| H.E.R. | |
| Birth Name: | Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson |
| Alias: | Gabi Wilson |
| Birth Date: | 27 June 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Vallejo, California, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 2011–present |
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson (born June 27, 1997), known professionally as H.E.R. (pronounced "her", acronym for "Having Everything Revealed"), is an American R&B singer. She has won 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 signed with RCA Records to release her debut extended play (EP), H.E.R. Volume 1, in September of that year. It was followed by four subsequent EPs, the first two of which were part of her self-titled compilation album (2017), which peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200 and, from five total nominations, won two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance for its single, "Best Part" (with Daniel Caesar).[1] Her second compilation album, I Used to Know Her (2019), was met with similar commercial success and likewise received five Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for its single, "Hard Place".[2]
In 2021, she won 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 won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance. Her debut studio album, Back of My Mind (2021), was met with critical acclaim and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200.[2] In 2022, she won the Children's and Family Emmy Award for her contributions to Barack and Michelle Obama's animated children's series, We the People.
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson[3] [4] was born on June 27, 1997, in Vallejo, California,[5] to a Filipino American mother and a Black father, and raised in California's San Francisco Bay Area. According to an interview with Guitar Center, Wilson's father was a musician in a cover band, and hosted their practice sessions in the family's living room.[6] Additionally, members of her mother's extended family were guitarists, drummers and bassists, as well as vocalists, often playing for karaoke events. Wilson states that these were some of her earliest influences, musically.
At age ten, performing as Gabi Wilson, she played an Alicia Keys song on the piano for the Today Show[3] and at the famed Apollo Theater (Harlem, New York City) on September 23, 2007, covering Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love".[7] She made her acting debut at the age of 9, starring in the Nickelodeon television film School Gyrls, created by Nick Cannon. She also performed on Maury (2007), and Good Morning America and The View (both in 2008). At this time, she was managed by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment. She performed at age 12 at the 2010 BET Awards, covering Keys' 2001 hit "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.[8]
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.[8] [9]
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.[10] [11] 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.[12] 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".[13] 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.[14] 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."[15]
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.[16] 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.[17]
Wilson announced in September 2018 the I Used to Know H.E.R. Tour in support of her EP series and .[18] [19] Her second compilation album I Used to Know Her was released on August 30, 2019.[20] She performed as one of the headliners of the 2019 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York on September 28.[21] [22] 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.[23]
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, she performed "America the Beautiful", singing and playing guitar. On June 17, 2021, her single "Damage" topped the US R&B radio chart.[24] 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.[25] [26] 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.[27]
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". In an interview, H.E.R. mentioned that she grew up listening to Filipino ballad singers such as Sharon Cuneta and Jay R.[28] H.E.R. has also openly credited the singer Prince as one of her biggest influences.[29] [30]
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."[31]
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."[32] 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?[33]
H.E.R. appeared as herself in the movie Yes Day (2021).[34] She performed her original song "Change" on the episode "Active Citizenship" of the 2021 Netflix educational animated series We the People.[35] On July 20, 2022, it was announced H.E.R. would be singing the role of Belle for ABC's .[36] 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,[37] which was released in theaters on December 25, 2023.
On August 11, 2024, she sang the national anthem of the United States of America, "The Star-Spangled Banner", during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.[38]
See main article: H.E.R. discography.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Erma | Erma | Short film | |
| 2019 | Yes Day | Herself | Cameo | |
| 2023 | The Color Purple | Mary "Squeak" Agnes | Film debut |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | School Gyrls | Gabi | Television film |
| 2021 | We the People | Performer | Episode: "Active Citizenship" |
| 2022 | Belle | Special | |
| Blue's Clues & You! | T.Rex (voice) | Episode: "Blue's Dino Clues" | |
| Bob's Burgers | Aliah (voice) | Episode: "The Plight Before Christmas" |
See main article: List of awards and nominations received by H.E.R..