There are plenty of reasons an artist might keep going when the road to a music career proves longer and harder than expected. For Welsh singer-songwriter SJ Hill, there is one reason that matters more than the rest: a promise he made to his mum.
That promise – to never give up on music – became the inspiration behind Hill’s new single, ‘Chasing Dreams’. Written alongside longtime collaborator Tommy John and produced by Tom Auton, the emotive track is an honest reflection on ambition, disappointment and the determination required to keep pursuing something when success doesn’t arrive on your preferred timeline.
“I made a promise to my mum that I would never give up on music,” Hill says. “No matter how many setbacks I face, no matter how long it takes and no matter how difficult it gets, I’m going to keep chasing this dream.”
It is a sentiment that comes with some history…
Born in Cardiff, SJ Hill has spent years carving out his place within the Welsh and wider UK music scenes, developing a sound that moves between soul, R&B, pop and country while establishing himself as a vocalist known for emotionally charged performances.
The journey has included its share of milestones. Hill won an episode of ITV’s Romeo & Duet, made it to the bootcamp stage of The X Factor and reached the semi-finals of Y LLAIS – The Welsh Voice. His music has subsequently received support from BBC Radio Wales, including A-List play, as well as BBC Radio 1Xtra and Spotify’s Fresh Finds. He has also performed at venues including Wembley Arena and O2 Academy London.
More recently, his single ‘Tonight’ attracted more than 1.4 million Instagram views and surpassed 40,000 streams – signs of an audience continuing to grow around the singer.
But numbers and career milestones aren’t really what ‘Chasing Dreams’ is about.
Instead, Hill uses the song to acknowledge the less glamorous side of trying to make it in music: the uncertainty, the setbacks, the sacrifices and the moments when walking away can seem like the more sensible option.
That tension gives the track its emotional centre. The dream itself hasn’t changed; what has changed is Hill’s understanding of what it takes to pursue it.
“I don’t know exactly where this journey is going to take me, but I know I’m not stopping,” he says. “I’ve come too far, worked too hard and made a promise that means everything to me.”
For Hill, that promise has become bigger than a career ambition. It connects the artist he is now with the person who first dreamed of making music – and with the mother who encouraged him to keep believing in it.
“I’m going to keep chasing the dream until I’ve got nothing left to give,” he says.
With ‘Chasing Dreams’, SJ Hill isn’t pretending the journey has been easy. He is documenting why, despite everything, he is still on it.
Download / stream ‘Chasing Dreams’ here.
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