MANILA, Philippines — Apart from being the first Black Filipino Disney Princess, H.E.R. is proud of many things, and among them, to be good at cooking Filipino dish Kare-Kare.
“I’m so proud of my achievements… I’m so proud of myself,” she declared at ABS-CBN Global and MYX’s recent “Mixer” party in Manila.
“It takes a lot to be able to say that, but you got to remember to give yourself props and pat yourself in the back and then take a vacation in the Philippines!” she said of her recent “amazing” holiday vacation in the country, when she got busy tasting many Filipino food and brushing up her Tagalog.
“Eating! The food! That’s my favorite activity,” enthused the Filipino-American singer-songwriter, who also loves Sisig.
“My favorite Filipino food will always be Kare-Kare. And you know, I cook it, too! I’m really good! So that’s my favorite!”
She also enjoyed traveling around the country.
“And also seeing the bayawak in Palawan – the turtles but also the lizards! Maraming lizards here, you know!”
When her Belle costume with Baybayin became viral on TikTok, many asked her: “Oh, what does this mean? What does it mean to be Filipino?”
“So, I’m proud to be represented that way – to introduce other cultures and to introduce other people to our culture and to really see us. I’m really proud of that!” said H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella “Gabi” Sarmiento Wilson.
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According to her, she wrote her Grammy-winning hit “I Can’t Breathe” based on her observations on what is happening in the world and her contribution to solve the problems.
In 2020, she composed and produced “Fight for You,” soundtrack of the film “Judas and the Black Messiah.” It eventually bagged the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.
She shared that she was also working on an album.
“I’m really excited because there will be a lot of women artists killin’ it that will be on the project,” she said.
“I’m definitely going to make sure I’ll have a show in the Philippines! It’s been a long time coming.”
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