H.E.R—
BY KEVIN JACKSON—
Observer writer–

Grammy Award-winning singer H.E.R. (acronym for Having Everything Revealed) is currently in Jamaica working on two projects.

“Me and DJ Khaled have a song together that I’m really excited for people to hear, and he wanted to shoot the video here. My EP that I’ll be releasing is gonna feature a lot of reggae artistes. It’s gonna be dope,” she shared in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

H.E.R. added that her hit song, Slow Down, with Skip Marley, was the inspiration for a reggae project.

“I felt like Slow Down was one song that made me even want to dive into reggae even deeper. I’ve always loved reggae, and now I’m about to do a whole reggae project,” she said. “My EP is definitely coming this year. I’m still finishing it up and making sure its great before releasing it.”

Slow Down earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song. It was also nominated for a Soul Train Music Award and is up for an iHeart Radio Award.

H.E.R., who was born Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, has an impressive resume. Her 2020 song, I Can’t Breathe, won Song of The Year at last month’s Grammy Awards.

“It’s such a big deal and an honor. I didn’t expect to win it, and there were so many amazing artistes in the same category. When I heard the announcement, I was super surprised. The [song’s] message, it really came from my own personal anxiety and looking at the world around me and my perspective of the world and what was going on in the summer of 2020 and the protests in America,” she said. “I couldn’t really believe that people listened to the song and it gave them perspective. It really means the world to me just because it’s an important message and also very personal to me.”

Other hit songs include Best Part of Me (featuring Daniel Caesar), This Way (featuring Khalid) and Slide (featuring YG). H.E.R. has released two studio albums and five EPs. She plays the Fender Stratocaster guitar, an instrument revered in pop music. Legends like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton have used it.

“It feels like a whole different way of expression. It’s also another way for me to convey certain emotions and get out certain feelings. I really enjoy picking up my electric guitar and kind of going there with it. It even affects my writing a lot,” she shared.

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