Filipina American singer-songwriter H.E.R. has a message for young Blacks and Filipinos.
H.E.R., who won the best original song for “Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” at the 93rd Academy Awards, said her victory sends a message for the young and the minority.
She is proud to represent them at the prestigious global stage.
“Me being up there is a message to all the young Black and Filipino girls. You can be up here too,” she said during the press conference.
“What you say matters, what you sing, what you write—it matters. It’s a reflection of who we are,” H.E.R. said.
“And, I’m just happy to represent. I can’t believe I’m here,” she also said.
H.E.R. is hopeful that her Oscar win will inspire other girls that they too will have a chance to also come up the stage.
“I just hope that there’s another little girl out there…whoever, going: I could do that too. I can be up there too one day,” she said.
Best Original Song Oscar winner H.E.R. on what the win means to her: "Me being up there is a message to all the young Black and Filipino girls. You can be up here too." https://t.co/r10ootyooO pic.twitter.com/DWLLZMO8hE
— IndieWire (@IndieWire) April 26, 2021
The 23-year-old artist, whose real name is Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, also finds her Oscar win timely as it came after George Floyd murder verdict.
READ: After Grammys nod, Fil-Am H.E.R. takes home her first ‘Best Original Song’ Oscar
The jury last week found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd during an arrest last May.
Floyd was a 46-year-old Black man who died with his neck pinned to the street under Chauvin’s knee.
“I couldn’t think of better timing to win something like this. I’m happy to be at the Oscars, it’s an important film that educating people, I feel connected to my roots,” H.E.R. said.
Last month, H.E.R. also bagged two Grammy awards— Song of the Year for “I Can’t Breathe” and Best R&B Song for “Better than I Imagined.”
She then took to TikTok and gave a shout out to her Filipino fans. H.E.R. also she imitated her aunt with a Filipino-English accent.
