H.E.R. and Kane Brown might technically come from different ends of the genre spectrum, but they connect perfectly on their new track “Blessed & Free.” Brown has had an incredible run in the country genre, which tends to be a very white-centric genre, while Brown is multiracial with Black and Cherokee heritage.
Recently, Brown’s been collaborating with a number of artists outside his genre, including blackbear on the track “Memory,” and now H.E.R. As for the “Best Part” singer, this year’s new album Back Of My Mind has already been racking up accolades of its own, earning her the support of Amazon Prime and building off the reputation she’s already built for herself based off her past projects, H.E.R. and I Used To Know Her.
For “Blessed & Free,” which shares a name with Brown’s tour, both artists managed to split the difference between their respective sounds, with plenty of funk, groove, R&B and a dash of country thrown in. For the black and white video that accompanies the track they worked with ACM and CMT Music Award winner Alex Alvga. Check out the video up top, and for more behind-the-scenes on shooting the visuals check out their discussion of it right here.
Earlier this year, HER released her debut album Back Of My Mind. The 21-track effort came after nearly five years of projects that included HER and I Used To Know Her. Even in the years prior to her debut, the singer was able to tally a collection of Grammy awards, but 2021 became the year to celebrate her official coming-out party. After fans were able to enjoy the project for the better part of the last three months, HER updates one of its standout tracks with an additional guest appearance from Lil Durk.
HER’s “Find A Way” with Lil Baby receives a nice remix treatment thanks to a new verse from Lil Durk. The track is one of the more uptempo and hard-hitting songs on the album, so the addition of Durk makes sense for the record. Furthermore, the two rappers recently joined forces for their joint album, Voice Of The Heroes.
The remix comes after HER responded to critics who have labeled her as an “industry plant.” “With social media, people think they know everything about success,” she said during an interview with Vulture. “People see my success now, and they don’t understand the sacrifices, the 15-hour days in the studio, the pressure from my parents to go to college.”
She added, “Most of the time, people think success is followers and crazy BTS popularity, like if you’re not Beyonce, you’re not famous. ‘Oh, you’ll get there one day.’ Like, everybody doesn’t want to be Beyonce! For me, I grinded it out kinda like a rapper: I dropped a mixtape, nobody knew who I was, it was a very slow build, and here we are now.”
You can press play on the remix in the video above.
Back Of My Mind is out now via MBK Entertainment/RCA. Get it here.
In an excellent new interview in Vulture, mysterious EGOT contender HER (real name Gabi Wilson) has opened up a lot — like, a lot — about her seemingly rapid career ascent and the fact that you might think she’s an industry plant. Wilson has won four Grammys (out of 13 nominations), an Oscar for Best Original Song, she opened this year’s Super Bowl, and she is set to appear in the upcoming Color Purple movie musical, among other things. But the 24-year-old is famously unknowable, wearing sunglasses to every public event and rarely addressing anything to do with her personal life, claiming that she wants fans’ focus to be on the music.
“We live in a world where it’s full package — how do you look, who are you dating, who is she?” Wilson told Vulture. “We’ve lost sight of what’s important, which is the music.”
HER, who has also curated the lineup for the bi-costal Lights On Festival, had this to say about that whole “industry plant” thing. “With social media, people think they know everything about success. People see my success now, and they don’t understand the sacrifices, the 15-hour days in the studio, the pressure from my parents to go to college.”
She adds: “Most of the time, people think success is followers and crazy BTS popularity, like if you’re not Beyonce, you’re not famous. ‘Oh, you’ll get there one day.’ Like, everybody doesn’t want to be Beyonce! For me, I grinded it out kinda like a rapper: I dropped a mixtape, nobody knew who I was, it was a very slow build, and here we are now. The awards shows and all that stuff, that was surprising to me. But I realized, Oh my gosh, I’ve arrived, and in a different way. You don’t need some No. 1 radio single — even though I got that!”
There you have it! Check out the full interview here.
The impressive rise of H.E.R. is only continuing to grow this year, following the release of her excellent Back Of My Mind album, and the second year of her Lights On festival. Started in 2019 but forced to skip a year during 2020 as most events did due to the threat of COVID-19, the female-owned and curated event is the first of its kind.
With an emphasis on R&B, the event showcases not just H.E.R. herself, but a wide variety of other friends and peers. And the whole thing leans decidedly female, another plus in this still completely male-dominated festival lineup. Today, the R&B breakout star announced the day-to-day lineup for September fest, so fans can plan out their own schedules accordingly. Check out the lineup below, with full lists of all the artists involved for each day below that, and keep an eye out for the set times, which are definitely going to be dropping soon.
Lights OnLights On
Saturday, September 18th
EKYKA BADU
TY DOLLA $IGN
KEYSHIA COLE
MASEGO
FOUSHEÉ
BLXST
TIANA MAJOR9
MAETA
SAMARIA
AJANEE
LOREA
BRIANNA CASTRO
Sunday, September 19th
H.E.R. & FRIENDS
BRYSON TILLER
ARI LENNOX
LUCKY DAYE
KIANA LEDÈ
ARIN RAY
TONE STITH
VANJESS
JOYCE WRICE
MARZZ
MUNI LONG
MAXX MOORE
People like to throw the term “industry plant” around at artists that encounter rapid success. Oftentimes these musicians exist in the major label system. And, often they are women. What exactly the term means has dozens of interpretations, but can generally be narrowed down to an artist having an unfair advantage in the music biz, where they are propped up for accolades they do not deserve, getting big looks despite not having the fanbase that should be necessary for such success.
While these sorts of criticisms have a myriad of issues, one of the biggest faults is that they tend to explain away something someone doesn’t understand (or doesn’t attempt to understand) as the product of conspiracy. If you look around at the news in just about any field, this tends to be a running theme around how things are discussed on the internet. Rarely do people actually take the time to see how things work for themselves.
For HER, the Bay Area renaissance woman who has faced such criticisms for the last half-decade, the chance to disengage with online discourse was available on Friday night at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Performing the first of two nights in front of a capacity crowd of more than 16,000, HER took an audience of young and old across her many influences, where classical, jazz, R&B, rock, spoken word poetry, and more all made appearances over the course of two-and-a-half hours of music. Backed by conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic as well as her own more traditional band backing set-up complete with a quartet of backing singers, it was a moment where no amount of industry favors could do much good. The Hollywood Bowl is an unforgiving stage that’s been conquered by the biggest and brightest stars of music. And HER spent every moment showing how much she belonged there.
Dustin Downing on behalf of the LA Phil
The evening’s opening gave attendees that frequent the Bowl for contemporary fare a chance to see how the venue functions otherwise. Dudamel led the Phil through a couple of opening numbers, notably both originally by Black composers, showing off the majesty of LA’s premier orchestra. And then without much warning, the music gently transitioned into Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues,” with HER’s unmistakable, disembodied vocals appearing before she made her way to the stage. As she traversed a sampling of material new and old with the orchestra, HER made it known that she’d never in her wildest dreams imagined performing with the LA Philharmonic, another entry to a resume that began as a child prodigy and has included wins at the Oscars and Grammys, support from artists like Rihanna and Usher, and appearances in major national ad campaigns.
HER’s bona fides are abundant, but even so, it’s not surprising that she felt the need to point them out on Friday night. When people spend as much time telling you you don’t deserve something, it’s up to you to highlight your own CV. Still, when she pointed out her own Oscar win or a song’s No. 1 status, it never came across as HER having a chip on her shoulder. It didn’t even come across as having something to prove. No, as she made her way through some of the best tunes of the last five years — including the lively “Fight For You,” the showstopping “Hold On,” and especially on what she called “the wedding song of 2021” “Best Part” — HER’s brand of confidence was anchored by grace. You couldn’t help root for the artist whose trajectory had been heading for this moment since childhood.
HER spent her final hour without the orchestra, showing that superb songwriting and musicianship are not mutually exclusive. She slapped the bass, played guitar behind her head, showed rock star swagger with covers of Lenny Kravitz and Queen, and even played piano and the frickin’ drums to Coldplay’s “Clocks.” If she grabbed Gustavo’s baton and started leading the orchestra herself, no one would have really been surprised. Noting that it was her first proper show since releasing her debut album earlier in the year, Back Of My Mind, HER displayed no cobwebs in what was a deserving coronation for one of music’s newest stars. Surely many helped along the way, but on this night, all the flowers belonged to HER.
A few weeks back, HER announced another edition of her personally curated Lights On Festival in Concord, California, happening over two consecutive days in September. (The first Lights On went down in 2019, if you’ll recall.) Now, Lights On is making its way to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center the following month.
Also curated by the Grammy-winning performer, the East Coast iteration of Lights On also goes down on two consecutive days — October 21 and 22 — and features performances from HER (and friends), plus R&B favorites Maxwell, 6lack, Bryson Tiller, Ari Lennox, SWV, Queen Naija, Lucky Daye, Chloe Bailey (of Chloe x Halle), Blxst, Victoria Monet, Skip Marley, Joyce Wrice, and Tone Stilth, with more to be announced.
Lights On Festival
As previously reported, Lights On Festival is making its way to the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California on September 18 and 19 with performances from HER, Erykah Badu, Tiller, Ari Lennox, Ty Dolla Sign, Keyshia Cole, Masego, Lucky Daye, Kiana Ledé, Fousheé, and lots more. According to today’s announcement, tickets for the Barclays show in Brooklyn are set to go on sale this Friday, July 23, at 10 a.m. ET, though fans can get pre-sale tickets today, July 20, at 12 p.m. ET. Get tickets here.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
A few weeks back, HER announced another edition of her personally curated Lights On Festival in Concord, California, happening over two consecutive days in September. (The first Lights On went down in 2019, if you’ll recall.) Now, Lights On is making its way to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center the following month.
Also curated by the Grammy-winning performer, the East Coast iteration of Lights On also goes down on two consecutive days — October 21 and 22 — and features performances from HER (and friends), plus R&B favorites Maxwell, 6lack, Bryson Tiller, Ari Lennox, SWV, Queen Naija, Lucky Daye, Chloe Bailey (of Chloe x Halle), Blxst, Victoria Monet, Skip Marley, Joyce Wrice, and Tone Stilth, with more to be announced.
Lights On Festival
As previously reported, Lights On Festival is making its way to the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California on September 18 and 19 with performances from HER, Erykah Badu, Tiller, Ari Lennox, Ty Dolla Sign, Keyshia Cole, Masego, Lucky Daye, Kiana Ledé, Fousheé, and lots more. According to today’s announcement, tickets for the Barclays show in Brooklyn are set to go on sale this Friday, July 23, at 10 a.m. ET, though fans can get pre-sale tickets today, July 20, at 12 p.m. ET. Get tickets here.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When it comes to making music, rising R&B singer Tone Stith is the type of artist who likes to take his time. He sings, knows how to write a Billboard chart-topping hit, plays multiple instruments, and can be seen in various Instagram clips showing off his vocal ability, including in 2017 when he covered Drake’s “Madiba Riddim” off More Life.
He’s made great progress since then and it’s evident on his new EP FWM. The project is an R&B purists’ dream filled with nine songs and features from the likes of Kiana Lede, Lonr, and frequent collaborator HER for the song “When You Love Someone.” FWM is a sonic display of Stith’s ever-evolving talent from his pen game to the way his voice warmly wraps around each soulful word he sings. If Tone Stith wasn’t on your radar before, there’s a good chance FWM is convincing enough to turn anyone into a believer.
Speaking with Uproxx, Tone dives into the making of FWM, what it’s like working with HER, his relationship with Drake, and what the future looks like.
This is the EP that you’re coming out with, stands for F*ck With Me. Why should people with fuck with Tone Stith?
I’ve been in the industry for a minute. A lot of people know me from being in a group. Some people know me from writing a lot of songs for Chris Brown and then putting out my solo stuff shortly afterwards. But the thing is now, I feel like that I’m 25 and I really got a good taste of life and got to go through a lot of ups and downs. This new music is like, “Hey, y’all know who I am.” Now, I’m going to really make you say y’all got to fuck with me. I’m here and I can do everything that everybody thinks I can do. Now is the time for the world to fuck with me.
What’s the one song on FWM that everybody needs to listen to?
I cannot lie to you, my favorite song is “FWM.” There’s a special place in my heart for that song. I just feel like when we made that, that night, it was just like, something. I feel like it put everything else into perspective as far as the project goes, but that was the one that really kicked it off.
You have a song with HER, “When You Love Someone,” and you also went on tour with HER before the pandemic. What was it like touring with her? She’s such an amazing artist and musician.
It was nothing but amazing. She’s just so humble, so down to earth, so real. On top of that, just being incredibly talented on stage. It was a great experience. I got to learn so much as far as about artistry, about touring, about connecting with the crowd, about putting on a good show.
Was there something specific that you learned while on tour with her that was a learning experience for you?
She would bring me out on her set because we did a remix of “Could’ve Been” and she put me on the remix. She would bring me out every night and just singing with her and going back and forth. It made me realize, more so when performing, to get to that stage where you let go. You’re not really thinking about anything. It’s just you’re up there. You’re living in that moment and you’re just having fun and you’re connecting with people that you’re singing to. It really made me grow in that aspect.
How was the making of “When You Love Someone”?
Me and HER, we were working at the same studio for a month and a half. She was telling Jeff one day she was like, “Look, I got this song for Tone.” She had already written it. She was like, “I just want to play it for you. Tell me if you like it, if you want to cut it or whatever.” She played it for me, and it was a no-brainer. I was like, “Yo, let’s do it.” So the next day we got in session and she was vocal producing me. I just want to let y’all know, you’ve heard the song before, but it was probably the most difficult song I had to record. Everything had to be perfect. I’m a perfectionist myself but she’s a perfectionist on another level. So, but it was fun and it made me a better artist too.
How is HER as a vocal producer?
Oh, she don’t take no mess as a vocal producer. She don’t take no mess, no slacking.
I know you have a relationship with Drake. I saw you went to help celebrate him being awarded Artist of the Decade for Billboard at his party. How was that?
If you know Drake, you got to know Jas Prince. Jas has been in my corner for years, but he’s the one who connected us and it’s awesome because a lot of people wish they had that outlet to go out and reach out and be like, “Hey, what do you think of this?” And get feedback and stuff like that. It’s just been a blessing because every time I’ll hit him for feedback or just advice he’ll hit me back and give me a real response like, “Yo, this is what you got to do. This is who you got to be if you want to get to this point.” He always keeps it real. It’s a good relationship.
Can we expect to hear you on Certified Lover Boy?
I don’t even know. It could be one of those things. Well, here’s a fun fact. The Bryson and Drake song, they actually sample me doing a Snoh Aalegra cover. So that’s actually me in the background. I don’t know, it could happen. Something like that.
I also just want to talk about your creative process. When you’re in the studio, what is the vibe that you’re setting?
So the vibe, I mean, every day is definitely going to be different. What I like to do before I start while heading to the studio if I’m in the car, wherever, I love to play music. I love to just adventure into different genres, different artists and see what really resonates with me that day. Every day could be different. Some days I’ll be bumping Tame Impala the whole way to the studio. I’m like, “Yo, let’s get it. We in that Tame Impala bag.” Or I’ll be bumping off Michael Jackson, Prince, or just throwback Rick James. Then I’ll suggest, “Yo, we need to tap into this sonic.” Where they were at when they made this? Just playing music and appreciating other music that came before me and even music that’s out right now. It’s just what do I want to tap into? Where do we want to go? Where do we want to take it? Then making it relate to my life.
How do you come up with your ideas?
So I can’t even lie to you, it is definitely like life sometimes. There’s times where I would just think, I’ll hear music while making music, I’ll think of one-word concepts. I like one-word concepts a lot, for instance, “Devotion.” Then there’s times where it’s like, I can be looking around the room, I could be reading something on a bottle. I could be in my phone. I’ll be on Twitter just looking like, “Yo, what are people talking about? What is going on?” I’ll just pull from stuff like that. There’s really no limit to how creative you can be.
Where’s the most unique place you’ve drawn inspiration from to create music?
I got the opportunity when I was, I think I was 23, 22. I got the opportunity to go to Drake’s tour in Europe for a few days. I was just living in the moment like, “Oh, this is crazy. I’m in Paris for the first time. I’m in London for the first time.” And now that I’m older, I have a bunch of songs from all the things that have happened in that little small timeframe. I think that’s probably the craziest place that I’ve pulled from, because it was just so different. The experience was just totally different. I wasn’t in a place then to really make it come to life.
R&B singer HER has been experiencing a huge breakout over the past year after a slow-burning rise that included the EPs HER and I Used To Know HER and a burgeoning collection of awards that has her well on the way to an EGOT. Now, not only is her debut album out now and racking up critical praise, but she can also now count among her collaborators such names as Barack and Michelle Obama thanks to her work with them on the Netflix animated series We The People.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she called the experience “life-changing,” saying she’d do “anything for the Obamas.” “It was more exciting more than anything,” she gushed. “it made me really want to kill it just because of them being attached and them being a part of it. It’s like, wow, I am a part of something that the Obamas [did]. It’s kind of life-changing.” She also spoke on the series’ theme of the importance of youth civic involvement.
“Sometimes you think, ‘I’m just a kid,’ or, ‘That’s a job for the adults,’ but the youth is really the beginning of the rest of our lives,” she noted. “I would like to believe my generation and younger, we’re going to set the tone for the future and it’s up to us to be informed. I always say you can’t understand today without understanding yesterday, and so I think kids are going to start being more proactive and not reactive and really take control of our future. And we’ll learn from those things that we learned in the past, and make a difference and make a change when they know that they can — that they have the power to. This project is going to empower people. I mean, it empowered me.”
Grammy-winning singer H.E.R helped make the 2021 BET Awards an unforgettable experience. The popular crooner came through with a heartfelt and emotional rendition of her “We Made It” anthem to the masses. Things started off with H.E.R. coming from the ceiling like a spaceship while she performed with drums and a microphone. People surrounded the […]
