H.E.R. is officially an Academy Award-winning artist.
On Sunday (April 25), the 23-year-old singer-songwriter took home the award for Best Original Song at the 2021 Oscars for “Fight for You” from the film Judas and the Black Messiah.
"I am so, so, so grateful," H.E.R began her acceptance speech. "Thank you to the Academy... I've always wanted to say that." She added, “all those days of Sly & the Family Stone and Marvin Gaye, thank you, Dad, it really paid off.”
“Musicians and filmmakers, I believe we have the opportunity to tell the truth and write the history the way it was,” she continued. “Knowledge is power, music is power and as long as I’m standing, I’m going to fight for us.”
The 23-year-old's collaboration with Dernst Emile II and Tiara Thomas beat out songs from One Night in Miami (“Speak Now”), The Trial of the Chicago 7 (“Hear My Voice”), The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se) (“Io Sì (Seen)”), and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (“Husavik”).
Ahead of her Oscar win, H.E.R. performed "Fight For You" during the Oscar pre-show. For her performance, which was pre-recorded and took place atop the Dolby Family Terrace of the Academy Museum of Motion Picture, the singer-songwriter began her set behind a drum kit before transitioning to center stage to sing the powerful track.
Before the release of Judas and the Black Messiah, H.E.R. sat down with iHeartRadio and discussed the importance of the film and what it felt like to be asked to be a part of its soundtrack.
"I was honestly honored when I got the call," she shared. "I literally told the whole team that I felt like I could make a masterpiece for the film. The reaction has been really, really amazing. I'm just happy to be a part of this story."
H.E.R. also spoke about feeling a certain amount of pressure when creating "Fight For You" given the magnitude of the importance of Judas & The Black Messiah to the Black community and the telling of Fred Hampton's story.
"I definitely put a high standard on myself and what I wanted to achieve," she admitted. "I listened to a lot of music from that time just to really get in the vibe. I wanted to make something great because this is a powerful movie and a powerful story. I knew I had to make something that represented the movie well."
She added, "Fred Hampton wasn't just one of the leaders of the Black Panther Party; he was fighting a lot of different battles. There were so many different storylines within the movie, so when I created "Fight for You," I thought because of all the different storylines and all the battles that Fred Hampton was fighting, I wanted to really make a song that represented all of those battles. There was the love story and then the battle of the man that was working with the F.B.I., and the fight that Black people have gone through still are going through. This song had to represent that."
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