Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - H.E.R. (2021)

Episode Date: April 3, 2022

The multi-talented musician H.E.R. has worked to avoid becoming a package for pop cultural consumption, with her name and signature sunglasses meant to make the audience focus on the music and not on her. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the artist to talk about her meteoric rise from child prodigy to the heights of the music world, including winning a Grammy, an Oscar and performing at the Super Bowl. (Original broadcast date: July 11, 2021) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. I am so excited to bring you our conversation today with one of the biggest stars and biggest talents, honestly, in all of music. She goes by the name of her. Perhaps you know her from her performance of America the beautiful at the Super Bowl this year. She played electric guitar and sang. Perhaps you know her for having won a Grammy again this year for Song of the Year. I Can't Breathe, which was written after the death and the murder of George Floyd, or perhaps you know her also this year, by the way, we're only six months in. This all has happened this year. She won an Oscar for Best Original Song. So she is on fire right now, and she is just so talented. She grew up in Northern California. Her dad was in a jam band. You'll hear all about this. So she just got the bug at a very, very young age, plays all the instruments. Like, I don't want to go this far yet, but it's getting close. Lenny Kravitz-like, in other words, writes the song, sings the song, plays the guitar, plays the drums, plays the keyboard.

She is such a talent. She actually appeared, you'll hear us talking about this on the Today Show when she was 10 years old as a prodigy playing the piano and singing Alicia Keys, who is her idol growing up and now one of her contemporaries. So there's a ton to talk about with her. I think you'll love her story if you don't know her yet. I think you'll be inspired by it and hopefully impressed by just how talented she is. To set the scene for you, we are seated inside a restaurant called The Peak, which is 101 stories above Manhattan on Hudson Yards, which is on the west side of Manhattan, relatively new development. If you don't know, residential, commercial, all kinds of, there's a mall and restaurants, all kinds of stuff over there by the west side highway. And we found the highest point

where we could go. I've been to all the views in New York City. I've seen them all. Listen, top of the rock at Rockefeller Center, I have to say out of contractual obligation is wonderful. No, it's really great. But this was really takes your breath away. You can see all of the city, New Jersey and everything beyond. So we are at the top of the world, which is where she finds herself right now in the music world, having an incredible run. I hope you enjoy this conversation with her right now on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Thanks for doing this, Herd. Great to see you. Great to see you.

I want to tell you right out of the box, this is the highest elevation we've ever done one of these interviews, 101 stories. I've never been this high up in my life. This is crazy? It's kind of crazy, isn't it? Yeah, it's beautiful, though. We felt like it was perfect for you given where you are right now. On top of the game with this year you've had between playing the Super Bowl and a Grammy and an Oscar, how does it feel to be in the middle of this moment right now?

I don't know how to describe it. It kind of feels like this view. You know, it's like all you can do. is just sit and enjoy it and be thankful for it. And that's kind of where I'm at. I'm like taking every moment, trying to seize every moment. And I know this is just the beginning, which is really, like, scary, but amazing in a way. So I'm just taking it all in.

And I know that this is a very special situation. You know, I know that this doesn't happen all the time. So I'm just so grateful. So we're just a couple of days away from your 24th birthday. Yes. It's kind of crazy. And I know you can't stop and let it wash over you completely. because you're moving around doing so much.

But have you processed at all what these few months have been like and how early in your career these things have started to happen for you? I guess so. I have been thinking about it like, wow. And of course you have those doubts like, do I deserve this? Do I deserve to be here? And I have to remember, you know, I've been doing music pretty much my whole life. You know, I've worked for so many years.

And I have to give myself more credit. You know, I have to say you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be. be doing you're exactly where you're supposed to be. You've worked for it and you should be proud of yourself. So I've just been working on being proud of myself. Because of course, you know, when you create this art and you do do these things, you're, you know, the hardest on yourself. So I'm always hard of myself. But now I've really been taking the moment to like, you know, pat myself on the back. It feels like people in the music industry and real fans of music have known you for several years. But when you stood up there during the Super Bowl and did America the Beautiful with that guitar and

you were by yourself and singing and playing. I think a huge audience of football fans or a part of the country that maybe didn't even know you were a stop and said, who is that? How special was that performance for you? It was very special. And the timing, I think, couldn't have been more perfect because you see a young black woman,

black Filipino woman up there on the stage, you know, playing electric guitar. And I don't think you see that very often, you know, especially on a stage like that. So I just felt so, like, excited. and nervous at the same time because it is, you know, one of the biggest stages ever. But it was so much fun. My mom was there with me and, like, I know she was super proud.

So, you know, we'll be back for a halftime show one of these days. You will. I bet you will. I always think about when I see somebody singing the national anthem or just being alone on a stage that big, do the nerves come in different than other performances? Do you think, oh, there are 100 million people watching this? Oh, yeah. Sometimes.

Definitely, definitely. But it takes about, like, two words. or a line and then I'm in it. I'm like, I'm in the performance and I'm nowhere else. You click into that zone. It's funny, you corrected me when you were right. I almost caught myself when I said so early in your career. Your career started when you were a toddler, basically sitting at the piano,

and you were on the Today Show when you were 10 years old. Yeah. 2007 sitting in a piano and a little fur vest you had on. Yes. And your parents were in the studio and Hoda was interviewing you, and then you played Alicia Keys. Yeah. And now tomorrow, you're getting ready to go stand on that city concert stage with a big crowd on a Friday afternoon.

That's kind of a crazy full circle moment. It is. And there's been tons of those full circle moments. And I think that's what really shows me that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. But, you know, like, it is early in my career. It's fair to say that. You know, I'm only 23 years old. So I still got a whole lot of years of doing this thing, you know, to, you know,

To be in it and, you know, to my thing, it's, like, crazy to think that I'm only 23 and so much has happened. But it is early. And so back in your mind, I was reading, is technically your debut album? I mean, I wouldn't say... What does that mean exactly? Because we've been listening to you for years. I wouldn't call it debut album. I would call it my first official album.

Just because I've released EPs before. Right. You know, it's only been EPs and then combined into one project. But this is my first official, you know, full body of work, like, album. And so what went into this? What was in the back of your mind? You were just saying, I've been listening to these songs on my phone for a couple of years now, and now they're out in the world.

What's in the back of your mind? So much. So much is in the back of my mind. I think this album is pieces of Volume 1 and what got me here in the first place, you know? And it's elevated and it's the growth. It's more musical. There's elements of live drums and, you know, live keys and band feels. but there's also, you know, pieces of, like, more trap drums and new R&B sounds.

And I think all of that is in this project. It's not just one specific period of time. It's everything up until this point. You've said when you write a song, it's sort of another way of writing a diary almost that you put your thoughts down. So what specifically has been on your mind for the last couple of years? What was coming out of your diary? What was coming out of my diary? It's all in the music.

I'm not going to tell you because I have everything revealed in the music. Okay, I've been listening to it. I know, but for people who are going to go out and listen to it, when you decide to put out something this personal in an album like this, what is the process? I mean, you said it's been a couple of years, but you start with the blank page and what do you want to say when you're putting out your album? You know, it's moment by moment. It's what do I feel today or what did I feel yesterday, you know, that I need to get out on this paper, you know, in this song. And when I do that, you don't realize you're working towards a body of work. You know, at least I don't. I don't realize that, oh, this is actually a story because it's my life.

It's just a collection of songs that represent different feelings and different moods. I'm super moody. So there's so many different moods, you know, that go into this project. And, yeah, it's like you don't, I didn't realize, like, I was really working towards this kind of, this journey through R&B, music and all the things that R&B could be until I created it. Because I went into the studio thinking, I'm just going to make great music, I'm going to make a good song, it doesn't matter what's in it. I don't care if it's a flute or if it's a trap hi-hat, you know, it doesn't matter if it's a great, it's a great song, it's a great song. And to me, some of the best songs sound great, you know, when they're stripped down.

So if they sound good like that, then they're going to sound good in any kind of way. And that's kind of what I start with. And with this project, I thought it's really time to make a full body of work. It's time to work towards. I had been touring from 2017 to 2019, pretty much. You know, I just was touring. So I never had time to really buckle down and, like, just focus in the studio on a full, full body of work.

And this was that. One of the things I love about you is you can't put your music into a box. People want to say, what kind of music? I mean, it's R&B, yes, but it's a little bit of older blues. It's Jimmy Hendricks on the guitar. So when you were growing up, I love your list of influences, Because I don't think most people would expect it from a kid who grew up in the 2000s talking about names like B.B. King and Hendricks and Prince to go along with Mariah and Whitney and all the people who influenced you. So when you were growing up in your house, I mentioned you were a toddler playing the piano on your dad's lap.

How did this music thing start for you? It was just, it seemed like it was there. It was like, you know, my dad's band was playing in the living room when my mom was pregnant. So I was probably, you know, in the womb, like, I'm going to do this. this, you know, like probably. And when I was growing up, it was like there was all kinds of music around me, you know. I was blessed to grow up in an extended family home where it was my grandparents that grew up in the Philippines, you know, they were in the house with us. So they were listening to Johnny Mathis and Barry Mandelow and Celine Dion. And then my mom was listening to her favorite,

you know, R&B artists like, you know, Jodesee and people like that. And then my dad, was listening to Funk and James Brown and Hendricks as well as Eric Clapton and as well as Ozzy Osbourne and ACDC because he was just such a guitar, you know, guy. And then my uncle was playing, you know, Aaliyah and Joe and, you know, Usher and people like that. So I was exposed to so many different types of music. And I loved it all. I loved it all because I just heard all the details, you know, of everything. And I took it all in and was like, maybe I can make. this, you know, and I didn't think I thought about that, really, but I just did. You know, I just did. And music was just something I loved. There was, wasn't about the genre, the style. It was just,

this is music. And it seems to me you've always been comfortable performing. Maybe that's not true, but just watching you in that interview when you're 10 years old, the poise you had, even during the interviews, you got to sit and talk to these two strangers for a while before you play this song by someone you look up to, Alicia Keys on national television. Where do you get your state? presence. Is that from your dad, too? I don't know. Maybe it is. Maybe it is. You know, my dad, he would go on stage and it would be, you know, two people in the audience since he's going crazy, you know, no matter who's in the audience.

Or it's 100 people at a club or a festival and he's going crazy. And, you know, they were a cover band. So they would play songs like, you know, James Brown, get on up and then they would play Sweet Home Alabama. Like, it was like there was no, he just had so much fun. And I think maybe watching him have so much fun on stage encourage me too. I don't know. I don't know, maybe. Was there ever a chance you weren't going to be a musician?

I know you flurried with the idea of being a dentist for a little while. When I was a kid, it was going to be something like probably in the medical field. You know, when you have an Asian mother, like the pressure of, you know, of the Asian family home, sometimes it's like, you know, success is like, got to become a doctor or like a nurse. Right. So I think that was definitely going to be in the plans. And then, you know, that didn't work out. So it just became a musician instead.

So in your heart, you knew you were going to be a musician. I think so. I think I decided, you know, it was a given. But when I graduated high school, I really decided I'm going to do this thing 100%. I'm going to be fully invested in this. And yeah. Have there ever been, once you decided, have there been bumps along the way where you said, man, this is a tough business? I don't know how to break through. I don't know if this is going to work out. And obviously, you've overcome all that if you had it. But have you been frustrated at certain points in your rise? Absolutely. You know, I've been blessed with an amazing team, MBK Entertainment, who believe in artist development. And they saw me when I was on The Today Show, when I was 10 years old, and everybody saw something in me that I don't even think I saw on myself. But I shortly, after that, I got signed to RCA Records to MBK RCA, and I was 14. And, you know, of course, people around you're like, oh, you're going to be a huge star, like right away. They think that's how it works. And I think I knew that's not how it works, you know, just because I had been exposed so, you know.

young and watching other artists. But of course, throughout those years, I'm working on my craft and I'm being patient, but I'm watching so many other artists, you know, become successful. They were managing El Varner and K. Michelle and Brandy and Alicia Keys and Justine Sky and all these different artists. And I watched them. And I was on the side of the stage at their shows. I was the one backstage cheering them on, you know, like, oh, that's going to be me one day.

But of course, you get frustrated, like, when it's. Is it going to be my turn? And of course, I was working on my craft, and people would say things like, oh, she's going to get shelved, you know, she's never going to make it, or she's never going to put music out. And I think I just quieted all those voices, and I knew, you know, what's for me is for me, and it's going to happen when it's supposed to. And finally, as soon as I graduated high school, the following year in 2016,

we all took a chance and decided it's time to release Volume 1 and finally really, be the artist that I'm meant to be in the rest of history. I feel like probably for a 14-year-old coming into the music industry, they might have wanted to push you in a certain direction, certain people, because it's got to be hard for them to even conceive of a 14-year-old who wants to play the guitar like Jimmy Hendrick and have this old-school soulful sound. Like, how do I market that?

How do I sell it? Was there an effort by some people to kind of nudge you in a direction other than you found yourself? I mean, everybody has their opinions. everybody has their thoughts and feelings on the artist I should be, oh, you should do songs like this, you should do songs like this. And I've tried them all. I've done everything because I love all types of music and I'm not afraid to, you know, challenge myself.

But when it was 2016 and I was, or 2015 really, and I was finally finding who I wanted to be as an artist, I realized I needed to make what was most authentic to me that fit into the world. of what was going on in music at the same time. You never compromise yourself, but you learn. I had to be a student of the game, a student of what was happening in music. And so I did that, and I listened to a lot of artists like Drake and Jenaico and Bryson Tiller at the time,

and so many different artists. And I really admired that sound, and I thought this might be the lane, this might be the sound that I would really like to make an introduction into the world with. And that was how Volume 1 came to be. So tell me about the name her, because that's part of your evolution as well, why you decided to go with that and what the significance is to you. Um, you know, with, with her,

it was like time in my life, of course, when you're in high school and, you know, you're changing and you're going through all these things and boys and, you know, all these things that are part of life, right? And I always watch like the women that I grew up around, you know, the women that were like my big sisters or like my aunts, and I saw the mistakes that they would make, you know, or they would share with me, you know, just different things, of course, as a woman. And I always said, you know, I'm not going to be like them.

I'm not going to, you know, fall for the wrong guy. Like, it was like a hopeless romantic way to think. Or I'm not going to be that vulnerable. And, you know, I'm going to be like this type of woman and whatever that means, you know, when I was a teenager trying to be a perfectionist. And then I realized that I became, that girl because it's inevitable to go through things as a woman. It's inevitable to fall for the wrong guy or, you know, to make mistakes or, you know, to have feelings that are, you know, valid because it's part of life. You know, it's inevitable to go through changes as a woman and to be imperfect, you know. And, yeah, I decided, you know, I would really like this music to reflect that period of time and all of those things that I feel like.

like I realize it now. You know, all of those things that I went through as a young woman becoming a young woman. I call it the evolution of woman. And I was having everything revealed in the music. And that's why I decided to go by the name her. And it was also a way to make people focus on the music because sometimes we listen with our eyes and not our ears.

And I really wanted the music to be the center of attention, not, you know, my, my, look or how old I am or you know where I'm from and all of those things what I'm wearing who I'm dating I just didn't think any of those things matter I always wanted to get back to the art and to the music and that's why I decided to just have a silhouette as a cover and for it to be called her yeah well I think it's cool and your trademark sunglasses yeah and the name and the silhouette on that first album because so much of music as you know better than anyone is of the packaging of it right and the selling of it and so you're basically what you're saying is don't worry about the package

listen to the music. Absolutely. And you think that has worked for you in terms of people sort of just being like, man, she can play, she can sing, and that's all I need to know about her? I think so. I mean, I definitely think people, you know,

were like, wow, the music. You know, it's all about the music. And now I feel there's an organic, you know, kind of reveal of me and who I am as a person and, you know, as an artist, and, you know, just a little bit more of the details, a little bit more of my face, you know, here and there. But, yeah, the music was a four-for.

front and I'm happy that that's that's the driving force here. I was going to ask you about that. The new cover, we finally get to see a little of your face on the cover. A little bit. A little bit of my face. And that's by design. Here's a little peak. Yeah, it is. You know, they say eyes are the window to the soul. My music is the window to my soul. But here's a little peek into my soul. So what do you think now that you give us a little peak people should know about you, that they

don't know about you through all these years of listening to your music as you open yourself up a little bit? That's a really good question. I don't know. I think the major thing is, like, don't take yourself too seriously all the time. Because in my music is very emotional, very moody. But then there's songs like Slide and other songs like Find a Way where it's just a celebration or we made it. It's just a celebration of the journey. And it's not about, you know, it's not always about the accolades.

It's not always about, you know, just being serious and working hard all the time. it's about just having fun and really living in these moments and all those other things will come, you know, but you really have to enjoy this. I find myself, like, forgetting to just be in the moment, you know, and I'm working on that, but I think people need to know that, you know, I don't take myself too seriously. I take my art and my expression seriously, but I don't take myself too seriously. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Stick around to hear more from her right after the break.

Welcome back to the Sunday Sit Down Podcast. Now more of my conversation with her. There's some great collaborations on the new album. And we were talking beforehand about the people you work with. They're so interesting. And it's a reflection of what you were talking about earlier, all this music that influenced you in your house and the range of different people. So you can do a hip-hop artist on one hand or Chris Stapleton on the other.

Yes. And you were just saying you're at the Hollywood Bowl, playing with a symphony. How do you decide who? who you want to work with? What strikes you about a collaboration that makes it worth it? Well, it starts with a song for me. It always starts with a song, I think.

Or, you know, my admiration for an artist. Like, oh, I really like what they do. I want to work with them. But it really depends. Like, with a lot of these songs on this album, it was like, okay, I feel like this person could complete it. Like somebody like Corday, who is super lyrical and amazing and has fun at the same time.

But somebody, like, he's, so locked in and tuned into, you know, what's really going on. And, you know, he's very conscious, very much a conscious rapper, but also a very fun rapper and very relatable and easy to connect to. And we connect on a personal level as well. So I was like, this is only right to have him on this song. I knew he could bring a really dope perspective. And so with all the other songs, I felt the same way.

You know, somebody like Little Baby, who's really, really dope. And his flows are crazy. And I just felt like he could bring this song to another level. And yeah, Ty Dala sign, I had been wanting to work with him for a really long time. And we ended up in the studio and the vibe was just so organic. And we made that song back of my mind. Yeah, the whole list of collaborations is incredible. I mentioned your Grammy this year, which you won for I Can't Breathe.

Yeah. I was talking last week, we had Trevor Noah on the show. And we were talking about doing comedy in this year that didn't feel very funny and how you addressed everything that's happening in the country. So the song obviously addresses what's been happening in our country, not just for the last year, but for generations. What was it like to make music in this last year? As you would watch the news or see something happening in the streets and want to have something to say about it. Yeah, it was a tough year.

I actually didn't create a lot in the first half of the year because it was just so like I had my whole year plan. I was going to do a bunch of shows and it all just came to a stop. And that's very scary. Like, okay, we have no idea what's going on. You know, of course, you're scared for your loved ones. You're scared. There was so much going on. So, you know, when the summer happened and the George Floyd protests were happening, of course, we were all affected by it.

But it was like this new awareness and like this, you could not escape it. You couldn't say, oh, you know, I'll read about that article later or I'll, you know, you could not avoid it. And it was a great thing. know that I think people have had this awakening, but at the same time, it was just, of course, it's painful to watch and have to see, you know, constantly. It was right in front of our faces. So seeing that, I ended up just calling T.R. Thomas, who I write with all the time, but we're friends. You know, that's like my big sister. And we were just catching up. We started talking about, like, isn't this crazy? And she started talking about her pain. I started talking about my pain and just, you know,

just a fear that we both had. And suddenly we ended up writing a song. My guitar stays next to my bed in my mom's house. And I was at my mom's house during quarantine. And I picked up the guitar. And we just started asking those questions to ourselves. Like, how do we cope when we don't love each other? What is a gun to a man that surrenders?

All these things that we really felt. And it kind of just happened organically. And I ended up recording it in my room. You know, I was like engineering myself. And the dogs were barking. I had to wait for a second and then continue recording. And, you know, my whole team, MBK and everybody, they're like, I think the world needs to hear this.

And all the proceeds went to the movement, you know. And I just felt like, wow, okay, this is something that I want to put out there because it reflected how we felt. So the song of the year was recorded in a bedroom and your mom's house. Yes. It was. Yep. Absolutely.

That had to be incredibly gratifying, though, to hear your name called, for not just for that song, but for what it was speaking about, to be the song of the year at the Grammy's. You have no idea. Like, I didn't expect it. Obviously, there were so many other amazing artists in the category. I saw Pulse Malone and Beyonce and Billy Elish and just a group of great artists and huge artists, you know, the biggest. So I didn't expect it to win.

You know, I really didn't. I was like, oh, man, these are all amazing and, you know, incredible artists. I just wrote the song in my room, you know? I didn't. That's cool enough, and then you win an Oscar. Yeah. On top of it, I mean, it's crazy. What was that experience?

I mean, the next day after winning Song of the Year, you know, they were like, the Oscar nominations are going to come out. And I was like, okay, well, it's okay if I don't get nominated. I got Song of the Year. Like, it's all good. We got the nomination. I was like, oh my gosh, like, I'm going to the Oscars. This is crazy.

Like, I actually have a chance at this thing. But I didn't really think that I had like a chance, you know? I was like, well, this is my first time, you know, we'll see what happens. And I'm, like, talking it down because I'm like, this is a huge deal. But I don't want to get, you know, I don't want to get my hopes up for anything. And we go and it's super chill. And my mom's there. And she's all, like, happy, just happy to be there.

We're meeting Angela Bassett. And then, you know, Zadaya calls my name. And, you know, I, everything just stopped for a second. Everything just stopped. I was like, did this really just happen? Like, did I just win an Oscar? Am I an Oscar winner? And of course, I thought about, you know, Prince winning his Oscar.

I thought about just all of these things, the movie and the importance of that film that I was even winning for. I just felt like bigger than me. Like, oh my gosh, I'm being recognized for this specific moment, this movie based on an important moment in black history, which was even more rewarding, you know, to be winning Oscar for that. So there were all these things going through my head. And I just couldn't even like, couldn't even. I couldn't even fathom, you know, what was going on. I'm sure.

So in the space of a couple of weeks, you got the G and the O and the EGOT. We just got to get to the outside now. Got to get to the E&T. There's some talk that you might be doing some work on Broadway, potentially, that you want to get into acting? Absolutely. Is that in your future? Absolutely.

I had a little part in the movie Yes Day with Jennifer Garner, and I got to play myself, but I had some lines, and, you know, they were all like, wow, you know, you're such a natural. And I've actually loved acting for so many years, but music has been the main focus. So I'll definitely be on the big screen soon. I'll make some time for it. No reason you can't do both, right? Exactly.

I'm curious, everyone seems to have a moment in their career where they feel like everything changed. Do you have one? Some people point to Rihanna posting the video with your song on in the background. That was a big moment. Was it? Yeah, that was definitely a big moment. It was like, oh my gosh, like people really listen to my music. But I think it's not so much, you know, social media really, it is, but it's more so when I'm really with the people, you know, when I'm, when I was on stage opening up for Bryson Tiller in 2017 in Atlanta. This was my first show, you know, well, not my very first show, but my first show on a tour after I released my project. Everybody was singing the lyrics. And I was like, oh my gosh, these people know the lyrics to my songs. Like, we're all freaking out. Like, did you hear them? You know? Like, they're all freaking out. Like, did you hear them? You know? Like, like, they're

They were really singing along and I knew at that point, you know, that I was really getting a core following, like a group of people that really love my music. And then fast forward, I'm doing a festival in Las Vegas and there's people with cowboy hats in the audience singing all the lyrics to my songs and I'm like, okay, this is crazy, you know, it's so much more than I thought, but it just shows you, you know, music brings people together and I didn't think I would have the ability to do that, but I see it And I feel it. I thought the same thing watching you with the CMTs with Stapleton.

That's a country audience. And they were singing along. And you've got fans across the spectrum. And you've been smart. You've come up in this generation where you don't have to focus on the radio as much, right? You can do streaming and social media. Does that make it easier for an artist to be able to just put your stuff out directly in some ways? Definitely.

When you use social media as a tool, I think it definitely makes it easier. Like, I kind of built this thing. We built this, like, kind of like a rapper, you know, where you put out a mixtape and you just grind. And it was a lot of, you know, posting. And it was really word and mouth, you know, like, and then really getting on the road and just touring. I toured for like two or three years, you know, just, you know, just on the road and doing my thing. So, yeah, I definitely think it makes it easier. And it's hard.

There's so much out there and you could get discouraged. But when you are totally your authentic self and you put yourself out there, anything is possible. And there's somebody out there that is looking for somebody like you to look up to. So you've got to tell yourself that. That's a great message because a lot of people are trying to be something they think will be popular. People make people like them. Yeah, no. And you get lost doing that.

You get lost. And then you regret it because you're like, why didn't I just stick to my guns? Why didn't I just be who I am? And that's part of life. We all have, you know, a hard time being who we really are and being afraid of, you know, standing out too much. But when you realize standing out is your superpower and that you're actually helping other people by standing out, you know, helping them be comfortable in their own skin, by you being comfortable in your own skin, then you have impact. I know you've got sound check in a few hours, basically, because you have to get up so early for the Today Show. So we'll let you go.

But how much fun is it going to be? Not just tomorrow morning, but this summer and into the fall. to get back on a stage and just hear those audience sing your songs back to you again. I'm so excited. You have no idea. I'm like, let's, all right, let's get to it. Let's get on the stage. I'm really, really excited.

It's been a long time. And we've lost a lot in the past year. And, of course, I've been blessed to still be able to do what I do. But there's nothing like being in front of a real audience and having that connection. So I can't wait. Well, I'm so happy for your success. It's great to see somebody true and real and so talented. succeeding the way you are.

Thank you so much. Congrats and we'll see you on TV at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. Yes, thank you so much. We got up from that conversation, went outside to a breathtaking observation deck, and she was so cool talking to her fans, taking pictures as many as she needed to while she was there. So she's, you know, 24 years old, but man, she's done so much already, still so much out in front of her. The new album is back of my mind, and it is out and available now.

My thanks to all of you for tuning in this week. As always, if you want to hear more of the conversations with my guests every week, be sure to click subscribe so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down podcast.