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RCA RecordsFor the last four years, H.E.R. has dominated R&B with soulful ballads and genre-blending hits, under her “Having Everything Revealed” moniker.
The Grammy-winning artist shares with HotNewHipHop that it’s a “blessing and a curse to be underestimated” in a male-dominated industry for a young female artist who was “not expected to be able to pick up a guitar.”
“I’m not gonna say any names, but a lot of people from the beginning said, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t play guitar on stage, it’s gonna go over people’s heads, people aren’t gonna get it,'” H.E.R. revealed. “But this is who I am, this is who I’ve always been, this is what makes me unique. I’m a Black, young, female musician.”
When times get tough, she thinks of a piece of advice she lives by, that came from seasoned R&B singer Tyrese.
“He said, ‘God honors those that stay the path’ and I’ve lived by those words because it’s so true,” H.E.R said. “People can come in and influence your decisions and say, “you should be doing this” or “you should say this,” or “you should do that,” but I always stay true to who I am.”
H.E.R. also feels her fellow female artists, such as Ari Lennox, Queen Najia and more, are bringing it right now.
“Women are definitely dominating R&B, and I think it just has to do with those vulnerable lyrics and saying things that some people are afraid to say,” “We say it loud and proud, and we say it even if it’s uncomfortable. I love the fact that there are so many women who, like I said, represent different things. The men gotta step it up because we’re working hard. We’re just killing it right now.
By Rachel George
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