Meet Hue Hinton | Musical Artist & Student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hue Hinton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hue, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I would say that my balancing skills have greatly improved over time. From being able to go to school while also seriously pursuing a career in music, I have to make sure that I can balance work and personal life, so I don’t burn myself out. I’ve burnt myself out before and it can take a toll on your mental health. After a few years of college, I am still strongly motivated to pursue a career as an artist, and I think this comes from improving the balance. Sometimes, this might mean staying up all night to finish a song, or not going out to party every weekend. I make sure to hang out with my friends when I can though. I think a social life is important in keeping the balance and rewarding yourself for hard work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started making music when I was 16, but have been playing piano since I was a young child. I used to make beats in my free periods at high school and eventually started recording songs. My friends in high school and I started a group, Blonde on Bread, and we did really well on SoundCloud from around 2017-2019. However, once high school ended we didn’t have as much time to record together, so I started making solo stuff under the name Hue Hinton. More recently, I’ve been working with Philly Creators, who helps create opportunities to showcase local artists in Philadelphia. In October of 2021, Philly Creators was able to put me on as one of the opening acts for Flo Rida at Drexel’s Dragonfly concert, where I performed in front of almost 1000 people. This was one of the biggest moments of my career so far and was an important milestone that made me take my craft much more seriously. My passion for creating the best possible pieces of music I can has driven me to continue as an artist, producer, and songwriter. I am still working on improving my sound every day. It takes a lot of effort and time to create a song that will age well. Through balancing my school and music life, I believe that I’ve been able to greatly improve my music creation skills. Through completing this school year and meeting many different types of people, both in school and music, I’ve been able to expand my perspective on life in general. With new perspective comes inspiration and with inspiration comes creative energy. Balancing out school and music is the biggest challenge, but I have been able to overcome it. For the past year, I’ve been working on my album, ‘Out Loud’, and was finally able to release it last week, on June 10th. As a 21 year-old, managing the school year, creating this album, working on marketing strategies for it, and practicing for performances has been a lot. However, by completing all of these, I was able to get a lot better at balancing the different aspects of my life. I’ve learned that with hard work, determination, and a love for your craft, anything is possible. You can work a day job, go to school, etc. and still follow your dreams. It’s all about balance and prioritization. If you care enough about doing something, you will do it. Just make sure you have a balance between your work and personal life so your mindset is healthy when working and you don’t burn yourself out.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If it’s your first time in Philly, and your looking for fun stuff to do, I would say start your day at Blue Cross River Rink in Penns Landing. In the summer, theres a roller skating rink with a carnival next to it and a bunch of good spots to eat. In the winter, theres an ice skating rink here too. Also, the area around the art museum is a great place to stroll, collect your thoughts, and destress. If you want a cheesestake, there’s a lot of great spots, but my favorite is Dalessandro’s in Manayunk. My favorite spot to get ice cream has got to be Cocos on 37th and Powelton. If you’re feeling ice cream, go here, and get the brownie blast sundae, it’s unmatched.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to first thank Martin for recommending me for this interview. Also, Philly Creators, who I’ve been working with, has had a huge impact on my success this past year and I am forever grateful.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huehinton_/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbeCKZ_QXHUetmv_2Mk8D0Q

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ykelfilAUg1Yv3Ezeh2Uv?si=8auP456fSU-sjjMM7qsaTw

Image Credits
Chris Jang