For the first part of 2022, H.E.R. has been headlining her Back of My Mind tour. "For the first few shows that I did, even just on this side of the year, I kind of got emotional on stage a little bit," she said. "I tried to hide it, but I was really emotional because it was just so surreal to hear people singing those words to my new album."
"I try to create an experience because at the end of the day, that's how I grew up listening to music," H.E.R. teased about her shows. "I'll always be R&B and soul music at my core. But there's just so much that I want to do and so much that I love so it's definitely an experience."
If you're lucky enough to score access to H.E.R.'s tour bus, the Grammy winner admits it can be a little messy. "There's fruit snacks and chips and blankets everywhere and shoes," she said. "We're just kind of all over the place."
While H.E.R. may be the star of the show on stage, she's the first to give credit to the crew behind the scenes. "They're there before I get to venues and there after I leave," she said. "They have to make sure that everything runs smoothly for the performance to go well. They set the foundation...there would be no show without them and they often get forgotten about."
Before showtime, H.E.R. loves to drink some ginger tea with a little bit of honey. And after warming up with her background singers, there's one ritual she has to follow. "We all pray together and we do a little pep talk or a moment where we all huddle up and put our fists in a circle," she said. "It's a big anticipation for the show."
When touring across the country this summer, the singer wanted fashion that was "classic H.E.R." In her words, think "easy, comfortable, but still hot."
"I decided I wanted to do these oversize silk shirts with some sneakers every night," she said. "And of course, the glasses are the key for any H.E.R. performance."
While performing in packed stadiums this summer with Coldplay, H.E.R. tried her best to describe the feeling she gets on the stage. "It just feels so epic and so powerful," she said. "It's honestly a motivation for me and it's so inspiring for me to be in stadiums, but it makes me want to rock out even more. It makes me want to just grab my guitar, just go out there and go crazy."
As H.E.R. continues living her musical dreams, she has a valuable piece of advice for those working hard to accomplish their own goals. "It's so important to have a good counsel around you just to guide you and make sure that you're in the right direction," she said. "At the end of the day, you know your voice is the one that matters and that it's okay to be uncertain sometimes."