*H.E.R. revealed during a recent appearance on “Good Morning America” that she is rebranding herself and dropping her stage name to use her born name, Gabriella Wilson.
She dropped by the morning show to promote her starring role as Belle in ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.”
“I’ve been re-finding my voice. Now I’m not wearing glasses. I can’t be acting and wearing glasses, so I think it’s time for people to really get to know the person behind H.E.R.,” H.E.R. explained, Yahoo reports.
“H.E.R. is me, but at the same time, it’s a new chapter of my life, and I think I’m really finding that connection, and I’m allowing people to see under the layers a little bit,” the 25-year-old Grammy-winning artist continued.
READ MORE: H.E.R. Cast as ‘Belle’ in ABC’s Live-Action Remake of ‘Beauty and the Beast’
View this post on Instagram
H.E.R. previously gushed about landing the lead role of Belle, saying: “I can’t believe I get to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy. The world will see a Black and Filipino Belle!” she said, as reported by Revolt. “I have always wanted to be a Disney princess, and I get to work with two wonderful directors Hamish Hamilton and my favorite, Jon M. Chu. It is very surreal, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
In his own statement, Chu explained what H.E.R. brings to the project.
“With her obvious extraordinary talent and stage presence, H.E.R. is the perfect embodiment of our Belle and we are thrilled for audiences to see her in this celebration of creativity,” Chu said, PEOPLE reports.
View this post on Instagram
During her recent GMA appearance, the singer noted that she “never thought I could be a Disney princess” due to having grown up never seeing a Disney princess that “looks like her.”
“Of course, every little girl wants to be a Disney princess, but I’ve never seen one that looks like me — so I get to be that to little girls now,” said H.E.R.
“That’s such a huge deal on top of being a producer on Beauty and the Beast, which is crazy. I got to do a lot of the new arrangements and work with Alan Menken, the original arranger, and producer. It’s been an amazing experience just learning so much about myself, and it’s been a lot of fun, honestly,” she continued.
“Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” airs tonight, Thursday, Dec. 15 at 8pm e/p on ABC.
