Meet Temani Hill | Singer/Songwriter & Artist

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

Hi Temani, how do you think about risk?
I think choosing a career in music is a risk to begin with in most people’s eyes. Although I’ve always had a very clear vision and strong belief of where I will eventually end up, I think there’s been risk in every step along the way. I try to always embrace that fact. Taking risks is how change happens, how momentum is in-acted. There is no art without risk. Shooting on film has always been very important to me when it comes to shooting visuals that go along with my music. I can spend weeks planning, book a space, show up and have an amazing shoot and when I get the scans back the film could look nothing like I imagined. Too light, too dark, have light streaks. One of my biggest shoots for my album roll out that’s exactly what happened, the photos were super dark even though conditions to shoot were perfect. And even though the photos weren’t what I pictured, that’s the beauty of film and why i choose to use it. The darkness of the photos transformed itself into moodiness and I made it work for the project just in a different way. There’s a trust we must have in ourselves that the risks will pay off.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Right now, I am still riding the high of my album “More Than I Show” that released on January 30th! I started writing some of these songs back in 2020 and we were in the studio working on it since 2023. There were days when I thought we would never make it to this time and so for it to finally be out in the world it still feels surreal. My goal with this album was to create a time capsule of being in love in my teens and early 20’s and the heartbreak that comes with being that young and naive. I think it’s a once in a lifetime experience and I believe I was successful in bottling up my own experience with that into this body of work. I am most proud of how raw it is and how vulnerable I allowed myself to be and then having the courage to share it. It’s extremely personal and the little details are what makes it so special. I think what sets me apart is that when it comes to my music I never want to hide myself, when I’m writing or singing I am always at my most honest. You’ll always get the good, the bad, and everything in between. The process of making this album changed me, it healed me just as much as it broke me down, and there’s so much more of my experiences I want to share and unpack through my art. Nothing about my career at this point has been easy and I know there’s a million challenges ahead of me but from where I sit present day that’s the best part of all of this. Every moment has lead to me being able to say “Hi, my name is Temani Hill and my debut album ‘More Than I Show’ is out now” and it’s not to the pages of my journal, it’s my reality.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There’s so much of LA that even a week is not enough time! Anytime someone comes to visit there’s pressure to fit as much of LA as I can into their stay and prioritize the best of the best. I am known for my taste in food so we’ll definitely be hitting up my tried and trues. Places I’d take them to eat: Baadmash (Fairfax), Holy Basil (Atwater Village), Silver lake House, Met Her At A Bar, Day Bird and my favorite dinner & drinks spot Bacari. We would definitely swing by Rok cafe for a Matcha Duo more than once, make a stop at Wax Paper and stroll through Frogtown. For a hike, Malibu Creek State Park will always be at the top of my list. Century city is my go to mall for shopping and a nice vibe but if we’re searching more for second hand I’d take my friend to Silver lake on the weekend or hit up the Fairfax strip and even Atwater Village. Even being here for almost 5 years, I feel like I’m constantly discovering new things to love in LA and some of my best days are the ones where we just wake up and go with the flow.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to take a moment to thank my entire team that helped me through the process of creating and releasing this album! This is the first time I’ve had so many people rally behind me and my dreams and support bringing my visions to life and I am eternally grateful. These people are more than just a team they are my family.

Thank you to my engineer Julian “Pure” Mackey.
Thank you to my partner and photographer Teddy Berrios.
Thank you to my mentor, Maiwand Taufiq, who has also helped me with videography & social media management.
Thank you to my stylist Treyvin White.

I couldn’t have made this happen without all these incredible people.

Website: Temani hill.com

Instagram: @temanihill

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCilHRR_7nXYTfNyHDBN_trw

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Tv9s0effx41LXgSPL39Ab
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/temani-hill/1133341163

Image Credits
Teddy Berrios, Amina Balgimbayeva, SeeYouOnTheWest Photography.