Faith Hill

At 27 years old, Star, Mississippi native Faith Hill is country music’s hottest newcomer. Since her debut single”Wild One”burst onto the radio airwaves in January of 1994, Hill has been living in the media spotlight, nearly every move she makes, both publicly and privately, has been chronicled by the TNN cable network,country fan magazines,and the daily newspapers.

In the winter of 1994,when Hill found herself suddenly stricken with an enlarged blood vessel from a vocal chord complication, she was left speechless for three months, after the successful surgery which sidelined her at home under doctor’s orders to be completely silent. “That was a huge problem for a big talker like me,”she said,looking back on the ordeal. “But is was going 110 miles an hour,and then I hit a brick wall.” During that time of rest and relaxation, Hill discovered just how intense the attention can become for an artist under the media microscope. The tabloid reporters began snooping around her professional and private life. “I mean I was in the press and on television almost before I was even on the radio,”she said. “It was just one of those things where the press and the media just grabbed hold of me and went with it. Some of the same people who helped me in my career and had been supportive of me from the very beginning,those same people who helped me out, eventually hurt me.” Even though in her opinion,Hill had nothing to hide,the inaccurate reporting along with her recovery from throat surgery created a situation in which she had to step back and begin carefully monitoring any interview request which came her way.

To this day, even though she enjoys talking about herself she keeps her interview schedule manageable. “The way the media acts sometimes,”Hill said,”whatever the hottest story is,if it’s true or not,can become harmful. Sometimes it’s not right,I have to say,it goes overboard and there needs to be other actions taken. It can be extremely frustrating at times to be totally honest.

The same people who fuel you career, there are times when those people can turn on you.

You’ve just got to learn to take whatever comes along with the publicity,good or bad. You’ve got to know who you are,and be strong enough to rise above all the stuff that’s said about you and isn’t completely accurate. But I’m absolutely not going to let it eat me up. I known what kind of person I am and I’ve just got to rise above it.” Another storm Hill has weathered came when rumors began surfacing earlier this year in the press,that her romance to record producer Scott Hendrcks was cooling off. Hill is reluctant to comment on the relationship,yet she believes the difficult decisions brought on by learning how to handle the press has helped her to grow personally. “You’ve got to learn what you’re limits are and when to say no,”she said. I know that there are times in my life when I need to have some space.

I love people and I love doing interviews,but there are times when I don’t like being around people.

Sometimes I just don’t want to see anybody,I want to be alone and read a book or play with my horse. There’s other times when I will just wash my clothes and have a glass of sweet tea while I sit and watch TV. It’s called being normal. That’s who I am,a normal person. who enjoys life’s little pleasures. I just have to learn to take all the media attention with a grain of salt. I’m learning to put a grin on my face and just bear it.” The attention is likely to continue for Hill,her latest album”It Matters to Me” has already yielded two hit singles,”Let’s Go to Vegas” and”Someone Else’s Dream”.

Her latest single,”You Can’t Lose Me’,is already climbing the charts.

With so many one hit wonders making a splash in Nashville,Hill isn’t taking anything for granted and she plans her career moves out carefully with her advisers. “I would like to think the country music industry is about building careers,”she said,”and not single by single as it is right now. You’re only as big as your last single. I really would like to have a career and if a single isn’t a big hit for me,then that doesn’t mean my career is over with. I like to look at the big picture instead of day by day. I don’t have any anxiety about losing it all,because I really feel like I’ve accomplished much more with my life then I ever though I would. I feel real blessed. There’s a lot of people who are trying to do the same thing I’m already doing so I am happy I’ve achieved what I have at this point in my life. If it were to go away tommorrow,as long as I’m financially secure and can take care of my family, then I would be OK. I think in terms of having a sense of balance in my life every day. That’s why,I definitely have the right people working with me to make smart business decisions as far as the money’s concerned. I have long term goals set for me.” One long term goal Hill wanted to achieve one day is marriage and a family of her own. Children have always had a special place in her heart and Hill realizes that there may come a day when her recording and performing career might not balance out with her family. If that scenario should ever arise in her life,Hill believes she’ll have no trouble making the right decision. “My family would become a priority,”she said. “If I have children and my kids are having a hard time dealing with me because I have been gone on the road for so long,I’ll just have to stop touring. To me,children are miracles and if the Good Lord blesses you with them,and hopefully He chooses to give me my own one day,then it’s my responsibility to bring them up in a proper way.” Her much publicized romance with Nashville record producer and record company executive Scott Hendricks has reportedly cooled off. Would Hill again consider to marry someone within the country music industry,or does she want to now keep the romantic aspect of her life totally outside of the music business? “Oh,no,”she said with a laugh,”I would marry someone who works in the music business. But that’ll be a private decision. Right now,I can’t say which man I’ll marry. After all,you don’t put limitation on love.” Her recent hit,”Someone Else’s Dream”,a song about a woman entrenched in a co-dependent life pattern,trying to break free and set out totally on her own,Hill feels is somewhat autobiographical to her. “I think that I probably can relate to”Someone Else’s Dream” just by being a woman,”she said with a laugh. “Sometimes it’s human nature,especially when parents are involved with their children,they want them to be successful in life. So maybe sometimes what they want,they pass that belief onto their children because they want the best for their kids. I feel like I am living my own dream and I’m living a dream that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. My family has always been very supportive(Faith’s parents are Mr. and Mrs Perry).” In her own way,Hill feels she’s grown and matured since her first single brought her success. Hill believes she’s gone from a shy,and at times timid,people-pleasing individual,to a self sufficient woman determined to build a life on strong will,hard work and determination. “Obviously I’ve changed,”Hill said,”I’m the same person,I’ve matured,which is a natural progression for a woman to go from a 25 year old to 27. Yet,I haven’t changed completely. In a sense I had to grow up to experience lifes trials and tribulations in the public eye,well that makes you approach things differently then probably the normal 27 year old would. It’s my responsibility to make sure I make everybody who is around me,especially my fans,feel comfortable. I want them to know I appreciate the fact that the fans have been their from the beginning. Some of them write me letters and ask me how things are going and they seem to know everything about me. That’s really important because I feel they do see what’s been going on in my life.” Hill has noticed in reading her fan mail that her fans really do notice even the little details in her life.”They write in and tell me if they like my hair of if they don’t like it,”she said. “They’re going to be honest with you,and I think it’s up to me to make everybody feel comfortable with the way I’ve changed. Past that,if people walk away from me and say that I’ve changed and stardom has made me a different person,then I think that’s something that they have to deal with. Because I go out of my way to make sure people know that,yes my life has changed,but as a person,on the inside,I still am the same Faith Hill.”