The enigmatic voice of 21-year-old HillaryJane has brought a fresh approach to the world of hip-hop. While being a relative newcomer, her smooth voice and inspired words have quickly garnered both public and critical acclaim. Her debut EP Stix and Stones hit the #3 spot on the iTunes top R&B Albums chart, and her songs reached #2 on Radio U's Most Wanted, #8 on Amazon's Top Free Songs Chart and the #9 Spot on the DJBooth.net R&B Charts. Now, HillaryJane is taking the songs in a new direction with the new acoustic EP, Stix and Stones Unplugged, releasing December 30th on the Infiltrate Music label.

A natural, gifted musician, HillaryJane created the original EP by writing the songs first on the guitar, and then handing them over to the album's producers in studio to build and define the arrangements. On this follow up EP, the songs travel back to their roots and receive new life, essentially in the style they were conceived.

Also included in the project is HillaryJane's creative cover of the Dove Award Winning Song of the Year "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)."

To create Stix and Stones Unplugged, HillaryJane worked alongside the elite musicians and producers from JahRock'n Studios (Andy Mineo, MC Jin, Derek Minor), taking a team approach to arrangements and alterations.  This 'live-in-studio' approach helped give a new dimension to the young performer's songs, while maintaining her strong hip-hop base.   

HillaryJane's story began far from the world of recording and touring.  Homeless as a child, this Texas native struggled to be able to sing or even hold a tune. Then, in ninth grade, her voice seemed to develop out of nowhere. After realizing this gift, HillaryJane immersed herself in music. Within a week she was developing her voice singing in choirs, and shortly after was giving back by leading choirs made up of younger teens.  Writing and performing occurred naturally, and stylistically she found her voice leaning into the male-dominated hip-hop genre.  With the original release of the Stix and Stones EP, HillaryJane offered an edge and strength often missing from women in the genre.

Now, HillaryJane is ready to explore her music in new ways, and to share her songs with new audiences. "A lot more came out of me than I expected on this project, creatively and vocally," HillaryJane explains. "This process has given me a new level of confidence.  I'm so excited to share these new acoustic versions of the songs. I haven't stopped smiling since we recorded Stix and Stones Unplugged!"

Stix and Stones Unplugged will be available in stores and online December 30 through Inflitrate Music.  The title track is available for download now with all iTunes pre-orders: http://bit.ly/1vEyWmG

To hear the title track, please click here: https://soundcloud.com/infiltratemusic/hillaryjane-stix-and-stones-unplugged

To get to know HillaryJane and get an intimate inside look at the making of Stix and Stones

Unplugged, watch her mini documentary: http://youtu.be/ZjMOQrttSIM