Despite how grammatically incorrect that sounds, if you were like me when first hearing this artist, you did not know who it was. You knew you liked the songs. You knew you were addicted to her voice. You knew you couldn't live without one or all of her songs on a playlist. You knew you had to have her album. You knew you wanted to hear more. You knew all of that. Except her name.
She literally took over the world with her first self-titled EPs, H.E.R.: Vol 1 and now she's stealing new hearts and making old fans fall in love all over again with H.E.R. Vol 2: The B Sides. Named in Forbes list of 30 Under 30: Class of 2018 & named "Artist to Watch" from Pandora, she definitely is leaving her mark on the industry...and the world. Her tours are sold out. Her singles are being downloaded at alarming rates. Her EPs are outselling some of the biggest albums of the year. Not to mention, there's a lot of people who still do not know H.E.R. name.
Ready to learn about the artist behind the moniker? Gabi Wilson is the name behind the silhouette you see on her covers. There was speculation after a few weeks. The vocals were similar, the vibes were remembered, sooner or later true fans were bound to put one with the other and find out who this mysteriously talented beauty was and how to let the world know just whom they were listening to.
H.E.R.'s debut project bolted to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes R&B chart. Not to mention, it's been streamed more than 12 million times on Soundcloud. Spotify? Up to 1.6 million MONTHLY listeners. All this without any real promotion of her project or pushing it to radio.
In earlier interviews, the woman behind the acronym said that music isn't listened to "for what it is" anymore and people are always so worried about who the artist is, what they're doing, what they're wearing, who they're friends with, etc...she said she just wants to let people judge the music for what it is without having to deal with the other part of the industry, which is the ever so annoying paparazzi wanting to record and photograph your every move. Nonetheless, she covers her face in photos to keep the mystery going & allows people who listen to H.E.R. to feel the emotions behind the music.
With her velvety tones, dynamic harmonies, soul snatching lyrics, and heart stealing melodies, this artist--whether you know her real name or not--will be the force that awakens real R&B and brings back the music we used to love.
Her latest: "My Song" off Vol. 2: The B Sides, released January the 2nd, is climbing the R&B charts and ever so gracefully showcasing her beloved talent. {audio video below}
Follow H.E.R. by visiting the Links Below:
You can purchase your copy of the album {both old & new} as well as her latest single by following the links below:
Well, as usual I appreciate you visiting the blog and reading the content. I hope you enjoyed this week's You Need To Know Artist. Leave your comments below to let me know what you think about the artist and the music.
And...as you know:
Enjoy the music?
Support the artist.
Until next time....
xoxo,
Rachel Marie
The Underground Artistry
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