A musician and actor, Tyler Hilton has accomplished a lot in his
career so far. As a teenager, he released two Top 40 singles. He
starred alongside Taylor Swift in her video for "Teardrops on my
Guitar." He played the role of one of his musical idols, Elvis
Presley, in the Oscar-winning Johnny Cash biopic 'Walk the Line,' and
co-starred with Robert Downey Jr. in the acclaimed indie film 'Charlie
Bartlett.' He may be most known for his musical role on the show 'One
Tree Hill,' which earned him a devoted fan base around the world. His
new album 'City On Fire,' released on January 18th 2019, comes from a
much more personal place for the California native, who grew up in a
family of musicians and songwriters and spent much of his childhood
performing and jamming alongside of them. Steeped in country, blues,
folk and rock traditions, the album captures the loose, organic
musical style that runs in Hilton’s blood. Hilton remembers trying
to explain that style to producers in Nashville as a young songwriter.
"I’d play them my favorite records; Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters,
Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Townes Van Zandt, Weezer’s
‘Pinkerton,’" he says. “I’d just get blank stares like,
‘So...are you rock, pop, blues, country...?’ And the answer was
always, ‘Yes, all that.’” It may not have been the easy answer
they were looking for, but as Hilton explains, “there’s a common
denominator in all of that music to me. Maybe it’s a feeling of
adventure, or rebellion, or just hearing real people,” he says.
“Whatever it is, that’s what my feelings sound like, and that’s
what the music that comes out of me sounds like.” Hilton recorded
the album both in California with bandmate and childhood family
friend, Jaco Caraco, as well as in Tennessee with his former roommate
and another longtime collaborator, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum.
Hilton and Caraco had started recording what was supposed to be a side
project for film and TV soundtracks in their spare time. Hilton was on
hiatus from filming a pilot for CMT, and Caraco was on break from
touring in Miley Cyrus’ band. It was during this time that Kelley
called Hilton about working together as well. "I knew this was rare,
to have both of my favorite collaborators available at the same time.
It just hit me, this is way more than a side project." That
collaborative spirit is in Hilton’s songwriting DNA. He’s written
with Taylor Swift and Michelle Branch, co-wrote on Joe Cocker’s
final studio album and is currently in the studio working on new music
with Billy Ray Cyrus. For Hilton’s new album, the title track and
first single, "City On Fire," was written around the 2016 election, a
period where Hilton found himself listening to a lot of traditional
folk songs and western movie scores. "It was strange and comforting to
listen to that music during a time of so much change. Everything
seemed to be changing," he recalls. "And then a good friend of mine
from high school passed away, and all of my friends came together. I
sang some songs, we cried, but mostly we were just left numb and
blinking. A lot happened really fast." "'City On Fire' came out of me
really quickly," he explains. "It was kind of like a dream I should
have had, but instead the images came out as a song, a fully formed
murder ballad. It was eerie, but I think it painted the picture just
right. It really felt like the city was on fire and a lot was being
lost very quickly." The accompanying music video was directed by
Hilton's wife, Megan Park, who is most recognizable for her work as an
actress ('Secret Life of the American Teenager,' 'Central
Intelligence') but has recently made waves directing music videos for
Billie Eilish, Alina Baraz, Blackbear, and Gucci Mane. For the video,
Park teamed with production company PRETTYBIRD, the studio behind
videos for Beyonce’s “Lemonade” and Rihanna's “We Found Love,"
and choreographer Andrew Winghart (‘So You Think You Can Dance,’
Lorde's 'Melodrama' tour, Kahlid's 2018 tour). Tyler will showcase the
new music from his album, “City On Fire,” on a February and March
tour of the U.S. 'City On Fire' was released on January 18th, 2019
from Hilton's label, Hooptie Tune Records.
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18/08/2019 Last update