Hilary Weeks
Hilary Weeks, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a singer and songwriter of faith-based music with nine solo albums to her credit including her latest, Every Step, produced by Shadow Mountain Records. She was born in Colorado and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. Her genre of music is Contemporary Inspirational. She is also a frequent speaker at Deseret Book Company’s Time Out for Women (TOFW).
Music has always been a part of her life, from her early days growing up in her home to the present. She began playing the piano at the age of eight and wrote her first song at the age of 14. Her first published song “He Hears Me” was recorded in 1993 for the Especially for Youth (EFY) album. According to her bio on last.fm, “Hilary Weeks delivers music with a rare combination of assuredness and tenderness. With inspiring lyrics and a voice audiences have come to love and depend upon, she shares her heart and insight drawn from everyday life.”
Hilary’s solo career was not launched until 1996 with her solo debut He Hears Me. She was awarded Inspirational Album of the Year by the Faith Centered Music Association. She was also blessed with the honor of receiving the LDS Booksellers Award for Best Album by a Female Artist and went on to win the inaugural FCMA PEARL Award for Best Inspirational Album of the Year in 1998. Her producer, Kenny Hodges, remarked in an interview that Hilary is comparable to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) artist Twila Paris, and he further stated that he was blessed to be among the first to recognize her talents.
Her second album, Lead Me Home, followed in 1999. And in 2000, she received Pearl Awards for Inspirational Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year. Her third album, I Will Not Forget, released in 2001 broke the sales records from her previous two albums. In 2002 she released Christmastime, an album featuring holiday favorites as well as original songs. And in 2004 she released Day of Praise, an invigorating album filled with heartfelt inspiration.
Hilary became an author in 2004 when she wrote her first book, Bedtime and Naptime and Bedtime and Naptime, which features her now famous Time Out for Women parodies. At the request of Deseret Book Company, she also wrote a book titled Believe (In What You’re Doing, In Who You Are).
After writing her first song at the age of 14, she soon discovered that her favorite topics to write about were those which centered on the gospel. However, she never planned to become a bestselling, inspirational singer/songwriter. In her bio on her Facebook page, she states, “Growing up I spent a lot of time in the forest next to our house. It overlooked the ocean and often I would see whales out in the distance. It is still one of my favorite places on Earth. I could go there to be alone and think and pray and try to figure out life. It was my own secret spot where I could commune with Heaven.” She further comments, “If someone had told me after I wrote my first song, that I would someday release seven CDs I wouldn’t have believed them. And if they had told me that I would sing those songs in front of thousands of people, I would have run. I never had dreams or plans of becoming a singer or songwriter. I liked music. I loved it. It was just that simple.”
One simple thing soon led to even bigger things.The release of her latest album, Every Step, brought new success and a new horizon for her music. In October 2011, Hilary became the first Latter-day Saint artist to break the top 10 on the Current Contemporary Christian Albums Billboard list. Every Step also hit 102 on the top 200 Billboard and was the number one New Artist Album on both the National Indie and Mountain Region charts on its debut week.
In addition, Hilary has two collections of sheet music – The Hilary Weeks Songbook Vol. 1 & 2. She has also been featured on an extensive list of compilation albums and has been the recipient of numerous other awards. The song that she is most known for, “He Came for Me,” is frequently performed in Latter-day Saint circles and first appeared on Kenneth Cope’s album Women at the Well.
For all of her life accomplishments, she gives honor and credit to the love of the Savior. Although she has been the recipient of many accolades for her successes, her most cherished moments are those which she spends with her loving family. She met her husband Tim while he was serving as an LDS missionary in Alaska. They live with their four daughters in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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