Judith Hill

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Judith Glory Hill (born May 6, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. She sings pop, soul, R&B, neo-soul, funk and jazz, and plays piano, guitar and bass. She began her career around 2007, providing backing vocals for big artists like Michael Jackson, Prince and Josh Groban.

In 2009 she was chosen as Michael Jackson’s duet partner for I Just Can’t Stop Loving You during the This Is It rehearsals. After Jackson’s death, she performed at his memorial, notably singing Heal the World. Her story is told in the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, and she is featured on its soundtrack. The film won major awards, including the Oscar for Best Music Film in 2014, and Hill also won a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Original Song for Desperation.

She contributed original ballads to the Spike Lee film Red Hook Summer (2012). In 2013 she competed on The Voice, reaching the Top 8 on Team Adam. She opened for Josh Groban in 2013–2014 and sang duets with him, including The Prayer and Remember When It Rained. She also toured with John Legend in the UK in 2014.

Her debut solo album, Back in Time, was produced by Prince at Paisley Park and released in 2015 as a free download for a short time. In 2021 she released Baby, I Hollywood!, and in 2023 the single Runaway Train, ahead of her 2024 album Letters from a Black Widow. She also collaborated with Eric Clapton on How Could We Know (2023).

In 2024 she joined Prince’s former band The Revolution for a Purple Rain 40th anniversary show in Minneapolis. Critics note her distinctive, soulful voice that can move between R&B, funk, jazz and gospel.

Judith Hill was born to Michiko Hill, a Japanese pianist, and Robert Lee Hill. Her mother is Japanese and her father African American. She speaks English and Japanese, and also knows French and Spanish. She studied music composition at Biola University and briefly performed in France with Michel Polnareff before pursuing her career in the United States. She signed with Sony Music in 2013.