Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about RCA Records’ sultry and mysterious R&B sensation, “H.E.R.”. She says that her name is an acronym meaning “having everything revealed”, but how much does that apply? Most artists have an image to uphold; this artist, however, doesn’t have too much to worry about. The only images under her moniker consists of colored backgrounds and a darkened silhouette. With her first EP, H.E.R., Vol. 1, peaking at No. 1 on the iTunes R&B chart after a cosign from Rihanna on Instagram, she eventually had everyone talking. She released her follow-up acclaimed EP, H.E.R., Vol. 2, just last night and serenaded music-lovers once again. But the question still remains, who is this anonymous songstress?
This is Gabi Wilson. You probably have vague memories of her being on your TV screen at various points throughout your younger years. Making music since she was 5, you’ve probably seen her perform at various shows and events such as the 2010 and 2014 BET Awards, ASCAP Awards (where she performed a tribute to Alicia Keys), Good Morning America, The Maury Povich Show, The Today Show, and The View (which ended up going viral), and many more. She even scored a record deal with Sony Music at the age of 14.
She originally released her cover of “Jungle” by Drake as Gabi Wilson. At the time, she was also working on more music, but after receiving little attention on the cover, she decided to rebrand. That’s how H.E.R. was born, and may I say, it’s the best decision she could’ve made. She’s since been cosigned by musical heavyweights such as Alicia Keys, Usher, and Wyclef Jean. She’ll be performing alongside Bryson Tiller (who can’t get enough of her music), Khalid, and many more for this year’s BET’s Experience.
H.E.R. may be new to us, but this music stuff is nothing new to Gabi Wilson. “H.E.R., Vol. 2” is available on all platforms! If you’ve yet to hear it, be sure to listen and let me know what you think in the comment section below!