How the US singer penned a ballad and helped a desperate friend
An emotional ballad by US singer Hilary Roberts brought her friend back from a dark place. Now she’s determined to focus on helping others
Hilary Roberts is an American singer-songwriter, loyal friend, charity founder and one of the most generous celebrities in the music world – unless you count her pal Elton John. “That man has so much love for people,” says the singer, who met the British legend at one of his many fundraising events last year. “Elton is sober, like me. We both know the struggle. He is transparent and genuine and his legend speaks for itself.”
Hilary’s rocketing career came rather later in life than she would have liked. The 50 year old, from Dallas, suffered abuse as a child, which led to drug and alcohol addiction that in turn would ruin four major record deals.
Now 22 years sober, Hilary has recovered from life-and-death heart surgery and picked herself up from rock bottom to soar up the
US’S Billboard chart with her 2018 debut hit There For You and charity reboot Back To Life, which has had two million Youtube views – and counting. Great ballads by Celine Dion and
Josh Groban inspired her latest single, Fight To The Other Side, which she wrote for the woman who made it all possible.
“Annie Blake was there for me when I was in a lot of pain,” the singer recalls. “We met through mutual friends. I’d gone through horrible heartbreak – the type that puts you in a foetal position on the floor – and she brought me back to life.”
Based in the New Forest, Annie and her husband Kevin know some major British artists. The women met in 2010 and Annie, enchanted by Hilary’s voice, implored her to make singing her priority. But while Hilary battled her demons and achieved her dream, tragedy struck Annie and in 2017 she was diagnosed with a rare inherited form of muscular dystrophy. The aggressive condition starts by affecting the muscles in the face and upper body. It progressed faster than anyone expected and Annie was unable to cope with how her life had changed.
“I found out that Annie had tried to take her own life six times in a fortnight,” says a tearful Hilary. “She looked at me and said,
‘If I die tonight that’s fine with me.’ I was completely devastated.”
Hilary launched into action, recruited an award-winning musical team and penned her powerful ballad in Los Angeles. The singer put her own pain aside to send a message to her friend and show her she is not facing the battle alone.
“Fight To The Other Side is about the we of the world – that’s W-E – empowering others and lifting ourselves up from the darkness and into the light,” she explains. “People love you and there is love around Annie. She no longer wants to take her own life. That brave woman has a new purpose.”
Annie and Kevin flew to the States to see the star, watch the music video and receive Hilary’s Hero Award at the launch of her Red Songbird Foundation. It’s a cause very close to her heart.
“I went to trauma treatment for the abuse I suffered growing up. I had nightmares in those first six years of sobriety. That treatment gave me the tools to heal,” she reveals.
“I used to trudge through life in a horrific way. Eventually, I started getting the ‘yay’ of life and I swore if I could ever afford it I would help others.”
And help others she has, offering treatment and therapy to adults who suffered from abuse in their childhoods. She has been inspired by new friend Elton, who fights for an Aids-free
future. “I watched friends of mine die of AIDS before anyone could help them. It was so painful to watch what happened to those beautiful souls. I have so much respect for Elton and I will always support what he does to help others,” she says.
A quick flick through Instagram shows just what a star Hilary has now become. Diana Ross, Amy Adams, Damian Lewis and Miley Cyrus all feature with her and the singer is seen at star-studded parties, music awards, premieres and, of course, Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Academy Awards. She still has to pinch herself now and then, but it is what she sees as her purpose as a celebrity that remains her true focus.
“People look at us and think we have no problems whatsoever. It’s so far from the truth. We’ve lost people like Kate Spade [fashion designer] and Anthony Bourdain [chef]. My job, no matter what happens, is to be a love and light to the world. That is my legacy and that is the most important thing.”
Music is everything to Hilary which, she says, can be a loving message to anyone who will listen. She shared her struggle with alcoholism, drug addiction and depression in her hit single There For You, while Back To Life was a reawakening. She says, “Life has more for us. Leave fantasy and negative thinking behind. Reality is the beauty and the love that is here on this planet.”
Her new single will shine a light on the people who help others. In the meantime, the singer is planning her next trip across the Atlantic to see her friends. “Annie has seen me reach my dreams. I am so grateful I put aside my negative thoughts and had the courage to walk towards my dream. This is what I was meant to do. She helped me in my darkest times. Now I’ve helped her,” she says.
Fight To The Other Side is out now.
“I’d gone through horrible heartbreak – the type that puts you in a foetal position on the floor”