Gabriella Wilson is known by most of her fans as H.E.R.—the singer behind the signature shades with Grammy-award winning R&B songs and albums.
Of wearing the glasses, she previously told Variety:
"Honestly, the reason I wanted to be H.E.R. is because I felt people tended to focus on the looks of things instead of music - listening with their eyes and not their ears."
"It was a social media time of the whole package: 'This is what an artist should be; this is what a woman should be."
"So when I first released music, I wanted to be a silhouette - these truthful stories were what I wanted to show, not me."
More recently, however, she opened up on Good Morning Americaabout letting people "get to know the person behind H.E.R.."
She said:
"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.."
"Her 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."
On Instagram earlier this week, H.E.R. posted photos and a video—sans glasses—with the caption, "In my purest form."
Viewers of the photos had to do a double take.
@hermusicofficial/Instagram
Many also compared the small but mighty transformation to Superman and his reporter by day alter ego Clark Kent.
\u201cClark Kent was onto something because I did not recognize her without the glasses \ud83e\udd72\u201d— Tiffie Targaryen, First of Her Name (@Tiffie Targaryen, First of Her Name) 1671648215
cos she constantly wearing those glasses and most people wouldn’t recognise her without them on. 😂
— Leon Legge (@leonlegge32) December 22, 2022
If I’m being so honest, when I first saw this with no caption. I was like “okay! this girl can SING”and then she came out with the the glasses and guitar and I was like “that was H.E.R. ?!” 😭😭😭 https://t.co/wTXDOojt1e
— Jenn 🇱🇷🇸🇱 (@checkyouraccess) December 20, 2022
The shades gives her that Clark Kent effect https://t.co/7Fc5Fv8vAL
— Z (@TheeDCstan) December 21, 2022
Superman is starting to make a lot more sense now.. https://t.co/yOgfIO9Pn6 pic.twitter.com/WH5L1AS5Lu
— Olamijiire⁷🌺🌊 (@olamijiire) December 20, 2022
The real life Clark Kent/Superman when them shades come off
— A.Humble.Savage (@Its716Chuck) December 19, 2022
\u201c@SonCreation1 @JayUncut Difference is like Clark Kent and Superman \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\u201d— Jay (@Jay) 1671407502
The fact that I’ve seen this woman in live concert and still didn’t recognize this photo…I had to read context clues in the comments, proves that points were made lol touché sir
— Black Antheans Matter 👽 (@Creshna1) December 19, 2022
You right because I was like who is this on my TL!
— geminisenpai (@NekaBook) December 19, 2022
Lmao she done been incognito . I don’t know what she looks like lmao
— kitty (@kdizz13) December 20, 2022
😩🤣 crazy how I didn’t know who this was - it’s wild that the glasses make that much of a difference. Regardless she’s talented af
— ☥ gryffindorphin (@aesblxck) December 20, 2022
H.E.R aka the Clark Kent of this generation😌
— David™️ (@doobaym) December 20, 2022
H.E.R. played Belle in the live action Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration which aired on December 15 on ABC.
H.E.R.—who is Black and Filipino—opened up about being a Disney princess on The View:
"I never thought I could be a Disney princess."
"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."
Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration is still streaming on Disney+.
H.E.R. is without her glasses in the special, but she's definitely hard to miss.