HER‘s Lights On Festival, which she launched in her native Bay Area in 2021 with co-headliner Erykah Badu before expanding to Brooklyn with Maxwell, is coming back for another round of soulful performances this September in Mountain View, California. This time, she’ll be accompanied as co-headliner by Jazmine Sullivan, with support from PartyNextDoor, Don Toliver, Alina Baraz, Toosii, Smino, and Syd, in addition to many more breakout artists in hip-hop and R&B.
The Lights On Fest is billed for the weekend of September 16-17 at Shoreline Festival Grounds in Mountain View. The presale for tickets begins this Thursday, June 28, at 12 pm, while the general sale begins on Friday at 12. You can get more information at LightsOnFest.com.
While some fans thought HER was in danger of becoming oversaturated, what with her numerous Grammys, Oscars, and Emmys — she’s only a Tony Award away from an EGOT — she has kept a low profile early this year after declaring that she wanted “people to get to know the person behind [the HER persona]” — a process that drew plenty of positive attention. Making a comeback with her well-received festival will help with that, as will her upcoming role in the musical remake of The Color Purple dropping later this year.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
H.E.R. is back, releasing her new single, “The Journey.” You may have heard the single as it has been featured throughout the ESPN coverage of the NBA Playoffs Presented by Google Pixel.
ESPN has incorporated “The Journey” into a number of in-game production components, including segments with H.E.R. Through the song lyrics, the vignettes, and other production aspects depict the various routes taken by each of the 16 teams in the NBA Playoffs.
The heartfelt and exquisite ballad is H.E.R.’s first solo record to be released since the Grammy Award-winning album Back Of My Mind in 2021. As H.E.R. moves into the next phase of her career, including releasing new music and her most recent work in cinema and television, Diane Warren’s song “The Journey” also reflects H.E.R.
Appearing on Apple Music 1 with Zane Lowe, H.E.R. discussed the new single, reflecting on the song’s origin and collaborating with Diane Warren.
On creating the single, H.E.R. states:
“I just wanted to get out of the way of the song. Whatever is there, let’s just get out of the way. Don’t try to … it is what it is. Let that shine, the lyrics, the vocal. And my thing was just creating the story and the dynamic, and I worked with my band and I was kind of like, ‘All right, we need this fill here. This bass should do this line. Give it a little bit of flavor.’ We were listening to Brian Adams, we were listening to Whitney. We were listening to all my favorites, Journey, the band. And one of my favorite things about the song is the string arrangements. And it was something I do live that I’ve never done on records is sing all the string parts. So I went in and sang each individual part, and then I was like, ‘Oh, this sounds really good.’ I listened to it, just my vocal and just my vocal strings. And then we brought the strings in and it just blew my mind.”
The single is special for H.E.R. as it was created in collaboration with Diane Warren, who she first worked with at age 14:
“Someone introduced me to her and she kept up with me since then. And then I called her, I was like, ‘Would love to work with you.’ And this was in the fall, and then we made it happen and got in the studio and she was like, ‘I’ve been working on this song.’ And she played me the chords for this song. And immediately I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, how did you know this is the time?’ She’s like, ‘I didn’t. I didn’t know. I just feel like this song is meant for you.’ And I put my thing on it and I produced it out and turned into this moment. But yeah, I think it’s sent from God.”
H.E.R. is back, releasing her new single, “The Journey.” You may have heard the single as it has been featured throughout the ESPN coverage of the NBA Playoffs Presented by Google Pixel.
ESPN has incorporated “The Journey” into a number of in-game production components, including segments with H.E.R. Through the song lyrics, the vignettes, and other production aspects depict the various routes taken by each of the 16 teams in the NBA Playoffs.
The heartfelt and exquisite ballad is H.E.R.’s first solo record to be released since the Grammy Award-winning album Back Of My Mind in 2021. As H.E.R. moves into the next phase of her career, including the release of new music and her most recent work in cinema and television, Diane Warren’s song “The Journey” also reflects H.E.R.
In order to tell the tale of the 16 teams embarking on “The Journey” during the NBA Playoffs Presented by Google Pixel, which get underway this weekend with five nationally televised games across ESPN platforms, ESPN has partnered together with award-winning artist and NBA fan H.E.R.
H.E.R. and famed songwriter Diane Warren’s new, unreleased song, “The Journey,” will appear in several in-game ESPN production pieces, including vignettes with H.E.R. The vignettes and other production components use song lyrics to illustrate the various routes each of the 16 NBA Playoff teams takes.
“The NBA regular season is one long journey, and then you get to the NBA Playoffs, which is a journey of its own. All 16 teams have their own paths to accomplishing their goal of an NBA Championship. And, as the song says, ‘it’s a hell of a ride.’ We are honored that H.E.R chose to team up with ESPN to help introduce this song to the world. It’s another great example of what we can do at the intersection of sports and music.”
– Tim Corrigan, ESPN Vice President, Production
“As an NBA fan, I’m so grateful to be part of this year’s ‘Journey’ to the NBA Finals,” said H.E.R.
ESPN’s coverage of the 2023 NBA Playoffs will feature two more H.E.R. songs, including “Glory,” a second unreleased song, and “We Going Crazy,” a DJ Khaled and H.E.R. collaboration.
“The Journey” will be available soon to fans via RCA Records.
The intricately talented musician H.E.R.—one of the fastest rising young stars has labeled her favorite rapper –of all time. H.E.R. crowned Q-Tip the Abstract of the infamous group A Tribe Called Quest her number one emcee.
Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest
Currently showcasing an immense creativity holding an Academy Award, an Emmy and five Grammys, she has also recently launched her acting career, starring as Belle in the recent ABC special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. She will join the all-star cast of “The Color Purple” musical film adaptation as “Squeak” later this year.
H.E.R. at Disney Dreamers Academy 20023
H.E.R. recently lended her time to inspire 100 students from around the world at Disney Dreamers Academy 20023 and surprised three teens pursuing music with an autographed guitar.
H.E.R. Surprises Disney Dreamers Academy Students
The Source Magazine caught up with the singer/songwriter and asked her what artist she relates to the most. In true fashion of someone with an old soul, the 25-year old instrumentalist revealed more.
“I don’t know who I relate to the most, but one of my favorite rappers of all time is Q-Tip…. I actually got to meet him one time and he put me onto so much music. And I didn’t realize how much music he was inspired by outside of hip hop. He to me just focuses on having fun with the music and making people feel something without kind of trying.Just kind of being him.”
Many celebrities have built friendships that began before they gained fame. Some celebrity friendships such as H.E.R., Kehlani, and Zendaya, could be a shock to some once it is revealed. Here are some celebrities who were childhood best friends that you may not have known about. Something is fascinating about celebrities who knew each other […]
H.E.R. is a name wrapped in a mystery. Two years ago, no one knew who the true identity of the singer was, and her real name (Gabriella ‘Gabi’ Wilson) was a mystery. Everyone thinks of her as a musical ghost. You may either know her by her voice or the sunglasses that hide her face, but knowing H.E.R. is all that matters.
However, the American singer has won over the heart of R&B fans globally with her smooth voice and deep lyrics. To truly understand the sense of H.E.R.’s growth, we review some of her best collaborations.
“Make the Most” by H.E.R and Lonr
Without a doubt, “Make the Most” is a genuine R&B song. This song is a three-minute song that is catchy and fun to listen to. As the world slowly comes into focus, Lonr. and H.E.R.’s lovelorn lyrics blend beautifully to a heavenly degree. The hook says, “I wanna grow old with you, make the most with you, That’s the goal.”
“Making the Most” is more than just a great collaboration for Lonr. It’s also a sneak peek at his first EP, Land of Nothing Real. Nevertheless, this song is a love letter and a criticism of the way police are always violent in America. It emphasizes the fact that tomorrow is never promised.
“Best Part” by H.E.R and Daniel Ceaser
The compilation album H.E.R. came out on October 20, 2017, and it had songs from all three EPs in this series. The smash acoustic collaboration, ‘Best Part,’ included the beautiful thoughts of Daniel Ceasar.
Undeniably, this soft, thoughtful love song has become a mainstay on alternative radio. This song was on H.E.R.’s most successful personal release to date. It was nominated for Album of the Year and Best New Artist at the 61st Grammy Awards, where it won the Best R&B Album award.
This song by DJ Khaled features both H.E.R and Migos. Khaled and H.E.R. have never worked together before on any music. Interestingly, this is their first collaboration and it turned out to be a smash hit! “We going crazy” is a song all about how lucky you are to have life, money, and family.
“Hey, oh, I know that you heard about me
We pull up in the alley out there
Let that go, run us our money and don’t be late, yeah”
You should definitely check this song out if you haven’t and experience H.E.R.’s grand voice.
“The Lay Down”
The song “The Lay Down” by DRAM and H.E.R. is a great R&B song and a chill anthem. Solely, because it has all of the best parts of R&B. It has soothing melodies and a change to a well-known tune. “The Lay Down” is a song with a lot of soul and sexuality, perfect for a romantic evening.
“Smile”
Smile is an amazing song that features H.E.R and the Nigerian rapper Wizkid. Thse two professional singers surprise the world with their beautiful hit chill song.
Most importantly, this song is great because H.E.R sings in a foreign language and the beat is catchy. Smile is a cool, catchy love song with a lot of strong verses that make it a must-listen tune. This love song topped many African music charts due to her collaboration with Wizkid.
“One Second” is a sweet song that was nicely written and composed. This 2019 song is part of H.E.R best’s collaboration which you can afford to miss. The song portrays the struggle of being a superstar with strong political ideas. In the past, Stormy has once made a political statement, which he admits in the song. He says that he will always fight for what he believes in, no matter how it affects his brand.
Quotable Lyrics:
“One second to recollect
Just a second, a second is all I get
I can’t tell where I’m heading, I’m outta breath
All these early premonitions of my death (Ooh)”
“In This Way” (with Khalid)
“This Way” is a soulful song about how important it is to talk to your partner. This song is called “slow-burning” by Nerisha Penrose because the tension between the two lovers builds as they tell each other how much they hurt. The song starts with the man’s view of their relationship, then moves on to the woman’s view, and then changes to a duet. The duet becomes an important part of the song because it shows that they don’t like each other very much.
If you are having mixed feelings about something, this collaboration might just be what you need! Check it out and let’s know what you feel about it!
In her song “Find a Way,” which features Lil Durk and Lil Baby, H.E.R. stresses the importance of sticking to one’s guns. She combines her perfect, soft, but strong voice with words about persistence to make a catchy hook that both Durk and Baby follow carefully.
Furthermore, the main message of the song is to stay true to yourself. Baby and Durk add verses about their lives before they were famous and the troubles they faced along the way. Basically, money is clearly the main motivation, and getting to the bag has costs and consequences, such as broken relationships and angry enemies.
Quotable Lyrics: “I got in my bag, and when I looked up, I saw nothing but haters. No matter how much money we spent, we never let the paper follow us.”
Come Through (with Chris Brown)
With each new song she puts out, H.E.R.’s popularity grows. In 2021, she released this song with fellow hitmaker Chris Brown. “Come Through,” is a song that portrays exactly what the title suggests. On “Come Through,” a deep and chill duet, H.E.R. and Chris Brown trade rhyme about how they want to see each other and cancel other plans to do so.
Nevertheless, “Come Through” isn’t the first time H.E.R. has collaborated with Brown. In 2019, they worked together on “Come Together,” a song on Brown’s “Indigo” album.
“Better Than I Imagined” (with Robert Glasper)
Robert Glasper collaborated with H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello on “Better Than I Imagined.” Like many of H.E.R’s best-known songs, this one is soft, sensual, and hard to stop listening to. It’s also full of both true love and heartbreak. But there is more to it than that. “Black lives matter, and so does Black love. No one wants to live without love, but generations of people in our community haven’t had the means to be in healthy relationships,” Glasper said (via Rolling Stone). H.E.R won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for her part in the song.
If there is anyone who knows the pressure that comes with performing at the Super Bowl, it’s H.E.R. In two days, Rihanna will grace the Super Bowl stage for what’s slated to be an epic halftime performance. The singer has prepared for months, and while details have been kept under wraps, speculation has run rampant. Rihanna revealed she went through 39 revisions of her halftime setlist, and H.E.R. shares which of the hitmaker’s songs she wants to see over all the others.
“They’re going to have to extend the broadcast just a little bit,” the Grammy winner told Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1. “Man, I want to hear ‘Umbrella.’ I want to hear the classics, I want to hear ‘We Found Love,’ I want to hear—man, it’s so many, I don’t even know. I know I want to hear ‘Love on the Brain.’” Rihanna’s halftime set is only 13 minutes, so fans are also hoping to hear 17 years worth of favorites.
Rihanna poses for photos after the Super Bowl LVII Apple Music Halftime Show press conference held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Picture date: Thursday February 9, 2023. Super Bowl LVII will take place Sunday Feb. 12, 2023 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. (Photo by Anthony Behar/PA Images via Getty Images)
In 2021, H.E.R. appeared at the Super Bowl to sing “America The Beautiful.” The stunning rendition was well-received, and while it was an opportunity of a lifetime, the singer is happy she doesn’t have to grace the stage. “Yeah, it’s always nice when you can experience something and not have to perform,” she said. “I presented at the Honors event last night and I was like, ‘Man, this is the easiest thing.’”
“It feels like a mini vacation. It’s nice weather,” H.E.R. added. “I’m enjoying just my time being here. But yeah, it definitely takes the pressure off. It feels like a mini vacation. And to be honest, it feels like I’m just getting ready for a Rihanna concert. No offense to football fans. I love the Super Bowl, I love football, whatever, but I’m going to the Rihanna concert.”
The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Our favorite celebrities are making million dollar bets—or so the rumor mill says—on both the game itself and Rihanna’s performance. Which RiRi tracks do you want to hear?
For years, Gabriella Wilson has garnered accolades and thrilled audiences as the multi-talented but mysterious R&B chanteuse HER, but recently, she’s said she wanted to step out from behind the persona and let us get to know the real, well, her. She started rocking the shades and going by the SEO-confounding mononym as to create a kind of alter ego to protect her from personalized scrutiny and keep the focus firmly on her music — much like a comic book superhero donning a mask and colorful spandex to protect their loved ones from their enemies.
Well, the ruse worked — maybe a little too well. Because even after racking up half an EGOT (the collective title for a winner of all four major performance awards, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and becoming the first-ever Black-and-Filipina Disney princess in the Beauty And The Beast 30th Anniversary Celebration on ABC, fans were still befuddled by a recent Instagram photo of the 25-year-old San Franciso native without her signature shades. In fact, they couldn’t help but compare her to possibly the most iconic bespectacled superhero, Superman — although in his case, he’s more super when he takes his glasses off instead. Some jokers even photoshopped some shades back onto the pic, instantly recognizing her again, while others added references to Hannah Montana and Perry The Platypus (different strokes, I guess). Even Gabby herself had to get in on the action, responding, “I don’t get it either tbh” with a slew of laughing emojis. Check out some of the responses below.
Clark Kent was onto something because I did not recognize her without the glasses https://t.co/duga2T48PP
— Tiffie Targaryen, First of Her Name (@TiffieStarchild) December 21, 2022
It looks likeH.E.R.’s trademark shades aren’t the only thing the Grammy-award-wining singer is shedding. During a recent interview, the singer revealed that she is in a “new chapter “of her life and has plans to shed her musical alias. H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella Wilson, stopped by Good Morning America to discuss her recent role as the bookish Belle in ABC’s Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration and how the part has allowed her to redefine herself.
“I’ve been re-finding my voice,” the singer said. “Now I’m not wearing glasses. I can’t be acting and wearing glasses, so I think it’s time for people to really get to know the person behind H.E.R.”
“H.E.R. is me, but at the same time, it’s a new chapter of my life, and I think I’m really finding that connection, and I’m allowing people to see under the layers a little bit,” she continued.
Later in the clip, Wilson, who is Black and Filipino, opened up about the significance of being a woman of color cast as Belle, who has historically been portrayed as white in the cartoon.
“I never thought I could be a Disney princess,” she said. “Of course, every little girl wants to be a Disney princess, but I’ve never seen one that looks like me — so I get to be that to little girls now.”
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