H.E.R. talks racial justice, a hugely successful 2021 and her upcoming Indianapolis debut

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire H.E.R. enjoyed a banner year in 2021.

In February, the 24-year-old performed "America the Beautiful" at Super Bowl LV.

In March, her track "I Can't Breathe," a protest song written shortly after the murder of George Floyd, won song of the year at the 63rd Grammy Awards.

In April, she won an Oscar for her song "Fight For You," written for the film "Judas and the Black Messiah."

In June, she released a new album, "Back of My Mind."

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By the end of the year, she was preparing for her feature film debut in an upcoming film adaptation of Broadway musical "The Color Purple," which is an adaptation of the 1982 Alice Walker novel.

H.E.R on Indianapolis debut at TCU Amphitheater

Somewhere within all that, she planned her first headlining tour since the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally halted live music. She will make her Indianapolis debut this weekend as part of that tour, hitting the TCU Amphitheater stage at White River State Park on Sunday.

"I think the first few shows I was definitely nervous," she told IndyStar in an interview. "Because I was like man, I want this to be right. I want this to go great. I want to be back like we never left."

"But two or three shows in, the nerves totally went away," she continued. "And now it's been fun. It's like alright, let's get out here and do our thing, then it's on to the next city."

H.E.R. has been pleasantly surprised to find audiences singing every word to every song off her new album, despite this being her first chance to play the songs live.

"It kind of makes me emotional during the show," she said. "I'm not going to lie, like I kind of have to fight the tears."

A focus on racial justice and equality

H.E.R.'s music touches a variety of genre and subject matters, using R&B, pop, rock and soul to delve into issues of the heart and current events alike.

The recent accolades came for two songs centered around the continued injustices and inequalities faced by the Black community in America. Both songs were co-written by Tiara Thomas, an Indianapolis native and Ball State graduate.

Asked if there was anything bittersweet about winning major awards for art centered on her personal reactions toward injustice and racism, and specifically police brutality towards Black men, she quickly separated the music from what came after.

"It's two different things, right?" said H.E.R., who is the daughter of African-American and Filipina-American parents.

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"In my music, I do feel a responsibility not only to be an activist or speak on issues, but I think I have a responsibility to always speak the truth and describe how I feel about the things happening around me."

She said it was "a really beautiful thing" to be recognized by two large, powerful entertainment governing bodies — The Recording Academy and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — for two songs that did exactly that.

"To me, it furthers the movement," she said. "It gets people to listen to the song, and people have said like, 'oh, man, this song made me think differently. These lyrics really made me realize so much about myself and the world.'"

"We've been fighting for a very long time for all these things we believe are wrong, and what we believe to be right. I never thought that it would reach as many people as it did."

2022 Super Bowl performance

Asked a similar question about performing "America the Beautiful" at the Super Bowl for a TV audience well into the millions after a tumultuous 2020, she paused for a moment.

"You know, even though it hasn't been the most beautiful place, I think the message was there was Black woman on one of the biggest stages ever performing on a guitar that I actually created with Fender — on that stage for so many young Black and Filipina girls to be able to say I can do that too."

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If she'd have turned down the appearance, the Super Bowl would have found someone else, she explained.

"(Poet) Amanda Gorman being on the show, and (fellow singer-songwriter) Jazmine Sullivan — I think it had to be us. Especially during that time. And I was so grateful."

The instrument mentioned, and many others like it, are part of what sets H.E.R. apart on stage. She grew up playing piano, drums and bass, but she has "always wanted to rock out" as a guitarist.

She saw Buddy Guy and met Carlos Santana at a young age. She grew up idolizing Lenny Kravitz and Prince, repeatedly playing the "Purple Rain" guitar solo to build her chops.

She's been known to mix in a variety of cover songs into her setlist, so anyone headed downtown this weekend for the show should stay on their toes.

"There'll be something for everybody," H.E.R. said of the show. "It's going to be a musical journey... there'll be surprises and things you probably wouldn't expect, but it's going to be fun."

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Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryDoesPhonics.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis concerts: H.E.R. to perform at White River State Park