H.E.R.

H.E.R. (born June 27, 1997, Vallejo, California, U.S.) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress who emerged as a leading R&B artist in the 2010s, known for her vocal range, intimate ballads, and enigmatic persona.

Early life

She was born Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson and grew up in Vallejo, California, which is located in the San Francisco Bay area. Her mother is Filipina, and her father is Black. Wilson began performing at a young age when her father, a musician, first took her to private gigs. At age 10, she performed Alicia Keys’s “If I Ain’t Got You” on the Today show, and she later appeared on other TV programs, including The View. In addition to Keys, her early musical influences include Prince and B.B. King. Wilson signed with Sony’s RCA records at age 14, and she released her first single, “Something to Prove,” in 2014. In addition to being a vocalist and songwriter, Wilson plays several instruments, including piano, bass, drums, and guitar.

Music

In September 2016 Wilson released her debut, the seven-track EP (extended play) H.E.R. Vol. 1. The recording appeared under the name H.E.R., which stands for Having Everything Revealed. Wilson sought to keep her true identity anonymous, because she “want[ed] the people to hear the music for what it is, and not have any judgments or make any assumptions.” However, fans quickly confirmed that H.E.R. was Wilson; they linked a cover of Drake’s “Jungle” that she had performed as Gabriella Wilson to a cover of the same song on the EP. H.E.R. Vol. 1 garnered attention—it peaked at number 12 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart—and was praised for its confessional lyrics. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, H.E.R. said that she wanted “women to really feel how honest and vulnerable I am and to understand that they are not alone and that these are all human emotions.”

Another EP, H.E.R. Vol. 2, appeared in June 2017. The work—which featured a number of ballads, a staple of her music—also proved popular, and several months later H.E.R. launched her first headlining tour. A self-titled compilation featuring both EPs and a collection of B sides was released in October 2017, and two years later it won the Grammy Award for best R&B album. In addition, the song “Best Part” was named best R&B performance. In 2018 H.E.R. released the EPs I Used to Know Her: The Prelude and I Used to Know Her: Part 2. She also embarked on a tour that year. Her follow-up, a compilation that contained the two EPs with additional songs, appeared in 2019.

In 2020 H.E.R. debuted “I Can’t Breathe,” a protest song that responded to high-profile cases of police brutality against African Americans. The following year the track won the Grammy for song of the year. In addition, “Better Than I Imagined” was named best R&B song. Those awards helped make 2021 especially notable. That year she also performed “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl, and in April she won an Academy Award for best original song for “Fight for You,” a soulful single she contributed to the soundtrack for Judas and the Black Messiah (2021); in 2022 the track won the Grammy for best traditional R&B performance. In addition, in June 2021 Wilson released her first full-length album, Back of My Mind, which debuted at number one on Billboard’s R&B albums chart. The work featured collaborations with various artists, including Chris Brown and Lil Baby. In 2024 H.E.R. performed with Usher at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Acting

In addition to her music career, H.E.R. has also worked as an actor. Before debuting her H.E.R. persona, she appeared in Nick Cannon’s made-for-TV movie School Gyrls (2009), which premiered on Nickelodeon. In 2022 she starred as Belle alongside Josh Groban in a live-action Beauty and the Beast TV special. The following year she played the role of Squeak in a musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, which also starred Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Colman Domingo.

H.E.R. also helped write the Netflix show We the People (2021), which was coproduced by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, among others. For her work on the series, H.E.R. won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for outstanding short-form program in 2022.