The pop of a champagne bottle opening never fails to light up a room and bring smiles, whether it’s in the midst of a big celebration or an intimate affair. There’s something warmly nostalgic about that flute full of delicious bubbly, especially when it’s pink. One delightful sip can transport you to a simpler, yet elegant time of exhilarating love, easy laughter and letting go. Multi-honoured singer-songwriter Heather Hill is serving up the joyful effervescence of pink champagne in her irresistible new release, “Rosey.”
The Blue Mountains, Ontario-based artist is pouring on intoxicating romance with this retro confection that blows a kiss back to the post-Swing Jazz era with a wink and a nudge to Les Paul and Mary Ford, all dressed in modern musical sensibilities. The lead single from her upcoming fourth album Twilight Mist, “Rosey” was co-written with Hill’s frequent collaborator, award winning Ontario singer-songwriter, Matt Gerber.
“‘Rosey’ is a throw-back 1950s jazz pop tune about love and delight,” notes Hill. “Matt and I imagined an incredible night of pink champagne and dancing. Everything is bubbly and full of love and life.”
I love the light that sparkles in your eyes
Intoxicating. I’m mesmerized.
I could drink you up. It’s no surprise.
I wish I could bottle this sweet and bubbly love!
There’s a very specific setting that Hill and Gerber imagined setting the scene and give the story in “Rosey” its vibrant, nostalgic overtones.
“This heart opening song had me envisioning a fancy party in a beautiful dance hall,” Hill recalls. “There are pink bubbles, pink drinks, pink dresses, pink roses and a jazz band. At this fancy party, the guests are floating around the dancefloor in bliss and delight. Love and pink champagne has transformed the guests and the entire evening.”
The result sounds like the most sumptuously romantic and giddily joyous affair ever. The best part is we’re all invited.
Rosey kind of love
Giddy on your love
Tipsy on your love
It fills me up
“Rosey” makes it effortless to get caught up in its rapturous vibe with Hill’s sweet, flirtatious vocal buoyed by acclaimed, Juno nominated jazz pianist and drummer David Restivo, guitarist Mike Rud and upright bassist Jill McKenna. Truly a cross country effort, the instrumental trio recorded the instrumental tracks for “Rosey” in Restivo’s home city of Nelson, B.C. and Hill recorded her lead vocal at Villa Sound in Singhampton, Ontario with engineer Adam Fair, who also mixed the song.
Hill has always pursued collaborations with diverse artists and her songwriting prowess has been paying off in industry recognition and accolades. “Love”, a song co-written with another frequent collaborator Sarah Prodan that will be included on the upcoming Twilight Mist, was recently selected as Best Original Song for the 2023 Love Wins International Festival, which takes place in both Los Angeles and New York City during Pride in both locales. “Free This Love”, another co-write with Matt Gerber and award winning Toronto singer-songwriter Henry Lees, picked up Top 10 Finalist honours from the 2022 USA Songwriting Competition and reached the Semi-Finals for the 2022 International Songwriting Contest. Another co-write with Gerber, “You’re So Beautiful”, became a Semi-Finalist in the 2021 International Songwriting Competition.
Hill has also co-written several songs with Chris Antonik, a #1 charting, multiple Maple Blues Awards nominee, Canadian rock powerhouse Jess Speziale, Meghaan LeBlanc, a Nova Scotian Celtic troubadour and Kat Leonard, a comedian and entertainer.
A deep, varied history of academic studies and performance experience has led Hill to the highly creative and soul-affirming place she’s in now. With a classical piano performance degree (ARCT) from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (U of T) and a Master of Arts (English) degree from University of Waterloo under her wing, she made her home temporarily in New York performing in some of the city’s most legendary clubs such as The Cutting Room and the Makor Room, and recorded her first album, “Listen” with platinum producer Steve Addabbo (Suzanne Vega, Jeff Buckley, Bob Dylan). There, Hill also received her first song cut in the off-Broadway production “Songs of the Century” and studied with revered singer-songwriter, producer, music mentor, teacher and co-founder of the Jazz Foundation of America, Ann Johns Ruckert, who also worked with legends such as Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, T-Rex, Merry Clayton and Quincy Jones throughout her storied career.
Moving back to Toronto to raise her family, Hill continued to pursue her song craft in earnest, releasing her second album Leuty Station, called “a remarkable and beautiful sounding disc” by Juno nominated and multi-credited Film/TV singer-songwriter Blair Packham. In 2022, Hill released her third album We are The Same, a collection she calls a warm hug in an uncertain world.
Always desiring to lift other songwriters up in their artistry, Hill has led the Toronto Songwriting Guild for the past decade – a group of 10-15 professional songwriters who are working on their song craft and sharing their talents. Additionally, she’s a member of One Fire Movement – a grassroots group of artists spreading peace through their art and activism.
There’s joy, magic and delight in the ‘job’ of songwriting for Heather Hill and her new release “Rosey” shows how much she is ‘in the pink’ with her craft as she gears up for her fourth album Twilight Mist to be out later this year. For now though, she has one simple request for everyone listening along.
“For Matt and I, this song is all about simplicity, joy, fun and play,” says Hill. “I hope this song makes you smile. If it does, share it with a friend.”
