With Four Grammys And An Oscar, Why Is H.E.R. Still A Mystery?

At just 23, H.E.R. is halfway to becoming an EGOT. Born Gabriella Wilson, the R&B artist recently took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘Fight For You’ from the film Judas And The Black Messiah. This came within months of nabbing Song Of The Year at the Grammys for ‘I Can’t Breathe’ , which took her Grammy tally to four.

Winning an Oscar and a Grammy in the same year put H.E.R. in the company of legends like Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Adele, and Lady Gaga. Unlike them, however, she remains somewhat of a mystery. Over the past few years, she’s slowly unveiled her identity, using her enigmatic presence to keep the focus solely on her music.

It’s a rare path, and one that may not have put her on the radar of mainstream music fans. Chart data would tell you that H.E.R. is yet to have a commercial hit, particularly here in Australia. Her awards and performance resume, however, would tell you that she’s one of the most revered artists on the planet. For casual onlookers, it may appear as if H.E.R. arrived overnight but it’s been more than a decade in the making.

This year, Wilson is slated to release her debut album, almost five years after her first release as H.E.R. It will come at a time where she’s releasing her boldest material to date suggesting she might finally be ready to step into the spotlight.

Focusing On The Music

America was first introduced to 10-year-old H.E.R. when she appeared on The Today Show, covering Alicia Keys’ ‘If I Ain’t Got You’. She was later signed to Key’s management at the time, MBK Management, and by 14, she had penned a record label with RCA.

While still in her teens, she released a handful of songs under Gabi Wilson, including a debut single ‘Something To Prove’, which was produced by pop giants Pop & Oak. The single performed moderately well but she fell silent following. It wasn’t until 2017 that she re-appeared again, albeit mysteriously.

H.E.R.’s debut project Volume 1 was delivered anonymously. The press picture sent to the media was a silhouette without a bio attached. H.E.R. told the LA Times upon its release: “The mystery is a metaphor for who I am, or who I was at the time of creating the project.”

It didn’t take long for her to start gaining attention with Keys tweeting about the project straight away. Wyclef Jean joined in, and future collaborator Bryson Tiller also built-up excitement amongst R&B fans. Rihanna followed suit by using H.E.R.’s track ‘Focus’ in an Instagram video, propelling it into the US charts.

The hype mounted but the mystery remained. Those first music videos were shot in dim light making it impossible to make out a face. It didn’t take long, however, for internet detectives to trace an identity back to Gabi Wilson, thanks to a cover of Drake’s ‘Jungle’ on the project that had previously been released by Wilson, but she never confirmed nor denied.

By the time she released Volume 2 in 2018, she had 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify and sold out tours in the US and Europe. Her secret identity had been largely spoiled but she maintained a vague disguise, wearing dark glasses during all public appearances. She later revealed to The Breakfast Club why she did it. “It wasn’t so much hiding my identity it was more focussing on the music,” she said. “I didn’t want people to know how old I am. I didn’t want people to know my ethnicity or see my face.”

Without the usual superficial analysis that comes with being an artist on a sharp rise, she was able to zone in on what mattered: the music.

H.E.R.’s anonymity was a way for her to develop as an artist without being swayed by distracting commentary. And while her dark glasses may not have been as concealing as Sia’s signature wig or a Dark Punk helmet, they were a subtle way of keeping her image reserved. Without the usual superficial analysis that comes with being an artist on a sharp rise, she was able to zone in on what mattered: the music.

Awards Season

By 2019, two projects deep, H.E.R. had developed a niche but dedicated fanbase. However, it was at the 2019 Grammy Awards — where she was nominated four times — that she truly stepped onto the public stage. Those nominations included a nod for Album Of The Year, for a project that fused together her two EPs Volume 1 and Volume 2. It saw her share a category with giants like Cardi B, Drake, Post Malone, and Kacey Musgraves who eventually took home the award. But H.E.R. collected two trophies that night — Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance — and accepted both in a pair of dark shades.

“It’s not even an album, it’s an EP,” she laughed as she won Best R&B Album.

For R&B die-hards and keen-eyed music fans, the recognition was unsurprising. But for the mainstream audience, it was their first real introduction. She’d frequented the lower end of the US charts and the upper-echelons of the R&B charts, but she was far from being considered a household name.

Later that year, Wilson released another project, I Used To Know Her. This time around she appeared even more confident and collaborative, teaming with Bryson Tiller on the icy ‘Could’ve Been’ and delivering her most inspired vocal yet on ‘Hard Place’.

It’s not even an album, it’s an EP,” she laughed as she won Best R&B Album.

The Grammys acknowledged her once again in 2020, this time nominating her for five awards, including Album Of The Year. She trailed only Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and Lil Nas X in the nomination tally — impressive given that each of those artists have had a number 1 record in the US, while, to this date, H.E.R.’s best chart placement in the US as a lead artist is number 43. In Australia, she’s never even charted with a solo single.

H.E.R.’s success on stages like the Grammys is partly the result of streaming bringing wider success to genres that sit outside the commercial zeitgeist. For R&B artists, the rapid rise of hip-hop has forced those looking for wide appeal to dabble in trap-based sounds or crossover into pop.

One of H.E.R.’s managers Jeff Robinson told Rolling Stone that artists like H.E.R. are becoming less reliant on having a radio hit in order to sell out a tour or gain notoriety. “Go online, these guys have a hundred million streams on songs that don’t get airplay,” he said. H.E.R. now garners over 15 million streams a month on Spotify, and is the 260th most listened to artist in the world.

Behind The Sunglasses

As H.E.R.’s songwriting becomes bolder, so does her image. Instead of introducing herself to the world hastily, she’s taken her time, building her confidence and comfort in the spotlight. Her other manager Jeanine McLean Williams emphasised the importance of allowing this to happen naturally telling Music Business, “The process was just letting H.E.R. create as she’s grown into a young woman — letting her write about her experiences as she comes into her early 20s.”

It’s not a luxury that’s often awarded to major label artists. Mystery is rarely entertained in modern pop music unless it’s theatrical — particularly nowadays when consistently sharing on social media is the expectation. Usually, personal mystery and exclusivity are reserved for those who have outgrown the need for traditional promotion, like Beyonce or Lady Gaga.

That’s not to say it hasn’t been done before. The Weeknd arrived on the scene with a trio of mixtapes, bundled together as Trilogy. He was a hesitant star, hiding his appearance for the most part, despite collaborating with music heavyweights like Drake. Even on his debut album proper Kiss Land he seemed reluctant to fully embrace superstardom — then something clicked. On Beauty Behind The Madness he embraced his platform with ‘Can’t See My Face’, a Max Martin-produced mega hit that rang out of radios across the world.

“I’m going to use this opportunity to make great music because I know the whole world’s listening,” he told Pitchfork as success mounted.

The Weeknd is now an anomaly in the pop world. Despite being the second most listened to artist on Spotify he’s remained a relative enigma. In the same 2015 Pitchfork interview, he named Prince as his biggest inspiration saying, “Prince turned experimental music into pop music.”

Prince’s music became mainstream without him attempting to fit the mould. He dictated the mainstream, not the other way round — a tactic The Weeknd has attempted to employ throughout his own career. H.E.R. also names Prince as her favourite artist and, in many ways, she has the same defiance to cater to commercial audiences.

On-stage, H.E.R. cuts a similar silhouette to Prince with a guitar strung around her shoulder. She relies on little theatrical trickery, using her instruments to draw gasps. During the Super Bowl this year, she shredded on the guitar in the middle of ‘America The Beautiful’ in a true rockstar moment. It was hard not to momentarily recall Prince at the 2007 Super Bowl, drawing jubilant screams with his triumphant riffs during ‘Purple Rain’.

H.E.R. may still be a way off the Super Bowl half-time show, but it’s not out of reach. This year she’s slated to release her debut album Back Of My Mind, and with two Album Of The Year Grammy nods and an Oscar win, it’s an enviable position to be in. On recent single covers, she’s ditched the sunglasses, while her songwriting has become more and more extroverted. Last year’s release ‘I Can’t Breathe’, written in response to the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of police brutality, was proof of just how potent her music can be.

For H.E.R., it’s only the beginning. She’s infiltrating mainstream stages without kneeling to popular sounds, and while she may not be a household name just yet — particularly in Australia — it’s only giving her time to further protect her image and growth.

If you’re wondering who on earth H.E.R. is — perhaps that’s exactly the point. She’s figuring it out too and we’re all watching in real-time.