2025 OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Less than a week away, the Oscars will be announcing their selection for Best Original Song in a motion picture. The musical-drama, "Emilia Pérez" has two songs in this category and both were written by French pop artist, Camille and Clément Ducol, a film composer and arranger. "El Mal" (which was co-written with the film's director, Jacques Audiard) is a rap-rock song that translates in Spanish as "The Evil" that looks at the hypocrisy of criminals contributing to a nonprofit organization that was founded by Emilia Pérez who was a former male drug dealer. "Mi Camino", performed in the film by actress/pop star, Selena Gomez and means "My Way", explores the inner desires of her character (who is the wife of the drug lord and unaware of his transition) to accept herself completely despite her flaws and poor judgement. Adrian Quesada, a songwriter best known for his work with the alt-soul band, Black Pumas, teamed up with musician, Abraham Alexander to write and perform the song, "Like A Bird" for the acclaimed prison drama, "Sing Sing", based on the real-life, Through the Arts, a rehabilitation program set-up at the Maximum Security Prison. Elton John earned his fifth Oscar nomination (and a two time winner) for "Never Too Late", a song co-written with Brandi Carlile for the documentary,  "Elton John: Never Too Late" on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert tour. And this year's Diane Warren nomination is for the unremarkable ballad, "The Journey", her contribution to Tyler Perry's war drama, "The Six Triple Eight" about the little known story of the African-American women who served in the army during World War II. 

In my humble opinion, I believe "El Mal" will be taking home the Oscar this year but we shall see on March 2nd. But in a ridiculous move, it has been decided that none of the five nominated songs will be actually performed on the Oscars telecast. So here is your opportunity to hear these nominated songs together:

"El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard)



"The Journey" from "The Six Triple Eight" (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)



"Like a Bird" from "Sing Sing" (Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada)



"Mi Camino" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol)



"Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late" (Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin)

THE 64TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

One week after the uncomfortably dramatic events at the Oscars, the 64th annual Grammy Awards have put on their show following a decision to postpone from their January 31st date after a surge of the omicron variant. Unable to secure a venue in LA due to the date change, the Grammys moved to Las Vegas for the very first time, holding the event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Trevor Noah returned to host again, effectively delivering some much needed positive enthusiasm with his humor more good natured than biting. I guess it was unavoidable not to have the Will Smith incident mentioned at some point but it was brief (with Noah and Questlove, who had his winning moment upstaged by Smith's antics, both making quick jokes) and actually funny.

I don't know if it had anything to do with the location change or simply having the ability to perform once again in front of a large, mask-less crowd proved to be inspiring but every single performance throughout the night was absolutely electrifying. This event, for the first time in a long time, came across much more like a true celebration of music. And as Noah stated, the Grammys are like a concert where they give out awards.

Now even though there were not any bad moments, I still had some favorite performances. Following a taped message by President Volodymyr Zelensky, John Legend paid an emotional tribute to the people of Ukraine with a moving, new song, "Free" accompanied by Ukrainian performers, Mika Newton, Sluzanna Iglidan and Lyuba Yakimchuk. Chris Stapleton brought a blast of the blues to his country sound with a riveting rendition of "Cold". H.E.R. had a moment when she had Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis join her on "Damage" (which samples their song, "Making Love in the Rain") and then teamed up with rockers, Travis Barker and Lenny Kravitz to cover Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way". While the musicianship of BTS could certainly be up for debate, there is no denying that this K-pop boy band, who performed a thrilling version of their English-language hit, "Butter", are exceptional entertainers. And the In Memoriam began with a tribute to Taylor Hawkins, the drummer of Foo Fighters, who passed away almost two weeks ago and was supposed to appear on the show with his band who won three awards this evening. The rest of the segment featured Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler, exquisitely blending their voices together to perform a medley of songs by Stephen Sondheim, which honored the award-winning theatrical composer who also passed away last year.

Jon Batiste went into the evening with the most nominations at eleven and ended up taking home the most Grammys with five including Album of the Year. Not only was the musician and bandleader one of the major highlights with his rollicking performance of "Freedom" but Batiste delivered one of the more meaningful acceptance speeches of the night. Silk Sonic, the retro-soul duo made up of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, also did well, winning four awards that included Record and Song of the Year. They kicked off the show with "777", an appropriately themed tune about gambling from their slick, bedroom-ready album, "An Evening with Silk Sonic". Olivia Rodrigo, the nineteen year old who became one of the biggest pop stars of last year with her international smash debut, "Drivers License", won three Grammys including Best New Artist. On stage, she may have displayed the nervous energy of a novice yet remained a captivating force throughout her performance.

And special mention must be made about Lady Gaga who not only delivered a spectacular jazz number, paying loving tribute to her ailing musical partner, Tony Bennett (who at ninety-five had to retire last year due to the progression of his Alzheimer's disease) with "Love For Sale" and "Do I Love You?", but continued to display what a thoughtful and kind human being she is; small, simple gestures like making sure a very frail Liza Minnelli knew she had her at the Oscars and helping winner, SZA with the train of her dress as she struggled to the stage this evening on crutches. Gaga is truly a class act and could probably educate Smith on how to actually shine a light and uplift your fellow man.

Here is a partial list of the winners of the 2022 Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year: "We Are" - Jon Batiste
Record of the Year: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic
Song of the Year: "Leave the Door Open" - Silk Sonic - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters)
Best New Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Sour" - Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Drivers License" - Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Duo or Group Performance: "Kiss Me More" - Doja Cat featuring SZA
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Love for Sale" - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
Best Dance/Electronic Music Album: "Subconsciously" - Black Coffee
Best Dance Recording: "Alive" - Rüfüs Du Sol
Best Rap Album: "Call Me If You Get Lost" - Tyler, the Creator
Best Rap Performance: "Family Ties" - Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
Best Melodic Rap Performance: "Hurricane" - Kanye West featuring the Weeknd and Lil Baby
Best Rap Song: "Jail" - Kanye West and Jay-Z - Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Kanye West and Mark Williams (songwriters)
Best R&B Album: "Heaux Tales" - Jazmine Sullivan
Best R&B Performance: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic and "Pick Up Your Feelings" - Jazmine Sullivan (tie)

Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Fight For You" - H.E.R.
Best R&B Song: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and Bruno Mars (songwriters)
Best Progressive R&B Album: "Table for Two" - Lucky Daye
Best Country Album: "Starting Over" - Chris Stapleton
Best Country Solo Performance: "You Should Probably Leave" - Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo or Group Performance: "Younger Me" - Brothers Osborne
Best Country Song: "Cold" - Chris Stapleton - Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon and Chris Stapleton (songwriters)
Best Bluegrass Album: "My Bluegrass Heart" - Béla Fleck
Best Rock Album: "Medicine at Midnight" - Foo Fighters
Best Rock Performance: "Making a Fire" - Foo Fighters
Best Rock Song: "Waiting on a War" - Foo Fighters - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear (songwriters)
Best Metal Performance: "The Alien" - Dream Theater
Best Alternative Music Album: "Daddy’s Home" - St. Vincent
Best Latin Pop Album: "Mendó" - Alex Cuba
Best Musica Urbana Album: "El Último Tour Del Mundo" - Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album: "Origen" - Juanes

Best Gospel Album: "Believe For It" - Cece Winans
Best Americana Album: "Native Sons" - Los Lobos
Best American Roots Performance: "Cry" - Jon Batiste
Best Jazz Vocal Album: "Songwrights Apothecary Lab" - Esperanza Spalding
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: "Skyline" - Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette and Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Best Latin Jazz Album: "Mirror Mirror" - Eliane Elias with Chick Corea and Chucho Valdés
Best Reggae Album: "Beauty in the Silence" - SOJA
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling): "Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis" - Don Cheadle
Best Comedy Album: "Sincerely Louis CK" - Louis C.K.
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: "The Queen’s Gambit" and "Soul" (tie)
Best Song Written For Visual Media: "All Eyes on Me" from "Bo Burnham: Inside" - Bo Burnham (songwriter)

Best Music Video: "Freedom" - Jon Batiste
Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical): Jack Antonoff

NEW SOUNDS

 H.E.R.

Since releasing music beginning in 2016 (and taking home Grammys and an Oscar in the process), H.E.R., the r&b musician from Northern California who has almost single-handily brought the guitar back to contemporary soul, still had not delivered her first official album. The twenty-three year old artist has only released several EPs and a compilation album that featured the first two extended plays and new material. Now the singer's first album, "Back of My Mind" has finally just been released. This collection of smooth and mellow r&b features the hit single, "Damage" and the latest, "Come Through", a sensual duet with the problematic Chris Brown. H.E.R. also has Lil Baby, Ty Dolla Sign, Thundercat and DJ Khaled making contributions to this impressive debut.



JESSIE J

While breaking out in a sweat at the gym, I began to wonder what had happened to Jessie J after seeing the music video for her song, "Domino". It had been ten years since that breakout hit for the British pop vocalist here in the US and almost four years since we had any new music from her when she released a studio album, "R.O.S.E" and a Christmas album. And now I have an answer; Jessie J has just dropped a new song called "I Want Love". This mid-tempo dance track has a music video that was inspired by a real incident that happened to the big-voiced singer who was born Jessica Cornish. After having an argument with a boyfriend at a black-tie event, she finds herself spending the evening in a dive bar drinking with some new friends and dancing joyfully alone. This is the first preview of music from Jessie J.'s upcoming fifth studio album which is due out later in the year.



And we have the latest from Megan Thee Stallion with "Thot Shit". Fed up with men that were being critical of her for unapologetically embracing her sexuality, Megan decided to take them on, reclaiming the word, "thot'" as a term of female empowerment. The music video for the song takes this idea even further. This hilarious, horror-themed clip features a conservative Senator writing hateful comments while watching one of  Megan's videos (and about to pleasure himself ) when the performer's alter-ego, Tina Snow calls him up to take him down. We then watch this Senator get tortured by Tina and her team of "hotties" as they aggressively twerk wherever he goes. The lesson learned here is don't mess with Megan.

2021 OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG

This year's Oscar nominees for Best Original Song features another group of strong contenders with any one of them being a good choice for the award. The Netflix musical-comedy of the annual Eurovision Song contest, "The Story of Fire Saga" has their only nomination with the pop-power ballad, "Húsavík (My Hometown)" which actress, Rachel McAdams lip syncs in the film to the vocals of Swedish pop singer, Molly Sandén. "Hear My Voice", from "The Trial of the Chicago 7", was written by composer, Daniel Pemberton and rising British soul singer, Celeste who also performs the tune. Actor Leslie Odom, Jr. does double duty; playing soul legend, Sam Cooke in the film, "One Night in Miami..." and co-writing (with Sam Ashworth) and performing the nominated song, "Speak Now". R&B vocalist, H.E.R. delivers a powerful anthem, "Fight For You" for the bio-drama, "Judas and the Black Messiah" which involves the tragic betrayal of Black Panther chairman, Fred Hampton by an FBI informant. And there is "Io Si (Seen)" from the feature film "The Life Ahead" which is highlighted by the return of screen legend, Sophia Loren. This ballad was co-written by Italian pop star, Laura Pausini (who also performs the song) and Diane Warren, making this her twelfth Oscar nomination yet she still hasn't taken home the prize.

My prediction is that the award will go to the sentimental favorite, Diane Warren for her well-admired work over her lengthy career. But who knows? Here are the five nominated songs to hear and judge for yourself:

"Fight for You" from "Judas and the Black Messiah" (Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas)



"Hear My Voice" from "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite)



"Húsavík" from "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" (Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus and Rickard Göransson)



"Io Si (Seen)" from "The Life Ahead" (Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini)



"Speak Now" from "One Night in Miami..." (Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth)

NEW SOUNDS

KELLY ROWLAND

Kelly Rowland is really on fire right now after releasing another smoking hot single. The former Destiny's Child member and expectant mother has dropped the song, "Crazy", a dance-floor banger about someone who is insanely in love with their significant other.  And while there are moments that brings to mind the musical delivery of Rowland's ex-bandmate, this disco-flavored track is solid and will continue to help take Miss Kelly to the next level. After this and the sensual "Coffee" from earlier this year, I can't wait to hear more.



H.E.R.

Gabriella Wilson or as she is best known professionally as H.E.R. has returned with new music. The Vallejo, CA. born and raised singer has helped make classic r&b popular again with her own style of contemporary soul. The music of H.E.R. has been critically acclaimed, winning the singer Grammy Awards in 2019 for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album, and found chart success with the singles, "Focus", "Best Part" (with Daniel Caesar) and "Slow Down" (with Skip Marley). Her latest single is "Damage" (that is driven by a distinctive sample from Herb Alpert's 1987 song, "Making Love In The Rain"),  a soulful ballad on the harm that can happen when your lover takes you for granted. No word on when there will be a new record but with several compilations and EPs since 2016, H.E.R. has not officially released a debut album.



LITTLE MIX

Little Mix is one of the best-selling girl groups of all time and while this British quartet has managed to conquer much of the world, they still haven't been able to reach the US. But they might change with their latest single, "Sweet Melody" which is getting some attention here in the States. The song is the third release from their upcoming sixth album, "Confetti" which is due out in November. I don't think "Sweet Melody" is necessarily a major standout from this pop group but you never know what could potentially help Little Mix crossover to this side of the world.

2018 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

After being delayed a few days due to the funeral of former President, George H. W. Bush, the 2018 Grammy Award nominations have finally been unveiled and it appears that the Recording Academy seems to have caught up to the 21st century. The organization for years has tended to nominate critically-acclaimed, veteran artists who were long past their prime while pretty much ignoring exciting, contemporary musicians for top honors.

Kendrick Lamar, one of the most innovative and accomplished artists creating music today, leads with eight Grammy nominations for his curated soundtrack of what became the top-grossing movie of the year, "Black Panther". Drake, who has been very vocal about feeling that the Grammys have been long out-of-touch, follows with seven noms for his smash album, "Scorpion". And after female artists were barely recognized last year with Lorde as the only woman to receive an Album of The Year nomination, there are five in this category this time with hip-hop breakout, Cardi B (receiving five noms), alt-rocker, Brandi Carlile (with six nominations), country artist, Kacey Musgraves, r&b newcomer, H.E.R (who got five total nominations). and psychedelic soul performer, Janelle Monáe. Rapper, Post Malone and his popular album, "Beerbongs & Bentleys" rounds out the category.

Now if it seems like there are a lot more nominees this time, you are correct. In a call for diversity, the Academy decided to expand the four general fields of Album, Record, Song and Best New Artist of The Year from five to eight. I really don't understand the logic behind this move as there is still only going to be one winner and I think you can be diverse without crowding these categories. Besides, someone deserving is always going to be left out for recognition.

The 61st annual Grammy Awards will be presented on February 10th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Here is a partial list of the 2018 Grammy Award nominations. Please click below to see the complete list of the nominations:

Grammy.com

Album of the Year:

"Invasion Of Privacy" - Cardi B
"By the Way, I Forgive You" - Brandi Carlile
"Scorpion" - Drake
"H.E.R." - H.E.R.
"Beerbongs & Bentleys" - Post Malone
"Dirty Computer" - Janelle Monáe
"Golden Hour" - Kacey Musgraves
"Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By" - Various Artists

Record of the Year:

"I Like It" - Cardi B
"The Joke" - Brandi Carlile
"This Is America" - Childish Gambino
"God's Plan" - Drake
"Shallow" - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
"All the Stars" - Kendrick Lamar & SZA
"Rockstar" - Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage
"The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Song of the Year:

"All the Stars" - Kendrick Duckworth, Solana Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters - (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)
"Boo'd Up" - Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters - (Ella Mai)
"God's Plan" - Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters - (Drake)
"In My Blood" - Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters - (Shawn Mendes)
"The Joke" - Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters - (Brandi Carlile)
"The Middle" - Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters - (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey)
"Shallow" -Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters - (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)
"This is America" -Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters - (Childish Gambino)

Best New Artist:

Chloe x Hale
Luke Combs
Greta van Fleet
H.E.R.
Dua Lipa
Margo Price
Bebe Rexha
Jorja Smith

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

"Love Is Here To Stay" - Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
"My Way" - Willie Nelson
"Nat "King" Cole & Me" - Gregory Porter
"Standards" - Seal
"The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!" - Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Camila" - Camila Cabello
"Meaning Of Life" - Kelly Clarkson
"Sweetner" - Ariana Grande
"Shawn Mendes" - Shawn Mendes
"Beautiful Trauma" - Pink
"Reputation" - Taylor Swift

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Colors" - Beck
"Havana (Live)" - Camila Cabello
"God Is A Woman" - Ariana Grande
"Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)" - Lady Gaga
"Better Now" - Post Malone

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Fall in Line" - Christina Aguilera Featuring Demi Lovato
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Backstreet Boys
"'S Wonderful" - Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
"Shallow" - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
"Girls Like You" - Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
"Say Something" - Justin Timberlake Featuring Chris Stapleton
"The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Best Rock Album:

"Rainer Fog" - Alice In Chains
"Mania" Fall Out Boy
"Prequelle" - Ghost
"From the Fires" - Greta Van Fleet
"Pacific Daydream" - Weezer

Best Alternative Music Album:

"Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino" - Arctic Monkeys
"Colors" - Beck
"Utopia" - Bjork
"American Utopia" - David Byrne
"Masseduction" - St. Vincent

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

"Everything Is Love" - The Carters
"The Kids Are Alright" - Chloe x Halle
"Chris Dave And The Drumhedz" - Chris Dave And The Drumhedz
"War & Leisure" - Miguel
"Ventriloquism" - Meshell Ndegeocello

Best R&B Album:

"Sex & Cigarettes" - Toni Braxton
"Good Thing" - Leon Bridges
"Honestly" - Lalah Hathaway
"H.E.R." - H.E.R.
"Gumbo Unplugged (Live)" - PJ Morton

Best Rap Album:

"Invasion of Privacy" - Cardi B
"Swimming" - Mac Miller
"Victory Lap" - Nipsey Hussle
"Daytona" - Pusha T
"Astroworld" - Travis Scott

Best Country Album:

"Unapologetically" - Kelsea Ballerini
"Port Saint Joe" - Brothers Osborne
"Girl Going Nowhere" - Ashley McBryde
"Golden Hour" - Kacey Musgraves
"From A Room: Volume 2" - Chris Stapleton

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

"Singularity" -Jon Hopkins
"Woman Worldwide" - Justice
"Treehouse" - Sofi Tukker
"Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" - Sophie
"Lune Rouge" - TOKiMONSTA

Best Comedy Album:

"Annihilation" - Patton Oswalt
"Equanimity & The Bird Revelation" - Dave Chappelle
"Noble Ape" - Jim Gaffigan
"Standup For Drummers" - Fred Armisen
"Tamborine" - Chris Rock

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media:

"Call Me By Your Name"
"Deadpool 2"
"The Greatest Showman"
"Lady Bird"
"Stranger Things"

Producer of the Year - (Non-Classical):

Boi-1da
Larry Klein
Linda Perry
Kanye West
Pharrell Williams

NEW SOUNDS

DRAKE

Sheryl Crow just recently announced that she's recording one last album before only releasing singles in the future, acknowledging the change in the business with no one seemingly interested in full albums amymore.

Thankfully, Drake, who is one of the biggest artists around today, doesn’t believe that and with his fifth studio release, “Scorpion”, it’s not only a double album with twenty-five tracks but also a concept record. One side is devoted more to aggressive rap while the other features a more tender soulful side. The Canadian actor and hip-hop artist addresses some of the rumors and feuds that have surrounding him of late including confirming his paternity of a newborn son with a woman he barely knows. The album is sample-heavy with a diverse collection of musical snippets appearing featuring the work of Marvin Gaye, Lil’ Kim, the Ohio Players, Mariah Carey, Eddie Kendricks and Lauryn Hill.  Even Michael Jackson (who Drake is a major fan) shows up on the song, “Don’t Matter To Me”. But it’s an unreleased vocal track used on the hook here with the blessing of the Jackson estate and Paul Anka who co-wrote the song with Jackson.

Here is the music video for Drake's latest number one single, "Nice For What" which actually knocked off the first single from the album, "God's Plan" from the top spot. The clip features a large number of big-name female talent who make guest appearances including Olivia Wilde, Misty Copeland, Issa Rae, Rashida Jones, Tracee Ellis Ross, Yara Shahidi and Tiffany Haddish.



H.E.R.

Taking a page from Sia’s playbook, the artist called H.E.R. had tried to keep her identity secret as she only wanted to be represented by her music. Sadly, the ability to remain completely anonymous in this day and age is almost impossible. And soon the woman behind H.E.R. (which ironically stands for "having everything revealed") became public knowledge and that the twenty-four year old singer was born Gabi Wilson from Vallejo, California.

Regardless, the focus should remain on her music which is a sparkling blend of classic soul and offbeat rhythms with a voice that’s like a sensuous whisper. Her 2016 EP, "H.E.R. Vol. 1" was met with critical acclaim and high praise from fellow artists including Rihanna who had H.E.R. playing in the background on one of her Instagram posts. The following year, H.E.R.’s self-titled debut was released and featured the lush ballad, "Focus" which reached the top ten on the U.S. r&b chart. She is definitely one to watch and recently teamed up with another rising artist, Khalid for a song on the soundtrack for the remake of "Superfly".

Check out her recent performance on the B.E.T Awards to best experience the true artistry of H.E.R. She does live versions of "Focus" and her other hit, "Best Part" which she duets with Daniel Caesar: