"Since That Trip Home, I Felt Even More Connected To My Roots": H.E.R Recently Got Very Candid About Her Filipina Identity
While spending the holidays in the Philippines with her family, H.E.R. sat down with Vogue Philippines — which launched this past August — to talk about everything from her Black and Filipina American identity to her family and culture, including her favorite Filipino foods.
In fact, while getting ready, H.E.R. ordered herself some pancit palabok from room service. "When I'm here, I try to eat as much Filipino food as I can," she said.
So here are 13 things the Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician and February 2023 Vogue Philippines cover star revealed about herself:
1.H.E.R.'s real name is Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, but she goes by Gabi.
2.In 2014, H.E.R. released her first single under the name Gabi Wilson. Two years later, she chose to reinvent herself as an anonymous singer-songwriter (H.E.R. is an acronym for "Having Everything Revealed") to allow her music to shine.
"I had been through so much stuff that a young woman goes through," she said. "I wanted people to hear the message and really understand what I'm saying and not be so focused on what I look like or who I'm dating or what I'm wearing and all those things that to me, we started to focus on more because of social media."
3.While H.E.R. can understand Tagalog, she's not comfortable speaking it. So, she asked her mom to help her practice before they went to the Philippines.
4.She collaborated with Beauty and the Beast costume designer Marina Toybina to represent her Black and Filipino culture aesthetically. As a result, they wrote "Belle" on her apron in Baybayin (ancient Philippine writing).
"I said, 'I want to pay tribute to my Filipino heritage. How can we do that?'" H.E.R. said. "And [Toybina] has a friend who's Filipino, who is an artist. He made that apron for me, hand painted the Baybayin on there and it says 'Belle.'"
5.H.E.R.'s favorite Filipino food is sinigang (a classic sour and savory tamarind stew). "My grandma makes the best sinigang," she added.
6.When she was 11, H.E.R. was on an episode of weekly magazine talk show Adobo Nation on TFC (The Filipino Channel), where she was introduced as "the girl with ginormous talent" and sang "Maging Sino Ka Man."
Cohost Jaja Bolivar asked where she saw herself in 5 to 10 years, to which H.E.R. answered, "Well, hopefully a big musician, hopefully traveling, going on tour a lot and just doing stuff big."
During her recent holiday trip to the Philippines, H.E.R. (who is now 25) sang a rendition of "Maging Sino Ka Man" with her mother, uncles, aunts, and cousins in the living room of the house her mother grew up in in Cabanatuan. In fact, Vogue Philippines recorded them performing for an upcoming video.
7.She got a chain with the Filipino flag, the sun, and the stars for Saweetie, who is also of Filipino and Black heritage (as well as Chinese).
8.Adobo, a soy-vinegar marinated dish, reminds H.E.R. of her tita Joan. "She makes the best adobo," H.E.R. said, before adding, "and it's not complete without saging," a sweetened banana-based dessert.
9.In 2019, H.E.R. returned to the Philippines for the first time since she was 4. She brought her immediate family with her, and they visited her mother's old home. "She's from Nueva Ecija, Cabanatuan City, the tricycle capital of the world,” H.E.R. said of her mother. "It was a humbling experience too, just to see. … Since that trip, I felt even more connected to my roots."
Her mother also finally reunited with her sister after 15 years. During their trip, H.E.R.'s family created a tradition to come back every year.
10.H.E.R. knows a ton of Pinoy pop culture, having grown up watching Home Along Da Riles and as a fan of Sharon Cuneta, Gary V., and Jay-R.
11.While in Manila for the holidays, H.E.R. ran into Jo Koy in her hotel, and he acknowledged how blessed they were to be able to bring their families to the Philippines.
"My family is such a big part of who I am and what I do and how I even got here," she said. "I never would’ve thought I'd be able to fly my family to the Philippines. It's not an easy trip. It's not a cheap one. You know what I mean? I'm just grateful. This is why I work hard."
12.Growing up, H.E.R.'s after-school snack was Choc Nut (a chocolate candy bar).
She also enjoyed palabok, Filipino rice noodle, as a quick snack.
13.Lastly, while many of us may recognize H.E.R. by her sunglasses and signature big hair, she's been embracing bolder looks and sharing more of herself beyond her H.E.R. persona.
"Throughout these past few years with success and all the great things that have happened, I think I've been moving so quickly," she said. "Now, I've taken a second to be like, what do I want and who am I? I think that’s a coming of age moment."
