Mormon Life - Hilary Weeks tag

Beautiful Heartbreak by Hilary Weeks

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:49:00 -0600

source: youtube.com

Mormon Life says: Grab a tissue.

{A&E} Hilary Weeks Concert Tickets

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:36:00 -0600

by LDS Living Staff
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: We're giving away two tickets to the launch of Hilary Weeks's new CD, Every Step, and 5 runners up will get a copy of the CD.

Hilary Weeks, that vivacious and visionary blonde, is releasing a new CD titled Every Step (click here to learn more). In honor of the fans out there, we're giving away two tickets to her launch concert, which will be held in the Covey Arts Center in Provo, Utah, on October 25.

And even if you don't win (or can't attend), we will be giving 5 copies of her new CD to runners up!

The contest is only running the next couple days so we can get all our ducks in a row, so enter now! (Click here to enter.)

Your turn: What's your favorite song of Hilary's?

In 'Every Step,' Hilary Weeks takes inspiration from every part of life

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:20:00 -0600

source: MormonTimes.com

Mormon Life says: This article features a podcast with musician Hilary Weeks. Whether it's a monumental heartbreak or a child with a mouthful of mac 'n' cheese, songwriter Hilary Weeks seems to take inspiration from every part of her life.

On this new album called "Every Step," recorded in Nashville, Tenn., you'll hear 10 new songs from tender to jubilant — like "Living Proof" and "Past the Point" — and a bonus remake of one of her classics, "All My Days."

Just Asking: Hilary Weeks

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0600

by LDS Living staff
source: MormonLife.com

A personal peek into the life of the mother of four girls, artist of eight albums, and author of two books.

You talk about inspiration being found in the nature and beauties of Alaska, where you grew up. What now serves as your primary inspiration?

      I think people: their stories, experiences, what we go through. What I have been through, what friends and family members have been through. Just real-life experiences.

Has your music changed tone with this change in inspiration?

      I think it has stayed in the same vein. It is certainly Christ-centered, but I think in the most recent album, a few more of the songs were about life’s experiences.

Do you feel your public image accurately represents who you are?”

      I guess I would have to ask what my public image would be! I guess it depends on what people think of me, which, I don’t know if I would really know that. Since I am in control of what is on the blog and what is on the CD, then yes, it definitely represents who I am. In terms of how others see me and view who I am, I don’t really know. That could be a scary thought!

Do your four daughters still request a bed time song?

      Oh, no. Not really. I don’t really sing to them that often, it’s mostly like: hurry up and get to bed! Sometimes we tell stories before bed, but that is about all.

What is a talent you really want to develop?

      I want to be a great cook some day. I want to be such a good cook some day that my kids and their spouses and their kids want to come home to eat my cooking. I have a long way to go; I’m not going to lie to you! But I love it! I love to learn, so it is fun to learn new things about cooking and I love to eat, so, it makes for a good combination. I love the feeling in the home when there is yummy stuff cooking and baking. There is nothing specific I want to master, but to be good at cooking everything!

Which is your favorite song?

      I love the message of “If I Only Had Today.” I love the reminder of things that are most important, and making sure that we are focused on those on a daily basis and trying to not let the time go by too quickly without appreciating all the blessings that we have and the loved ones that we have in our lives.

Have you ever had an embarrassing performance?

      O great! You would bring that up! I have such a recent one! It is still an “owie.” I was singing at the Time Out for Women this last fall, and right in the middle of the song, my voice sounded like Kermit the Frog! I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if some saliva went down my throat wrong, but seriously in the middle of singing a lyric I just, all of a sudden, did a Kermit impersonation, and kept on signing. It was so embarrassing! I look back on it, and I am lucky I didn’t start laughing in the middle of that. That would have been my personality, just to stop and laugh, but I just kept on singing. Oh well! Sometimes those things happen. What do you do? Oh, all four thousand people noticed—it was one of those you couldn’t help but notice. I was singing a song called, “Unwritten”… yup, no humor in that one at all!

What was your very favorite performance, and what made it so special for you?

      I think my favorite performances are when I feel like there has really been a connection made through the Spirit, and for me, that is the only way to make a connection. I am not talented enough or good enough to make that connection—my music is not good enough to do that on its own. But when the Spirit is there—and he connects all of us or he speaks to us, or to the audience personally—those are my favorite because then I feel like every bit of time put into it is worth it. Every sacrifice is worth it when I feel like it is something the spirit wants to be a part of.

What single event in your life are you proudest of?

      I think the decision to marry who I married. And, luckily, he was willing to marry me. Everything that is good that has come has been a result of him and his goodness and his support and his love of the gospel. His foundation in the gospel and his Christ-centered life and everything that is good has come from that because the next thing I would say would be our children. If I were to go another step further, I could not have done music without him. I could not of. He has been a partner one hundred percent in that.

How long have you two been married?

      It will be 19 years this April, April 29th. We met in Alaska. He served his mission in Alaska, so I met him up there when I was home one semester, then we met up back at BYU and started dating there.

As a best-selling LDS artist, the industry expects you to keep producing inspiring, popular music. Others in the industry may see you as a challenge or as an inspiration, or both! How do you feel about that competitive dynamic?

      That is the best part of this industry. I’m not sure if I have ever felt that competiveness, there is actually more of a unity, and it started from the very first step into the market. I felt open arms from the other artists, and hopefully, I have taken the same approach when other people have entered the LDS scene. I feel like it is more of a family, and in terms of writing and composing other projects, it gets better and more fun all the time. I am in the middle of writing my next CD, which we hope to release this next fall, and it has really never been more fun. I’m really excited about it; we really have some good stuff to put out.

Is a title or concept decided on for this new album?

      There is one title I am considering, “Dancing in The Rain.” I’m not sure if we will go with it, but I sure like the song and the concept of it.

What else is coming up in your career?

      We also have Bedtime and Naptime, which comes out in the spring which I am SUPER excited about. (To learn more about her book, click here.) Ironically, I’ll go to these concerts, especially Time out for Women, and I’ll sing these little funny songs that I have made up about motherhood, and we all laugh our heads off. Then afterward, when I’m talking with the women, they want to know where they can get those songs. Those funny little songs, we call them “little diddies,” are actually what they ask about most. Sometimes I’m like, “Hey! I have written other songs that are actually really nice and really good!” but they just aren’t the funny ones. So, finally we have come out with a way to make those available to the public, and those are going to be available just in the next couple of months.

If you could sing a duet with anyone—today or throughout history—who would it be?

      I would totally sing backup vocals for Trisha Yearwood, if she would have me. And yes, I do say backup because I know I am not up to the challenge of being a duet partner with her. I love her voice. I always have, so I would see if she would let me stand behind her!

What was the most memorable moment in your music career?

      One year, I couldn’t tell you what year it was, but we lived in Colorado at the time, Tim, my husband, said we were flying to Utah, and it’s surprise. He was in cohorts with Laurel Christenson, because she and Tim both knew about this award that I had won, and they wanted to surprise me. So Tim and I flew out to Utah, and we got dressed up and went to an event where an award was given. One was given to me for music, and one was given to Neal A. Maxwell for being an author. Part of it was that they went to the effort to surprise me—that was so neat and so fun, and that hasn’t happened to me very many times in my life. That was fun to be surprised. It was humbling and a privilege to be in the same room as Elder Maxwell, and it was a fun time to get away and have a nice weekend. It was a neat moment in my career.

You have had the opportunity to meet all sorts of people through your career. What has been an especially memorable experience meeting someone?

      My favorite is when I meet the women that I have so much in common with. I remember meeting a women in Ohio at a Time out for Women event, and she shared with me how her niece was 9-years-old and had a brain tumor. They didn’t expect her to live much longer, and she didn’t. This woman that I met in Ohio contacted me from Ohio via e-mail to let me know that her niece had passed away. We ended up sending flowers to their family to let them know that somebody who didn’t even know their family cared about their loss and was praying for them. They sent us a DVD from her life and pictures of her, including a poem and at the end of the poem it had the phrase “just let us cry.” After I read that, I knew that it just had to be a song, and that is when I wrote “Just Let Me Cry.” The song gives people permission to mourn and to cry in something that is so difficult. Not that they aren’t going to overcome it and be happy again, but there are moments in the healing process that we just need to cry. So, meeting a women in Ohio who does her dishes and cleans her bathrooms just like I do, she shared a piece of her life that inspired a song that in turn I think has blessed a lot of different lives.

What is your secret of keeping a balance of singing, performing, and being a good wife and mother?

      Saying one word, which is “no.” It’s not an easy one to say. I think it was Steven Covey that said it is easy to say no when there is a deeper yes burning inside. So a lot of things that I have wanted to do I have said no to because I wanted to say yes to my family, especially at this stage. I just don’t want to miss raising them, watching them grow up. I don’t want to look back and say, “Well, I remember singing a lot of nice songs, but I don’t remember raising my kids.” That is number one to me, being a mother and a wife, so sometimes I have to say no to some things that I sure wish I could have done. Like a cruise to the Mediterranean. I would have loved to say yes to that. But I just had little ones, and I couldn’t leave them for fourteen days to go do that. But maybe one of these days. Down the road.

Ex-traor-di-nar-y

Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 -0600

by Hilary Weeks
source: MormonLife.com

Ex-traor-di-nar-y

[ik-strawr-dn-er-ee]

1. Beyond what is usual, ordinary or established.
2. Noteworthy, remarkable.

I was having a really tough day. Well, to tell you the truth, it had been a really hard week.

Fine . . . if I must fully divulge, I had been struggling for several months. There. I said it. Fortunately the feeling of discouragement was about to be lifted right in the middle of an ordinary afternoon.

My family was visiting Zion Ponderosa in Southern Utah—one of my favorite places on the planet. I had about an hour to myself, so I took an iPod and went out on the deck hoping to connect with Heavenly Father as I listened to music and marveled at the beauty of the trees, mountains, clouds, skyline—everything He created. I like being in nature. I can feel Him. I can feel His love. I can hear a little more clearly and see a little more deeply. It helps me reconnect with who I am and who He wants me to be.

I was sitting in a chair with my feet up on the railing of the deck, listening to “You Give.” I closed my eyes for a few minutes and when I opened them I saw the prettiest little rainbow. It had appeared during the 30 seconds I had closed my eyes and reopened them. It lasted for maybe two or three minutes, and then it was gone.

I love moments like that—moments that feel like they are sent just for us. Moments when we know Heavenly Father is near. Aware. Close.

I’d like to think that rainbow was made just for me.

After the time spent listening to music and praying and thinking . . . I felt good. I was glad I had taken the time and opportunity to be in a place where Heaven could find me.

Finding Extraordinary
Extraordinary moments can happen in the middle of ordinary days. They can. They do. Sometimes remarkable things (an answer, a hug from a child, inspiration) go completely unnoticed. Sometimes remarkable things (an answer, a hug from a child, inspiration) are life-changing.

Several years ago, I was on a mother-daughter dinner date with Calli, who was nine at the time. Through a mouthful of macaroni and cheese, Calli giggled as she recounted a game of freeze tag she played during recess that day.

Then it hit me . . .

I will spend eternity knowing Calli as an adult. But tonight, right here, right now, and for the next few precious years, I have the rare privilege of knowing her as a child.

What a gift to experience the children in our lives as children! For a brief moment during the journey of mortality, we get to watch them laugh, learn, experience, and grow.

Yes, in the middle of an ordinary day, I found an extraordinary moment.

Making Extraordinary
Recently I conducted an experiment. For 30 days during my morning prayers, I asked Heavenly Father what was most important for me to accomplish that day. After my prayer, I would listen and wait to allow the Spirit to speak to me about what was most important to do that day. Usually it was a prompting of only one thing. He didn’t send a long list of things to do—just one, maybe two.

One morning I felt prompted to write my 9-year-old daughter Meg a note telling her how much I loved her. After dinner, I finally got around to writing the note. I left it on her bed while she was taking a bath. After getting out of the bath and getting into her pajamas, she came downstairs where I was. She was crying—really crying. I asked her what was wrong. Meg told me that she had been feeling very lonely and had just been upstairs praying for Heavenly Father to help her to feel loved. She went into her room and found my note. She could barely get the words out while she was telling the story. I was grateful to know what was most important that day.

On another morning, I felt prompted to send an e-mail to a friend who is dealing with breast cancer. I hadn’t communicated with her for a while and I felt like she could use a word of encouragement and wanted her to know that someone was thinking about her. The next day she e-mailed back and said, “How did you know it was my birthday?!” I didn’t know, but Heavenly Father did.

The key to experiencing remarkable and noteworthy experiences is to recognize them! A rainbow. An inspired thought. A note. Extraordinary moments can happen while doing the dishes, driving carpool, making PB&Js, folding the laundry, wiping ketchup off a little chubby cheek or...over a dinner of macaroni & cheese.

They can.

They do.

Watch and see.