Hilary Woods, born on 30 May 1980 in Dublin, Ireland, began her musical journey in a home filled with classical, folk, and rock records and learned piano before joining the rock band JJ72 in 1996 as bassist. With JJ72, she contributed to two Top 20 albums—JJ72 (2000) and I to Sky (2002)—and toured for four years before leaving the group in 2003. After a hiatus, she returned to music in 2013 with the solo album The River Cry, followed by the EP Night (2014) and Heartbox (2016). Signing with Sacred Bones Records, she released Colt (2018), Birthmarks (2020), and Acts of Light (2023).