The young and talented R&B artist H.E.R. has become a sensational presence in the music industry within a short time with millions of fans who simply adore her. The Grammy award winner has numerous collaborations with top tier artists and still does not seem to be relenting on her musical journey. In this feature, we would be looking at recent updates about the singer and her growing love for Reggae music.
Born in Vallejo, San Francisco, the 23-year-old artist grew up in a mixed background. H.E.R., who is half Filipino, half black, identifies strongly with both sides. Her music life starts way back since her childhood years, which explains H.E.R. ‘s natural talent. Her father, who is a musician, introduced his daughter to the late artist, Prince. She says Prince and Lauryn Hill are her favorite artists, and it shows as they have enormously contributed to her musical signature.
At age 12, the artist was one of 5 finalists in an American radio show contest hosted by Radio Disney. However, she got her official music break when RCA Records signed her in 2014. Her stage name is short for “Having Everything Revealed,” which is ironic because she fancies anonymity. For the first couple of years after she came on the music scene, H.E.R. kept her identity hidden. Like Sia, she hid her face from pictures and in person. Gradually, she inculcated interviews into her lifestyle and allowed pictures of her face. The artist still holds on to her love for sunglasses, as most of her social media photos portray that. She plays five musical instruments, the piano, drum, the electronic, acoustic, and bass guitar.
Her Love Affair with Reggae
H.E.R. is generically an R&B artist. Although, like every other artist, she occasionally delves in other music genres. After getting signed to RCA Records, she released the single Something to Prove under her real name, Gabriella Wilson. She resurfaced in 2016 with an E.P., H.E.R. Vol. 1. The 7 track E.P. was assisted by prominent artists like Alicia Keys, Drake, and Bryson Tiller. It eventually found its way to number 28 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart.
Soon enough, the artist released a follow up in 2017, H.E.R. Vol. 2. This debuted at number 22 on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart. The two E.P.s were incorporated and enhanced with 6 extra tracks to release an album, H.E.R. In 2018, H.E.R. and Khalid worked together to create a soundtrack for Superfly. That same year, a third E.P. was released, I Used to Know Her, which skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard R&B chart. At the end of 2018, H.E.R. was nominated for 5 Grammy Awards. In 2019, she won Best R&B Performance and Best R&B album. She was also a nominee for 5 awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2020, including Album of the year.
Even though the artist has been thriving in the R&B genre, there has been a pull towards another funky music genre — Reggae. In February, Skip Marley, the soulful grandson of Bob Marley, and H.E.R. released a hit single. Slow Down topped Billboard’s R&B chart and has amassed 44 million streams around the world. The song is a romantic reggae melody, and there seems to be some chemistry between these two icons. H.E.R. is currently in Jamaica, and although nothing has been said about new music, there have been rumors of a collaboration with Buju Banton. She took to her Instagram page, posting a picture with the caption of a Jamaican flag. Another picture was posted with the caption, “I’m not here for vacation.” We can therefore assume we might be getting a collaboration between the two Reggae stars.
Fresh Sounds from H.E.R.
H.E.R. has released several projects this year. Starting with her most recent, a Reggae-inspired hit single Do to Me. The song is about love, and a few fans have the impression it was made for Skip Marley due to the collaboration they had earlier this year. She also released I Can’t Breathe, a powerful song written to respond to the killings of black people. The reggae artist has also collaborated with Nigerian star boy Wizkid, on the song Smile.
Conclusion
Despite her love for anonymity, H.E.R. has allowed her music to speak for her. She wanted to be recognized by her sounds, and we think that she has accomplished this. We are thrilled at her budding love for reggae and can only hope that it blossoms into more beautiful music soon.