H.E.R.
H.E.R. in 2019
H.E.R. in 2019
Background information
Birth nameGabriella Sarmiento Wilson
Also known asGabi Wilson
Born (1997-06-27) June 27, 1997
Vallejo, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • harp
  • bass
Years active2011–present
Labels
Websiteher-official.com

Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson (born June 27, 1997), known professionally as H.E.R. (pronounced "her", also an acronym for "Having Everything Revealed"), is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has received an Academy Award, a Children's and Family Emmy Award, and five Grammy Awards, along with nominations for a Golden Globe Award, three American Music Awards, and four Billboard Music Awards.

After initially recording under her birth name, she adopted the stage name H.E.R. in 2016, and released her debut extended play (EP) H.E.R. Volume 1 the same year through RCA Records, followed up with four subsequent EPs. Her first self-titled compilation album (2017) consisted of tracks from her first two EPs, and received five nominations at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, including her first wins for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance for its single, "Best Part" (with Daniel Caesar). Her second compilation album, I Used to Know Her (2019), also received five Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for its single "Hard Place".

In 2021, she was awarded her third Grammy Award for Song of the Year with her George Floyd protest-inspired single "I Can't Breathe". That same year, her song "Fight for You"—released for the film Judas and the Black Messiah—won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and later earned the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance the following year. Her debut studio album, Back of My Mind was released in June 2021 to critical and commercial success. In 2022, she won the Children's and Family Emmy Award for her contributions on Barack and Michelle Obama's animated children's series, We the People.

Early life and family

Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson[1][2] was born on June 27, 1997, in Vallejo, California,[3] to a Filipino American mother and an African American father and raised in California's San Francisco Bay Area.

Career

2007–2011: Career beginnings

At age ten, performing as Gabi Wilson, she played an Alicia Keys song on the piano for the Today Show[1] and at the famed Apollo Theater in New York City on September 23, 2007, covering Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love".[4][5] She made her acting debut at the age of 9, starring in the Nickelodeon television film School Gyrls created by Nick Cannon.[6] She also performed on Maury in 2007, Good Morning America, and The View in 2008.[6] At this time, she was managed by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment.[6] She performed at the 2010 BET Awards covering Keys' "Fallin'", sang a tribute to Keys at the ASCAP Awards, and competed on Radio Disney's The Next BIG Thing at age 12, with her song "My Music" featured on Radio Disney.[6]

2011–2016: Debut album

In 2011, at age 14, Wilson signed a record deal with Sony's RCA Records via J Records, in a deal arranged by her manager Jeff Robinson's MBK Entertainment. Her debut single "Something to Prove" was released under her real name.[6][7]

2016–2019: Breakthrough and I Used to Know Her

H.E.R. performing in 2018

Rebranding in late 2016 with the new H.E.R persona, Wilson released her debut EP, H.E.R. Vol. 1 on September 9, 2016, produced by songwriter David "Swagg R'Celious" Harris. She received support from Usher, Tyrese, Pusha T, and Wyclef Jean; labelmates Alicia Keys and Bryson Tiller helped get the word out through Twitter co-signs, shoutouts, and re-posts.[8][9] In April 2017, Barbadian singer Rihanna posted an Instagram clip with H.E.R.'s track "Focus" playing in the background. The clip has been viewed over 5 million times.[10] Additional industry support came from Issa Rae of HBO's Insecure, Taraji P. Henson of Empire, Kylie Jenner, and Kendall Jenner.

NPR listed H.E.R. Vol. 1 as the first selection in its "5 Essential R&B Albums You Slept On".[11] Calling the music "Slow-burning R&B that zooms in on emotional highs and lows," Rolling Stone included H.E.R. in its March 2017 "10 Artists You Need To Know" roundup.[12] Forbes named her one of "5 Alternative R&B Artists to Look Out for in 2017", reporting: "In the same vein as The Weeknd's enigmatic introduction to the world, H.E.R.'s image remains a mystery. The irony, though, is that her moniker is an acronym for Having Everything Revealed."[13]

Wilson's follow-up EP, H.E.R. Vol. 2 (2017) also produced by Harris, was released on June 16, 2017, and includes the single "Say It Again". She went on tour with Bryson Tiller for the Set It Off tour, and concluded her first headlining tour, the Lights On Tour, in support of H.E.R. Vol. 2.[14] She released H.E.R. Vol. 2, The B Sides (2017), produced by Harris, on October 20, 2017, and the single "2" on October 13, 2017. The compilation album H.E.R. was released on October 20, 2017, comprising the songs from each of the three EP's in this series. The album won Best R&B Album and received four other nominations at the 61st Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.[15]

Wilson announced in September 2018 the I Used to Know H.E.R. Tour in support of her EP series I Used to Know Her: The Prelude and I Used to Know Her: Part 2.[16][17] Her second compilation album I Used to Know Her was released on August 30, 2019.[18] She performed as one of the headliners of the 2019 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York on September 28.[19][20] On October 5, she participated in the 2019 edition of the Rock in Rio festival located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Among the headliners were Drake, Foo Fighters, Bon Jovi, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iron Maiden, Pink and Muse.[21]

2020-present: Back of My Mind and acting debut

H.E.R performing as opening act for Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour in 2022.

On September 20, 2020, she sang Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U" for the In Memoriam segment of the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards. In February 2021, during the pre-game festivities for Super Bowl LV,[22] she performed "America the Beautiful", singing and playing guitar. On June 17, 2021, her single "Damage" topped the US R&B radio chart.[23] The song is from her debut full-length album Back of My Mind, which was released on June 18, 2021.

In August 2021, it was announced that Wilson was in final negotiations to make her feature film debut in the 2023 film adaptation of The Color Purple, playing the role of Squeak.[24][25] She also sings a duet with Tauren Wells on the song called "Hold Us Together".

On November 30, 2021, the Apple Music Awards announced H.E.R. as the winner of Songwriter of the Year.[26]

Musical style

Consisting mostly of R&B ballads, H.E.R.'s songs have been described as "downcast post-breakup material that sounded vulnerable and assured at once".[3] In an interview, H.E.R. mentioned that she grew up listening to Filipino ballad singers such as Sharon Cuneta and Jay R.[27] H.E.R. has also openly credited the singer Prince as one of her biggest influences.[28][29]

Addressing the secrecy over her identity, she has said: "The mystery is a metaphor for who I am, or who I was at the time of creating the project... I feel like oftentimes we don't like to be open as people about our emotions or things that we are going through. At the time [of recording], I was very closed off except for when I was writing or when I was in the studio."[30]

She explained further: "I am a voice for women who feel like they're alone in these situations. This project came from emotion, and that's what I want it to be about – not what I look like or who I'm with, but the raw emotion and support for women."[31] To NPR she said, "I feel like this is the era of the anti-star. I really just wanted it to be about the music, and get away from, 'Who is she with?' and 'What is she wearing?'"[32]

Media appearances

H.E.R. appeared as herself in the movie Yes Day (2021).[33] She performed her original song "Change" on the episode "Active Citizenship" of the 2021 Netflix educational animated series We the People.[34] On July 20, 2022, it was announced that H.E.R. would be singing the role of Belle for ABC's Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.[35] The television special aired on December 15, 2022. She sang the National Anthem at Game 1 of the 2023 World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks. On October 28, 2023, she made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing “The Glass” with Foo Fighters. She made her big-screen acting debut in The Color Purple,[36] which was released in theaters on December 25, 2023.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Tours

Headlining tours

  • Lights on Tour (2017)[37]
  • I Used to Know Her Tour (2018)[38]
  • Back of My Mind Tour (2021)

Supporting

Awards and nominations

References

  1. 1 2 Fedaku, Mesfin (November 7, 2018). "Doing It H.E.R. Way: Singer Gab Wilson Emerges From Shadows". nbclosangeles.com. Los Angeles: KNBC. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  2. ↑ Robehmed, Natalie (November 14, 2017). "Yes, R&B Sensation H.E.R. Is Gabi Wilson". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "H.E.R. Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Showtime at the Apollo". Times Herald. August 31, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  5. ↑ 10 Year Old H.E.R. (Gabi Wilson) - Showtime at the Apollo, retrieved July 1, 2021 – via YouTube
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "10 Things You Should Know About Gabi Wilson". BET. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  7. ↑ Robehmed, Natalie (November 14, 2017). "Yes, R&B Sensation H.E.R. Is Gabi Wilson". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ " Archived 2017-06-17 at the Wayback Machine", iTunes, (retrieved May 9, 2017)
  9. ↑ Makeda Sandford, "ICYMI: 'H.E.R. Vol 1.' Gives Us a Taste of Mystery R&B Songstress Archived 2017-08-30 at the Wayback Machine", Saint Heron, September 21, 2016 (retrieved May 10, 2017)
  10. ↑ Lakin Starling, "H.E.R. on the Surprise of Hearing Her Song In Rihanna's Breezy Instagram Video Archived 2017-05-16 at the Wayback Machine", The Fader, April 10, 2017 (retrieved May 10, 2017)
  11. ↑ Kiana Fitzgerald/Bobby Carter, "5 Essential R&B Albums You Slept On In 2016 Archived 2018-04-06 at the Wayback Machine", NPR, December 17, 2016 (retrieved May 9, 2017)
  12. ↑ Rolling Stone, "10 New Artists You Need to Know: March 2017 Archived 2017-08-30 at the Wayback Machine", Rolling Stone, March 15, 2017 (retrieved May 9, 2017)
  13. ↑ Ogden Payne, "5 Alternative R&B Artists To Look Out For In 2017 Archived 2017-08-07 at the Wayback Machine", Forbes, January 9, 2017 (retrieved May 9, 2017)
  14. ↑ "H.E.R. Announces First-Ever Headlining Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  15. ↑ Velez, Jennifer. "H.E.R. Wins Best R&B Album For 'H.E.R.'| 2019 GRAMMYs". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  16. ↑ "H.E.R. Announces 'I Used to Know HER Tour'". Rap-up.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  17. ↑ Holmes, Summer (August 3, 2018). "H.E.R. Prepares For Debut Album With 'I Used To Know Her: The Prelude' EP". NPR. NPR. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  18. ↑ "H.E.R. – I Used To Know Her [Album Stream]". OnSmash. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  19. ↑ Perez, Lexy (July 30, 2019). "Queen, Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys Among Headliners at 2019 Global Citizen Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  20. ↑ "The 7 Best Moments From Global Citizen Festival 2019". Billboard. September 29, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Rock in Rio Brasil" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Rock in Rio. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Abbo of St. Germain's Sermo de Cena Domini from MS CCCC 190", The Homilies of Wulfstan, Oxford University Press, January 1, 1957, doi:10.1093/oseo/instance.00257657, ISBN 978-0-19-811101-6, retrieved February 12, 2021
  23. ↑ "H.E.R.'s 'Damage' Hits No. 1 on R&B Radio". Rated R&B. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  24. ↑ Criscitiello, Alexa (August 27, 2021). "H.E.R. in Final Talks to Join THE COLOR PURPLE Movie Musical". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  25. ↑ Jackson, Angelique (August 27, 2021). "H.E.R. Lands First Major Acting Role, Will Star in Blitz Bazawule's 'The Color Purple'". Variety. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Apple announces third annual Apple Music Award winners". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Fil-Am singer H.E.R. 'listened to a lot of Sharon Cuneta' growing up". Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  28. ↑ Shattuck, Kathryn (July 6, 2021). "H.E.R. Still Finds Inspiration in Prince and 'Martin'". New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  29. ↑ Yglesias, Ana Monroy (April 9, 2020). "H.E.R. Celebrates Prince At "Let's Go Crazy" Tribute: "It's Gonna Be A Party!". grammy.com. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  30. ↑ Kennedy, Gerrick D. "So who is she? Mysterious R&B singer H.E.R. wants the focus to stay on the music — and the mystery Archived 2017-05-13 at the Wayback Machine", Los Angeles Times, September 21, 2016 (retrieved May 10, 2017)
  31. ↑ "10 New Artists You Need to Know: March 2017 Archived 2017-08-30 at the Wayback Machine", Rolling Stone, March 15, 2017 (retrieved May 9, 2017)
  32. ↑ "Meet H.E.R., a Rising Voice Whose Face Remains a Mystery Archived 2018-08-04 at the Wayback Machine", NPR, December 17, 2016 (retrieved May 9, 2017)
  33. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (March 15, 2021). "H.E.R. says 'it's time to go full throttle' with acting career as she plots Hollywood takeover". EW.
  34. ↑ "H.E.R. Among Artists Educating Kids on Civics in Netflix Series 'We the People'". Billboard. July 3, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  35. ↑ Ianucci, Rebecca (July 20, 2022). "Beauty and the Beast: H.E.R. to Star as Belle in ABC's Live-Action Production". TVLine.com.
  36. ↑ Aquilina, Tyler (August 28, 2023). "H.E.R. will make acting debut in The Color Purple movie musical". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  37. ↑ "H.E.R. Announces 'The Lights On Tour'". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  38. ↑ "H.E.R. Announces North American "I Used To Know Her" Tour". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Bryson Tiller Reveals Set It Off Tour With H.E.R. & Metro Boomin'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Chris Brown Announces 'Heartbreak On A Full Moon Tour' With 6lack, H.E.R. And Rich The Kid". LiveNation. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Childish Gambino". The O2. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Coldplay brings eco-friendly tour with H.E.R. to Levi's Stadium". The Mercury News. October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
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