‘SNL’: H.E.R. Wows Viewers at Home With Performance of ‘Damage’

H.E.R. impressed Saturday Night Live viewers with her performance this weekend, playing two of her recent singles. The multi-instrumentalist showed off her skills for many who may have been watching her for the first time. H.E.R., whose real name is Gabi Wilson, is a two-time Grammy Award winner and released her most recent album, I Used to Know Her, last year.

H.E.R.’s newest single is “Damage,” which was released just days before SNL. Ant Clemons co-wrote the song and performed background vocals on the track, reports Billboard. It will also be featured on H.E.R.’s upcoming studio album from MBK Entertainment and RCA Records. The video for the song was filmed at the Roxie Theatre in Los Angeles. H.E.R. also released the singles “Wrong Places,” “I Can’t Breathe” and “Do to Me” this year.

The guest host for Saturday night’s SNL episode was singer Adele, who previously performed on the show. When announcing she would host SNL, Adele heaped praise on H.E.R. “I am besides myself that H.E.R will be the musical guest!!” the “Set Fire to the Rain” singer wrote on Instagram. “I love her SO much I can’t wait to melt into a flaming hot mess when she performs, then confuse myself while I laugh my arse off in between it all.”

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H.E.R. kicked off her pair of performances with “Damage,” her latest single. Many were taken by the song choice and her choice of clothing for the appearance. But there was also some criticism of the sound mixing on her performance.

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Still, H.E.R delighted most viewers who likely only showed up to see Adele return to the show for her first attempt at hosting. Most were surprised by her voice, while others couldn’t get past her look on the show.

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There were some questions about what H.E.R. would do for her second performance of the night. Would she roll out her “I Can’t Breathe” song or would it be another new single to surprise fans. Megan Thee Stallion did set a standard for protest performances to kick off the season, so it wouldn’t be a surprise.

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H.E.R. was definitely giving off classic ’90s R&B vibes during her performance, though. As someone new to the singer’s work, listening out of the blue could have left many confused like these folks above.

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Some fans were definitely clamoring for Adele to perform alongside H.E.R. on the show. They did get a fair share of singing from the British superstar during her The Bachelor sketch, but a team-up was on many minds.

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Still, H.E.R. left people satisfied with the show. And her performance likely won over a few fans, possible giving her the same bump that Adele had mentioned in her monologue.