H.E.R., born Gabriella Wilson on June 27, 1997, in Vallejo, California, is an accomplished American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Emerging as a prominent R&B artist in the 2010s, she is celebrated for her impressive vocal range, heartfelt ballads, and enigmatic public image. In September 2016, Wilson released her debut EP, H.E.R. Vol. 1 , under the name H.E.R., an acronym for Having Everything Revealed. She initially aimed to maintain anonymity so listeners would focus on the music without preconceptions. Her compilation album, featuring H.E.R. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 , won a Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2019, with "Best Part" also winning Best R&B Performance. H.E.R. has won multiple Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "I Can’t Breathe" in 2021, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Fight for You". In June 2021, she released her first full-length album, Back of My Mind , which reached number one on Billboard’s R&B albums chart. In 2024, H.E.R. performed with Usher at the Super Bowl halftime show.

What type of music does H.E.R. create?

H.E.R., born Gabriella Wilson, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress who rose to prominence in the 2010s as a leading R&B artist . Her debut EP, H.E.R. Vol. 1 , appeared in September 2016. The recording garnered attention and was praised for its confessional lyrics. H.E.R. stated she wanted women to feel how honest and vulnerable she is and to understand that they are not alone and that these are all human emotions. Ballads are a staple of her music. In 2020, H.E.R. debuted "I Can’t Breathe," a protest song that responded to high-profile cases of police brutality against African Americans.

What is H.E.R.'s real name?

H.E.R. (born Gabriella Wilson on June 27, 1997) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress known for her vocal range and intimate ballads. In September 2016, Wilson released her debut EP, H.E.R. Vol. 1 , under the name H.E.R., which stands for Having Everything Revealed. She initially sought to keep her identity anonymous so that people would hear the music without judgment.

Which instruments does H.E.R. play?

H.E.R. (born Gabriella Wilson, June 27, 1997) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress known for her vocal range and intimate ballads. Wilson released her debut EP, H.E.R. Vol. 1 , in September 2016, choosing to remain anonymous so fans would focus on the music. The EP peaked at number 12 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart and was praised for its honest lyrics. In 2018, she embarked on a tour. In 2020, H.E.R. released "I Can’t Breathe," a protest song about police brutality against African Americans. The following year, the track won a Grammy for song of the year.

What major awards has H.E.R. won?

H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella Wilson, has received several major awards throughout her career. In 2019, her self-titled compilation album, which included H.E.R. Vol. 1 and H.E.R. Vol. 2 , won the Grammy Award for best R&B album, and the song "Best Part" was named best R&B performance. In 2021, H.E.R. won the Grammy for song of the year for "I Can't Breathe" and best R&B song for "Better Than I Imagined." That same year, she won an Academy Award for best original song for "Fight for You," which also won the Grammy for best traditional R&B performance in 2022. In 2022, H.E.R. won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for outstanding short-form program for her work on the Netflix show We the People .

How has H.E.R. influenced modern R&B music?

H.E.R., born Gabriella Wilson, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress who emerged in the 2010s as a leading R&B artist. In 2016, she released her debut EP, H.E.R. Vol. 1 , choosing to remain anonymous so listeners would focus on the music without judgment. The EP, praised for its honest lyrics, peaked at number 12 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart. H.E.R.'s music often features intimate ballads. Her self-titled compilation album, which included H.E.R. Vol. 1 and H.E.R. Vol. 2 , won a Grammy Award for best R&B album in 2019, with "Best Part" winning best R&B performance. In 2020, H.E.R. released "I Can’t Breathe," a protest song addressing police brutality against African Americans, which won a Grammy for song of the year.

H.E.R.

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H.E.R. (Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson) smiles while performing on stage, wearing an orange top with dramatic sleeves and distressed denim shorts, holding a microphone.

H.E.R. (Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson) performs on stage in Paris, playing an acoustic guitar and singing into a microphone, wearing sunglasses and a black mesh top.

Quick Facts

In full:: Having Everything Revealed

Byname of:: Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson

Nickname:: Gabi Wilson

Born:: June 27, 1997, Vallejo, California, U.S. (age 29)

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H.E.R.

American singer

Also known as: Gabi Wilson, Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, Having Everything Revealed(Show More)

Written by

Frannie Comstock

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 29, 2026 •History

Early life

She was born Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson and grew up in Vallejo, California, which is located in the San Francisco Bay area. Her mother is Filipina, and her father is Black. Wilson began performing at a young age when her father, a musician, first took her to private gigs. At age 10, she performed Alicia Keys’s “If I Ain’t Got You” on the Today show, and she later appeared on other TV programs, including The View. In addition to Keys, her early musical influences include Prince and B.B. King. Wilson signed with Sony’s RCA records at age 14, and she released her first single, “Something to Prove,” in 2014. In addition to being a vocalist and songwriter, Wilson plays several instruments, including piano, bass, drums, and guitar.

Music

In September 2016 Wilson released her debut, the seven-track EP (extended play) H.E.R. Vol. 1. The recording appeared under the name H.E.R., which stands for Having Everything Revealed. Wilson sought to keep her true identity anonymous, because she “want[ed] the people to hear the music for what it is, and not have any judgments or make any assumptions.” However, fans quickly confirmed that H.E.R. was Wilson; they linked a cover of Drake’s “Jungle” that she had performed as Gabriella Wilson to a cover of the same song on the EP. H.E.R. Vol. 1 garnered attention—it peaked at number 12 on Billboard’s R&B albums chart—and was praised for its confessional lyrics. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, H.E.R. said that she wanted “women to really feel how honest and vulnerable I am and to understand that they are not alone and that these are all human emotions.”

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Another EP, H.E.R. Vol. 2, appeared in June 2017. The work—which featured a number of ballads, a staple of her music—also proved popular, and several months later H.E.R. launched her first headlining tour. A self-titled compilation featuring both EPs and a collection of B sides was released in October 2017, and two years later it won the Grammy Award for best R&B album. In addition, the song “Best Part” was named best R&B performance. In 2018 H.E.R. released the EPs I Used to Know Her: The Prelude and I Used to Know Her: Part 2. She also embarked on a tour that year. Her follow-up, a compilation that contained the two EPs with additional songs, appeared in 2019.

In 2020 H.E.R. debuted “I Can’t Breathe,” a protest song that responded to high-profile cases of police brutality against African Americans. The following year the track won the Grammy for song of the year. In addition, “Better Than I Imagined” was named best R&B song. Those awards helped make 2021 especially notable. That year she also performed “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl, and in April she won an Academy Award for best original song for “Fight for You,” a soulful single she contributed to the soundtrack for Judas and the Black Messiah (2021); in 2022 the track won the Grammy for best traditional R&B performance. In addition, in June 2021 Wilson released her first full-length album, Back of My Mind, which debuted at number one on Billboard’s R&B albums chart. The work featured collaborations with various artists, including Chris Brown and Lil Baby. In 2024 H.E.R. performed with Usher at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Acting

In addition to her music career, H.E.R. has also worked as an actor. Before debuting her H.E.R. persona, she appeared in Nick Cannon’s made-for-TV movie School Gyrls (2009), which premiered on Nickelodeon. In 2022 she starred as Belle alongside Josh Groban in a live-action Beauty and the Beast TV special. The following year she played the role of Squeak in a musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, which also starred Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Colman Domingo.

H.E.R. also helped write the Netflix show We the People (2021), which was coproduced by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, among others. For her work on the series, H.E.R. won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for outstanding short-form program in 2022.

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Frannie Comstock

H.E.R.

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Acting