Gabi Wilson got the industry talking when she took on a new, and, to them, anonymous, persona. In September 2016, she released her debut EP, H.E.R. Vol. 1. The acronym stands for "Having Everything Revealed." The EP's striking melodies, coupled with honest and relatable lyrics, struck a major chord in the R&B world. Label mates Alicia Keys and Bryson Tiller were among those who praised the album publicly (per Forbes). And though the music spoke for itself, there was a lot of intrigue as to who was behind it.
"The way that I released the music did exactly what I wanted it to, which was make people just listen to the music," she told NBC Los Angeles of her reasoning to keep her identity a secret. "'[And] just listen to the message for what it is because we tend to listen with our eyes sometimes. Sometimes it's all about hype, and I didn't want hype... I don't want people to love my music because of what I look like or who I know or whatever."
H.E.R. also worried her young age would distract from the music's message. "I feel like maybe some people wouldn't have accepted the music if they knew I was 19," she shared. "Some people, they make these assumptions before they even listen to the music." H.E.R. vision certainly worked, allowing her to release H.E.R. Vol. 2. the following year.
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