- When are we getting that new music?
- Soon.
(laughing)
- You knew I was gonna ask. I had to ask.
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(laughing)
- H.E.R., congratulations on your VMA win
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Describe what it feels like, not only to win this first VMA,
but to win for a song
that means so much to the climate that we're in right now?
- I honestly can't believe it.
You know, winning a VMA is like a dream come true.
I really have no words for the movement that's happening,
except I'm just grateful that everybody's speaking out,
you know, on social injustice.
That's what the purpose of the song was, was just, you know,
talking about what's going on right now,
and talking about how I feel,
and how I think a lot of people were feeling.
The anxiety, being overwhelmed, and feeling really sad.
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so for it to be recognized is really, really dope.
- And it was powerful visually and lyrically.
Like, when you really break down those lyrics,
you pretty much touched every topic from,
you know, "Don't say you don't see my color.
"Recognize my color," to the messages in the video,
like, "Silence is violence."
How did you process your emotions
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And what were some of the things
that were going through your mind?
- With this song, it's a lot of questions,
you know? "How do we cope when we don't love each other?"
"What is a gun to a man that surrenders?" You know,
"You starting a war screaming peace at the same time."
It's all these things that are like, why, why?
I really decided to do a spoken word at the end
because I felt like
this song wasn't just enough to say what I had to say.
I had to put in that extra rant,
just so I could say everything that I was feeling.
- You've done multiple performances at award shows that have
helped to amplify this same message.
How important is it for you to use your artistry
in this way?
- As an artist, I have a responsibility to articulate
how I think the world might be feeling.
Music can cause healing.
It can create change.
It can make you wanna fall in love.
It can make you dance.
And so, as an artist,
we have a responsibility to do these things
'cause music does that.
- You're also nominated for "Slide" with YG.
Totally different vibe,
still authentic,
but you gave us some dope Bay Area vibes.
How did you and YG end up connecting for that record?
- I was thinking about who would be perfect for the record,
who would also represent the West Coast.
And I remember meeting him at Coachella.
He was like,
"Take off them glasses and show your pretty face, girl."
And I was like, "Yo." And then he did it on the record.
I was like, "This is perfect."
- I wanna get into the genre, right?
The art form of R&B.
Because you're nominated against a diverse array of people,
some of whom you've collaborated with and been inspired by.
Where do you see your sound fitting into that ecosystem?
And what do you think about the evolution
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When you talk about classic R&B,
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Rhythm, you know, a good beat, a good thing to make you move,
or make you,
you know, groove. And
the blues, which is, to me, the truth,
the pain, the honesty, and the raw emotion.
And that's what R&B is.
There's a lot of genres that wouldn't even exist
without R&B.
R&B is the basis of everything.
- It's in everything. R&B is even in hip-hop.
You hear that rhythm and blues vibe
in the hip-hop vibe right now.
- You know, it's got more of a spotlight now
and we have more classic-influence R&B now,
which is really, really dope.
But, as far as my sound goes,
there's songs like "I Can't Breathe."
It's like, raw instruments. And there's songs like "Slide,"
which is like, super fun.
It's like, trap drums a little bit with the 808.
- You know, you talked about rhythm and blues,
and you can't talk about blues without talking about guitars
and your 'Girls With Guitars' series.
What are some of your favorite moments from the series?
And were there any comments
that folks made in those conversations
that really resonated with you?
- What's been so special about 'Girls With Guitars' is
it started off as kind of being bored in quarantine
and wanting to jam.
Just kind of have fun in like, a public way
on Instagram Live.
I did my first lives and I was like,
"Oh, I wanna have other girls on here.
"Oh, how about 'Girls with Guitars?'"
I have legends,
I have up-and-coming artists,
I have current artists that are doing their thing,
so it became a platform.
And it became like, this crazy place for me
to collaborate with artists.
Willow Smith was on there, and we sang together,
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Alessia Cara was on there, Tori Kelly,
Priscilla Renea, who's a dope writer.
Sheryl Crow was on there.
So, it was just
like, a bunch of different dope girls with guitars.
You think that there's not that many of us, but really?
You know, we out here.
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for yourself in this next season of H.E.R.?
- Man, you know, I wanna be able
to sell out stadiums.
You know, I realize how much I love touring,
especially in the quarantine.
I really, really miss being on a stage
and having that connection.
I think that's definitely one of my main goals
is to be able to tour like, forever, pretty much.
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I've been getting into acting
a lot, and voice-overs.
That's another dream of mine
that's actually been coming true,
so. I'm just trying to find new ways to touch people
and impact people.
- Ultimately, what do you want fans to take away
from the art you create, the music you create,
and, you know, this next season
when we're gonna see H.E.R. in films and voice-overs?
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from everything that you're putting out there?
- I think the number one thing is,
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You know, when you stay on your path,
and you trust your path, and you trust your own process.
I think we're always,
especially with social media,
we're always looking at what everybody else is doing.
And when you just follow your heart
and follow what you wanna do,
then things start to happen
and success becomes your purpose.
And if you just keep going
and you keep following that, then
you can do anything.