on my roots. I’m from Kentucky, so it has a lot of like pedal steel guitar and things like that. So it is a new era.
JUICE BOX PRESS: Excited to hear what’s next! Speaking of which, your EP Diaries of a Common Woman sounds incredibly personal. What was the emotional journey of putting this project together like for you?
ALANA: It was very emotional. Each song kind of reflects my emotional wellbeing where I am right now. I’ve really struggled with my mental health. Recently – well, not recently actually, I guess it’s been a year, I went to a psychiatrist and I told him what was going on and I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
So that’s a very difficult one to live with, and I’m getting to know myself better through this. But each song leans on the extremities of the extremes of each emotion. Like “In Between” is explaining the numbness that I feel and how I’m in between, like in purgatory, I don’t know which way is up and down sometimes.
And then “Love and Mental Breakdowns” reflects on my intimate relationships and how it’s hard to keep a partner because of my lash outs, and “Say It” is like the root cause, like my trauma, which caused everything. It’s like needing to mend some things I have to say.
JUICE BOX PRESS: Music can be a really beautiful tool in navigating life. How do you find balance between the vulnerability and creative control throughout the process?
ALANA: So that’s why I called it Diaries of a Common Woman, basically, when I get angry, literally the way I let off steam is like writing a song. After “Love and Mental Breakdowns,” I’ll be honest, my partner and I had a fight and then I just went in my room and wrote that song and it took like 10 minutes because it was just stream of consciousness, you know? I was angry and I was just speaking of course to what was actually happening. I mean, it’s a diary. It’s like going and journaling, you know, to let off some steam.
JUICE BOX PRESS: So is the album, in a way, a love letter to yourself and also fans who may be going through similar situations?
ALANA: Absolutely, I love that. I think all people struggle with their emotions, but whenever I feel something and I hear a song that I can connect to that because of whatever I’m feeling, it like validates that and I’m like, I love the song. You know?
JUICE BOX PRESS: That’s such a core part of music! So, I suppose since you’re already on your way to your music video, this is a very topical question: what’s the process like for you when you’re developing a music video concept?
ALANA: Well, I think the song is made and it’s interesting. I am a visual person more than I am sonically, like with the way I learn and see things. I have to compartmentalize the two and like separate them a little bit. So I can focus on the song and let that come out. And then after the EP is done, then I can really focus on the visual.
Or the song is done, and then I make a mood board and I see the color that I feel and I lean into that. And then after I make a mood board, I can kind of start putting together the ideas more specifically and then I usually make all of the props or whatever myself. In this video “Say It” there are braids that like hold me back and it’s probably like, I don’t know how long it would be, maybe like a 30 foot braid like wraps around me and like people are holding it. So I had to braid that. It took me a while.
JUICE BOX PRESS: I love how you can imbue all aspects of your creative self into your art. I know you love to make mood boards to go along with each phase of your art, and have icons like David Lynch, Mugler, and Grace Jones as staples. How did these specific characters come to hold a lot of meaning in your art?
ALANA: Oh man. Well, I’m moved by certain people and those people moved to me. Like, I remember the first time I watched Mulholland Drive – David Lynch. I was like, what the heck is this? And then I just started diving more and more into it. And I love how it doesn’t make any sense sometimes, but there’s such a deep meaning and I can feel that meaning, you know?
Alejandro Hoki, same thing. I love his work and his visuals because it’s so deep, like the Holy Mountain, but it’s kind of just visually pleasing. It doesn’t make sense unless you really let yourself feel that. But yeah, with fashion, like Mugler, when I first watched, like, I think it was like 1988, his runway show – I was blown away by the design. He was doing stuff that was on the forefront of fashion. Like a lot of people weren’t doing it. You know, he made like those robot suits and stuff, like I love fashion. So that was a big, big one for me. And then Grace Jones is just an icon, so, I mean, come on.
JUICE BOX PRESS: Who doesn’t love Grace Jones?
ALANA: Yeah, of course!
JUICE BOX PRESS: So, moving into more of a collaborative space, you recently joined Macy Gray on tour. What was that experience like and what did you learn from being around such a legendary artist?
ALANA: Yeah, it was great. She’s super down to earth and cool and we got to kick it after the show.
One of her assistants came to get me when I was on the dance floor after her show, and she was like, “Macy requests you in the green room.” So I went and hung out with her and she was like, “the band was raving about your show!” We just talked a little bit about touring and life. She asked me to come back out with her, so.
JUICE BOX PRESS: Oh my gosh, that’s so cute.
ALANA: I’m gonna do a few more shows. To be announced!
JUICE BOX PRESS: Do we get any info on that, or is it still hush hush?
ALANA: Well, we’re just not, we’re still planning out the dates and everything where I can perfect it.
JUICE BOX PRESS: If you’re coming to the Northeast, I’ll be there. That’s all I’m saying!
ALANA: Yes!
JUICE BOX PRESS: I also have to ask, you worked with GRAMMY-winner Printz Board on your debut album. What did that collaboration unlock for you as an artist?
ALANA: Oh man, it’s huge. He, he is like my mentor and he helps me with my artistry all around.
It was really interesting. He’s super honest. So he heard me singing at a show. I was in the crowd and he was standing next to me and I was just like, freestyling. And he was like, whoa, do you do music? And then I sent him an EP that I did in my bedroom over COVID.
So he listened to it and then he asked me to come to the studio and I got in the studio with him and he was like super honest. He was like, well, your rhythm’s not very good and you’re a little pitchy, which is great because it pushed me to be a better singer. I just studied music way more and it’s made me such a better artist and yeah, he’s just been in the studio with me teaching me a lot of things. He pushes me to be better.
JUICE BOX PRESS: We all need someone to do that. Did your time studying music in different places help you with that as well? I mean, you’ve been all over – you studied music in the Himalayas, performed in gospel choirs in Cincinnati, and started performing in Kentucky. Kind of give me insight as to how those global experiences shaped your sound and your soul.
ALANA: I would say that they shaped me because a lot of times when I would be in a different country, I would be alone and I couldn’t speak the language. So I spent a lot of time by myself and it gave me time to be introspective and get to know myself and watch how I respond in a situation that’s uncomfortable. So, yeah, I mean, that’s how it shaped me. Just getting to know myself. and after I really can see that those inner parts of myself that needed to be expressed, it was easier for me to write and express myself.
JUICE BOX PRESS: And now that you know yourself more, what does success look like to you?
ALANA: It’s something that I ask myself a lot, to be honest. And I have a, I have a vision board with all of my, you know, my house and everything that I want.
But those are, that’s like physical material things. Ultimately to me, success is getting to a place where I feel content and I’m better, you know, I’m getting help with my mental health, and I’m healthy, so I get to have the time to take care of myself. And that’s really good. And keep creating, which is taking care of myself.
JUICE BOX PRESS: Taking care of ourselves is the most important thing we can do! Any other big messages you hope fans can take away from your journey in the upcoming projects you have?
ALANA: I would say that, that it’s never too late, number one you need to go for it. And discipline is a big thing. Discipline, because you can get caught up in saying like, oh, I’ll do it tomorrow.
Tomorrow might never come. That’s something I had to learn is that I gotta do it. I don’t always want to, but I got to. And then you turn around and you’re like, man, I’ve been practicing and I’m so much better. And then you move on to the next step. It’s like a video game.
JUICE BOX PRESS: We only have so many tomorrows, so I completely get that. I am excited to see where all of your tomorrows take us!
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Featured Photo Credit: Printz Board
Nicole Speros holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications & Media Studies and is currently diving deeper into the industry at Berklee College of Music, where she’s studying Music Business. A passionate storyteller with an eye for what’s next, Nicole brings a sharp, curious voice to her work as a music journalist. She covers emerging artists, shifting trends, and the ever-evolving intersection of music and media—with a focus on authenticity, accessibility, and the songs that connect us all.
She’s an active member of GRAMMY U/The Recording Academy and Women in Music, always looking for ways to support and amplify voices in the industry. When she’s not in class or writing, you’ll probably find her stage-side at a local Boston show or hopping on a plane for her next adventure.