For Hilary Roberts, music goes beyond a top spot on the Billboard top 100 (she's got plenty of those); it’s multipurpose in function and personal. Hilary, as a victim of abuse, creates music to help encourage and strengthen the many who suffered through similar experiences.

She founded the Red Songbird Foundation which aims to help survivors of trauma caused by sexual, physical, and verbal abuse, by providing counseling, assisting members to enter treatment.

Hilary is currently working on finishing her first LP. Her past chart-toppers released this year include “There For You,” (charted #3 on Billboard Dance Club Chart in the US) and “Back To Life” (charted #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Chart in the US) and "Fight to the Other Side”. Please read our exclusive interview to learn about Hillary.

Where are you based?
Dallas, TX and Los Angeles

How did you get interested in becoming a singer?
My family took me to see the play, “Annie,” and I wanted to be just like her. I started singing songs from the play, all of the time. By practicing the songs, I learned that I actually had a voice!

Congrats on your new release, “Good Man.” Can you tell us a little bit about this song?
Good Man is a song about all of the men out there who have integrity, honesty, and loyalty. They are the kind of men we can depend on and trust. Damon Sharpe (my Grammy award-winning producer) and I wanted it to be catchy and feel good, and we wanted to give those type of men the shout-out that they deserve.

Jejune loves your song “Fight to the Other Side”. Can you please tell us a little bit about the story behind it and what inspired you to write it?
My good friends, Annie and Kevin, from the New Forest of England, encouraged me for a long time to get back into singing after I became very discouraged. As I started going for that dream, it began coming true. Annie became sick with a very rare form of muscular dystrophy called FSH. It progressed in a year and a half in what should have taken ten years. She tried to commit suicide six times in two weeks because the pain was so great physically, and the depression was overwhelming. This was not Annie's personality prior to getting ill. After visiting her for Christmas in 2018, I told Damon that we had to write a song dedicated to her. We were able to present her song and video to her at the launch of my foundation called Red Songbird in May 2019. Since being presented with that song, she no longer wants to commit suicide and has been a voice to those that are also afflicted with this horrible disease. Her husband, Kevin, retired seven years early and lost 40% of his pension so he could care for his wife, bathe her, and dress her… He is one of the finest men I have ever known. He is a Good Man. Her disease is progressing, but she keeps fighting. She is my hero.

You are an active member of The American Heart Association, you work with multiple child advocacy centers, elderly assistance organizations, and no kill shelters and animal rescues. Why is giving back so important to you?
I went through dark times of my own. Growing up with trauma, becoming an alcoholic and a drug addict, and then finally getting sober. I also survived open-heart surgery, among other things... I never knew I could have a life of happiness, sobriety, healthiness, and freedom from the nightmares of childhood abuse. Life felt so hard back then. I’m so grateful and so blown away that all I want to do is give back. I want others to have the same freedom I have had. I have a special love for the elderly, and I have a special love for the little animals… because there were times my pain was so great, and my greatest antidepressants were my fur babies.

On top of being involved in a lot of wonderful organizations, you even formed one of your own. The Red Songbird Foundation just celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Can you please tell us about your organization and what it does?
The Red Songbird Foundation was officially launched in May 2019. Prior to that, I personally funded individuals for ten years to go to treatment and get counseling. Red Songbird provides education, outreach, resources, and treatment scholarships for those affected by trauma, mental health, alcoholism, and drug addiction.

We would love to learn more about how The Red Songbird Foundation got started and how it has changed your life.
When I was six years sober, I had suffered from nightmares every single night of being attacked, which was absolutely horrific. I suffered from PTSD from the abuses I endured growing up. My spiritual advisor connected me with a foundation that paid for half of my trauma treatment. I swore that if I ever had the means or the platform, I would do the same for others so they could have the same relief I gained after working so hard facing the pain of the past, during treatment and after getting out. It was not an easy process, but it was definitely worth it. I never knew I could have this freedom. So much healing has happened for me, and I am truly grateful.

Your strength and determination to prosper through your trauma is admirable. Do you have any advice for current victims of abuse or trauma sufferers?
Yes. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Even if you’ve been in pain for years, there is freedom. It is so important to not quit before the miracle happens. It is important to face the pain with people who are specialized in this area and practice the tools to keep building a life towards freedom. It is not your fault it happened, and it is not your shame to carry. Speak your truth and connect with people.

What are some ways we as a society can help improve on helping victims of abuse, in regards to rescue and trauma?
To never blame them, ever. Believe them. If a child is telling you something is wrong, believe them. Sometimes an adult will not remember something until years later, sometimes 30 or 40 years later. Believe them. With the crackdown on trafficking, the Me Too movement, and men and women being able to speak about their abuse, I believe society today is doing more than they ever have. But many, many people who are/were inflicted by abuse still need help, so we have to be able to let them give a voice to their trauma, and let them know we are here to be of help, and that we want them to be healed — we want to support them. People need to know that they are loved, supported, and you will watch them accomplish great things.

What is your motto in life?
What can I do each day to help someone? My greatest legacy is that I try to love God’s kids to the best of my ability every single day. If I fall short, I have to clean it up and do better. Love is always the answer.

To learn more about Hilary Roberts please follow her via the following platforms:
Instagram: @officialhilaryroberts
Facebook: @OfficialHilaryRoberts
Twitter: @hilaryroberts
Apple Music
YouTube: @Official Hilary Roberts
Spotify

Hilary Roberts: From Pain to Happiness and Everything in Between