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Not everyone will know the name Gabriella Wilson, despite the fact that she took to the Olympic stage in yesterday’s closing ceremony.
But most people will recognise the artist H.E.R. ― a moniker people suspect Gabi Wilson has gone by since her first studio album in 2016.
The name, which is pronounced the same as the word “her,” has become a household one thanks to hits like Could’ve Been.
In fact, the Oscar-winning singer and five-time Grammy recipient has become such a part of my cultural furniture that many of us will never have even stopped to question what the stage name might stand for.
As it turns out, however, the name is an acronym.
Of?
RCA Records’ press release for the star’s debut album, H.E.R. Vol. 1, was one line long; “I can’t tell you much about H.E.R. just yet but give it a listen,” it read.
The cover bore only her silhouette.
So, H.E.R. was pretty bang-on when she told the LA Times in 2016 how “ironic” it is that her name stands for “Having Everything Revealed”.
“The mystery is a metaphor for who I am, or who I was at the time of creating the project,” she told the publication.
“I feel like oftentimes we don’t like to be open as people about our emotions or things that we are going through.”
“I want it to be about the music — its honesty and realness,” she added, saying in the interview, “I’ll reveal who I am in due time.”
She didn’t confirm or deny that she was Gabriella Wilson, though many fans already suspected she was.
To this day, her Grammy entry reads: “The Northern California native is believed to have been born Gabi Wilson, but has never confirmed her true identity” ― even if Interview says there’s “little doubt” they’re the same person.
It’s far from her first stage career
Though it’s technically unconfirmed by the artist, let’s say for now Gabi Wilson has a preeeeetty high likelihood of being H.E.R..
If that’s the case, it’d mean her career was already taking off when, aged just 10, she performed an Alicia Keys song on The Today Show under her own name.
“She plays the piano, the drums, the bass guitar, and has the rich, soulful voice of a singer three times her age,” a presenter introduced her at the time.
RCA Records struck a deal with the artist when she was just 14 years old; H.E.R. had won a Best Original Song Oscar by 24 for Judas And The Black Messiah’s Fight For You.
She has been nominated for a Grammy 25 times ― just under one nomination for each of her 27 years.
“Whether you know who I am or not, you don’t really know who I am,” she told the LA Times in a 2017 interview. But we certainly know she’s eye-wateringly impressive…
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