Eric Hilton's Corazón Kintsugi, featuring Thievery Corporation vocal collaborator Natalia Clavier

Eric Hilton and Natalia Clavier’s musical relationship dates back to 2007, when he produced her debut album, Nectar, for Eighteenth Street Lounge Music. The Argentinian singer-songwriter was subsequently invited to be part of Thievery Corporation’s live act, and sang on their stunning 2014 album Saudade. Clavier refers to Hilton as her “biggest musical mentor,” while Hilton calls Natalia a “muse on steroids.”

The pensive title track that opens Corazón Kintsugi contains the lyric “rebuilding myself is an art,” which is something Clavier was focused on as she worked through a challenging personal transition at the start of this project. "When I heard the music for what ultimately became the album, I knew I wanted to write about mending a broken heart, but not from a romantic perspective,” Clavier said. "I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese aesthetics, art and ceremonies. Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery with gold, which makes the imperfections more visible, is beautiful. And of course, corazón means ‘the heart’ in Spanish. I thought that ‘Corazón Kintsugi’ would be a beautiful metaphor for how we heal our hearts, grow and move forward in life.” 

"I had quite a few fragments of songs that I felt would work better with a vocalist than as solo pieces, and Natalia created that outlet for me,” Hilton says of the creation of the new album. “It was a great break artistically to work with a singer and songs, instead of instrumentals. I had a very heavy hand in this record, but she trusted me and brought so many great ideas. There were no creative battles at all, Natalia and I have mutual respect and that’s why it worked.”

Clavier concurs. “Eric and I speak the same language. I asked him, ‘How do you feel about me singing in Spanish and maybe Portuguese?’, and he was so enthusiastic. He gives me creative freedom, which allows me to be totally open. I intentionally wanted to infuse musical healing arts into traditional songwriting on this record. When you go into the studio spiritually clean, you’re connected to the present, you’re grounded, and everything flows through the crown chakra naturally. I can see music, not just hear it. When I’m talking about the moon or ocean I’m in that environment in my mind.” 

Hilton couldn’t be more pleased with the finished result of this collaboration. "This is a fun, groovy record, and very light-hearted in the best possible way,” he summarizes. “It visits some styles I don’t really do with Thievery or my solo work, mainly late ’70s/‘80s disco funk. I love that style of music but don’t make a lot of it. Natalia did a fantastic job. Despite the ‘concept’, this is not a very self-conscious record. It has an openness to it, and I think that’s going to resonate with anyone who hears the music.”