Alana Hil has never been afraid to tell the truth, but with her new EP Diaries of a Common Woman, she’s opening the door wider than ever before. Described by the singer as “a very intimate project and a personal look into my life,” the body of work unravels the emotional extremes she’s lived through, from moments of mania to stretches of numbness, and the quiet, persistent hope that threads it all together. “I hope it finds the people who need it most,” she tells Celeb Secrets, a mission that pulses through every lyric and visual she creates.
Throughout our conversation, Alana’s fearlessness shines. She speaks openly about living with Borderline Personality Disorder and how turning her reality into art has become both catharsis and calling. “It is a part of my Dharma,” she says. “To be courageous enough to be so much myself that others feel safe being themselves completely.”
That candid honesty is reflected across the EP, from the gratitude-laced “Heartbleed Over Coffee” to the newly released “In Between,” which arrives with a dreamlike video inspired by her love of David Lynch, Grace Jones, and artists who “leaned into their heart… and expressed it unapologetically.”
Raised in Kentucky but shaped by travels spanning the Himalayas, Mexico City, Maui, and beyond, Alana’s artistry carries the texture of everywhere she’s been — and the resilience of everywhere she’s had to return to within herself. Her sound blends soul, R&B, blues, country, and global influences, yet the emotional core remains unmistakable: raw, real, and deeply human.
Now, with Diaries of a Common Woman officially out in the world, Alana steps into a new era — one defined by accountability, womanhood, and a creative fire she says is just beginning. “Volume two is coming,” she teases with a smile.
Below, Alana Hil sits down with Celeb Secrets to discuss the stories behind the EP, the surreal visuals shaping her new world, and the secret bourbon-soaked truth fans would never guess about how it all came together.
Celeb Secrets: Your new EP Diaries of a Common Woman is out now. What’s running through your mind as you’re about to share such a personal body of work with the world?
Alana Hil: “I am excited to share it with the world. It is a very intimate project and a personal look into my life. I hope it finds the people who need it most.”
CS: The title alone feels so powerful. What does “common” mean to you in this context, and how does it reflect your own story?
AH: “We are all ‘common’ in the way we are experiencing the array of emotions. But there is a bit of irony in the title as well, because we are also very uncommon. Everyone has their own unique gifts, talents, wants and desires, but often times programming can hold us back and keep us in fear from going for what we really want. I speak from experience. I hope by me chasing my dream I inspire women to chase theirs.”
CS: You’ve lived such a fascinating life… from Kentucky to the Himalayas to Mexico City and beyond. How have all those places influenced your sound and worldview as an artist?
AH: “Everywhere I have been has shaped me in some way. Mostly, just being alone in foreign territory can really bring you back into yourself in an introspective way. As you observe cultures so very different from where you are from, it brings you closer to home and reminds you of who you are. Especially when you don’t speak the language and all you can do is observe.
CS: You’ve mentioned your love of artists like Grace Jones and David Lynch for visual inspiration. How do those cinematic and avant-garde influences come to life in your music videos and performance style?
AH: “They are/were risk takers. RIP David Lynch. But their work never followed a social norm. They leaned into their heart, to the rawness of what makes them tick, all the joy and pain and madness and they expressed it unapologetically. I love that freedom. I love watching Lynch’s films and reading between the lines trying to understand what he was trying to say, really. It’s like a dream. I want my work to feel like a dream. Surreal.”
CS: Your single “Say It” is such a raw, vulnerable record about communication and honesty in relationships. What moment or feeling sparked that song?
AH: “I was in the desert in Joshua Tree California, at a writing camp called Escape. Everyone had gone to sleep except for me and two other guys. We were having such a great time. Initially it started as a dance track, and I tend to lean into juxtaposition. But after the lyrics and melody were done, I had to make the music fit. It was too real.”
CS: The track feels both bold and tender. Was it scary to be that open in your writing, or was it more liberating?
AH: “It’s liberating. I am healing myself day by day, every time I share a bit of myself. I am learning how to accept myself as I am, and as I share more intimate things a pandora box opens and I’m like WHOA there’s sooo much more in there.”
CS: Across the EP, you explore identity, mental health, and resilience. How did you find the courage to turn something so personal (like living with Borderline Personality Disorder) into art that others can connect with?
AH: “It is a part of my Dharma, to be courageous enough to be so much myself that others feel safe being themselves completely. It isn’t easy to be our true selves in a world where there is so much hate. Where there is light, there is darkness. My goal is never to make anything look easy or glamorous, but imperfect and real. Which is actually the real glamour.”
CS: You’ve said this EP navigates the “extremes of mania, numbness, and depression.” Was there a song in particular that helped you process or heal through one of those extremes?
AH: “They all touch on different emotions. Heartbleed Over Coffee touches more on gratitude. As it is an ode to music, for saving my life.”
CS: How do you hope this project might change the way people think or talk about mental health, especially in the music industry?
AH: “I hope people can be more gentle and kind to themselves, and others. There is so much about the brain and body we still don’t know. I want the industry to soften up a little. Everything is so fast paced, judgmental, maybe if i can keep being vulnerable people will understand compassion more deeply. I hope.”
CS: Your sound beautifully fuses soul, R&B, blues, and even a little country and world music. How do you approach blending genres without losing that emotional core that defines your artistry?
AH: “I go with what feels good, whatever moves me and gives me chicken skin. That’s it.”
CS: You’ve worked with the incredible Printz Board, who has collaborated with icons like the Black Eyed Peas and Mark Ronson. What’s one thing you’ve learned from working with him that’s stuck with you?
AH: “He teaches me to believe that I can do anything.”
CS: From “Love and Mental Breakdowns” to “Heartbleed Over Coffee” and now “Say It,” your music feels like a chaptered story. How do you see your next chapter unfolding after this EP?
AH: “Diaries of a Common Woman has a volume two. Stay tuned!”
CS: You’ve lived so many creative lives: singer, yogi, traveler, storyteller. Who is Alana Hil today, in this season of your life?
AH: “Alana Hil is stepping into womanhood. And what I mean by that, is taking accountability for my life.”
CS: What’s something about your journey or your artistry that you think people don’t know yet, but should?
AH: “I learn very fast, I get bored quickly, I research extensively, and the combination of those 3 things breeds a human who will ultimately change things up a lot and express an array of personas and emotions from within in a very cheeky way.”
CS: And finally, since we’re Celeb Secrets, what’s one “secret” about the making of Diaries of a Common Woman that fans would never guess?
AH: “I recorded every song after a few bourbons.”
