H.E.R. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
H.E.R.
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H.E.R. in 2022
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson |
| Also known as | Gabi Wilson |
| Born | June 27, 1997 Vallejo, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
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Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson (born on June 27, 1997), known as H.E.R. (which sounds like "her" and stands for "Having Everything Revealed"), is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has won many important awards, including an Academy Award, a Children's and Family Emmy Award, and five Grammy Awards. She has also been nominated for other big awards like the Golden Globe Award.
She first recorded music using her birth name. In 2016, she started using the stage name H.E.R. and signed with RCA Records. Her first collection of songs, called an extended play (EP), was H.E.R. Volume 1, released in September 2016. After this, she released four more EPs. The first two EPs were part of her self-titled album (2017). This album reached number 23 on the Billboard 200 chart. It won two Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance for her song "Best Part" (with Daniel Caesar). Her second collection of songs, I Used to Know Her (2019), was also very popular. It received five Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year.
In 2021, H.E.R. won her third Grammy Award for Song of the Year with her song "I Can't Breathe". This song was inspired by the George Floyd protests. In the same year, her song "Fight for You" from the movie Judas and the Black Messiah won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance. This made her the first Academy Award winner born in Generation Z (people born from the mid-1990s to early 2010s). Her first full studio album, Back of My Mind (2021), was highly praised and reached number six on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2022, she won a Children's and Family Emmy Award for her work on Barack and Michelle Obama's animated children's TV series, We the People.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson was born on June 27, 1997, in Vallejo, California. Her mother is Filipino, and her father is Black. She grew up in California's San Francisco Bay Area. H.E.R. shared in an interview that her father was a musician in a cover band. They often practiced in their living room. Also, many of her mother's family members played instruments like guitar, drums, and bass, and they loved to sing for karaoke. H.E.R. says these early experiences greatly influenced her music.
Career Journey
Starting Out: 2007–2016
When she was ten, Gabriella performed as Gabi Wilson. She played an Alicia Keys song on the piano for the Today Show. She also sang Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love" at the famous Apollo Theater in New York City in September 2007. At age nine, she acted in the Nickelodeon TV movie School Gyrls, created by Nick Cannon. She also appeared on TV shows like Maury (2007), Good Morning America, and The View (both in 2008). During this time, Will Smith's company, Overbrook Entertainment, managed her career.
At age 12, she performed at the 2010 BET Awards, singing Alicia Keys' hit "Fallin'" from 2001. She also sang a tribute to Keys at the ASCAP Awards. She competed on Radio Disney's The Next BIG Thing with her song "My Music," which was played on Radio Disney.
In 2011, when she was 14, Wilson signed a record deal with Sony's RCA Records. This deal was set up by her manager Jeff Robinson's company, MBK Entertainment. In 2014, her first song, "Something to Prove," was released under her real name.
Becoming H.E.R. and Big Success: 2016–2019
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In late 2016, Gabriella changed her stage name to H.E.R. She released her first EP, H.E.R. Vol. 1, on September 9, 2016. Songwriter David "Swagg R'Celious" Harris produced it. Famous artists like Usher, Tyrese, Pusha T, and Wyclef Jean supported her. Her labelmates Alicia Keys and Bryson Tiller helped spread the word on Twitter. In April 2017, singer Rihanna posted an Instagram video with H.E.R.'s song "Focus" playing. This video was watched over 5 million times. Other stars like Issa Rae, Taraji P. Henson, Kylie Jenner, and Kendall Jenner also showed their support.
NPR called H.E.R. Vol. 1 one of the "5 Essential R&B Albums You Slept On." Rolling Stone magazine included H.E.R. in its "10 Artists You Need To Know" list in March 2017. Forbes magazine named her one of "5 Alternative R&B Artists to Look Out for in 2017." They noted that her image was a mystery, which was ironic since her name means "Having Everything Revealed."
Her next EP, H.E.R. Vol. 2, was released on June 16, 2017, and included the song "Say It Again." She went on tour with Bryson Tiller for the Set It Off tour. She also finished her own first headlining tour, the Lights On Tour, to support H.E.R. Vol. 2. She then released H.E.R. Vol. 2, The B Sides on October 20, 2017. The full album H.E.R. was released on October 20, 2017. It combined songs from her first three EPs. This album won Best R&B Album and was nominated for four other awards at the 61st Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
In September 2018, H.E.R. announced the I Used to Know H.E.R. Tour. This tour supported her EPs I Used to Know Her: The Prelude and I Used to Know Her: Part 2. Her second full album, I Used to Know Her, came out on August 30, 2019. She was one of the main performers at the 2019 Global Citizen Festival in New York. She also performed at the 2019 Rock in Rio festival in Brazil.
Recent Achievements and Acting: 2020–Present
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On September 20, 2020, H.E.R. sang Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U" during the "In Memoriam" part of the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards. In February 2021, before Super Bowl LV, she performed "America the Beautiful" while singing and playing guitar. On June 17, 2021, her song "Damage" became number one on the US R&B radio chart. This song is from her first full-length album, Back of My Mind, which was released on June 18, 2021.
In August 2021, it was announced that H.E.R. would make her movie debut in the 2023 film The Color Purple, playing the role of Squeak. She also sang a duet with Tauren Wells called "Hold Us Together." On November 30, 2021, the Apple Music Awards named H.E.R. as the Songwriter of the Year.
H.E.R. joined Usher's performance at Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024. She played electric guitar during his songs "U Got It Bad" and "Bad Girl." On February 13, 2024, H.E.R. announced new management with Lighthouse Management + Media. This change happened after some legal issues with her previous management, MBK Entertainment.
Musical Style and Inspiration
H.E.R.'s songs are mostly R&B ballads. They have been described as "sad songs about breakups that sound both vulnerable and confident." In an interview, H.E.R. shared that she grew up listening to Filipino ballad singers like Sharon Cuneta and Jay R. She has also said that Prince is one of her biggest influences. Other artists she looks up to include Lenny Kravitz and B.B. King.
About keeping her identity a secret early in her career, she said: "The mystery is like a way to show who I am, or who I was when I made the music... I feel like often we don't like to be open about our feelings or what we're going through. When I was recording, I was very closed off, except when I was writing or in the studio."
She also explained: "I speak for women who feel like they are alone in these situations. This music 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 real feelings and support for women." She told NPR, "I feel like this is a time when artists aren't just about being famous. I really just wanted it to be about the music, and not about, 'Who is she with?' and 'What is she wearing?'"
Media Appearances
H.E.R. appeared as herself in the movie Yes Day (2021). She performed her song "Change" on the episode "Active Citizenship" of the 2021 Netflix animated series We the People. On July 20, 2022, it was announced that H.E.R. would sing the role of Belle for ABC's Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. This TV 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. Her big-screen acting debut was in The Color Purple, which was released in theaters on December 25, 2023.
On August 11, 2024, she sang the national anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner", during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. This was part of the ceremony to hand over the Olympics from Paris to Los Angeles.
Discography
Studio Albums
- Back of My Mind (2021)
Film and Television Roles
H.E.R. has appeared in several films and TV shows:
- Erma (2017) - a short film where she played Erma.
- Yes Day (2021) - she appeared as herself.
- The Color Purple (2023) - she played the role of Mary "Squeak" Agnes.
- School Gyrls (2009) - a TV film where she played Gabi.
- We the People (2021) - she was a performer in the episode "Active Citizenship."
- Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022) - she played Belle in this TV special.
- Blue's Clues & You! (2022) - she voiced T.Rex in an episode.
- Bob's Burgers (2022) - she voiced Aliah in the episode "The Plight Before Christmas."
Tours
Headlining Tours
- Lights on Tour (2017)
- I Used to Know Her Tour (2018)
- Back of My Mind Tour (2021)
Supporting Tours
H.E.R. has also opened for other artists on their tours:
- Bryson Tiller – Set It Off Tour (2017)
- Chris Brown – Heartbreak on a Full Moon Tour (2018)
- Childish Gambino – This Is America Tour (2019)
- Coldplay – Music of the Spheres World Tour (2022)
Awards and Nominations
H.E.R. has received many awards and nominations throughout her career, including multiple Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.
See also
In Spanish: H.E.R. para niños
