The worst-kept secret in R&B has been H.E.R.'s true identity. Super sleuths revealed that the mysterious singer was Gabi Wilson early on, but we've nonetheless been caught up in her ruse and played along, unbothered by who she was as long as she was giving us what we needed in the form of good music. H.E.R. has done just that and continues to come out of her self-imposed shell little by little. Fans have gotten to see her perform live onstage on her The Lights On Tour, and she's revealing more and more of herself in her visuals, such as in her new music video for "Focus" and during a visit to BBC Radio 1Xtra to record a Live Lounge performance.
"Focus," which was originally released on H.E.R.'s 2016 debut EP H.E.R. Volume 1 before it found a new home on her 2017 self-titled debut album, finds the shadowy songstress pleading to her man to pay her some attention. She expresses a tender vulnerability and desire to work things out when she could easily go smooth off. H.E.R. translates those feelings into the video for "Focus." The camera follows H.E.R. and her man to a party where he's entertaining everyone but her. While he's chatting it up with two women on a couch, she stands in the middle of the room singing to him and he couldn't be anymore oblivious. In other scenes, he's seen staring at his cell phone or otherwise ignoring her. Yet and still, she stays and flashes back to their good times together when he was present and focused. Unfortunately for H.E.R., the video ends much like it begins, with his attention elsewhere as she turns around to leave the party alone.
H.E.R. took her sad song to London to perform it and "Jungle" on 1Xtra's Live Lounge series. For both performances, the singer is perched on a stool, her face partially hidden behind a pair of oversized sunglasses and long, wavy tresses. Backed only by a keyboardist and drummer, H.E.R. brought "Focus" to life with pristine live vocals. She continued flexing on "Jungle," her Drake cover that she made her own when she recorded it for her first EP. The song is just as charming here, with H.E.R. and her keyboard player – now playing organ – taking viewers to church.
Although she's still playing coy, we love that H.E.R. has maintained such a high level of artistry and hope that she continues to do so once she's fully comfortable in being herself.
