H.E.R. on Her New Album, Working With DJ Khaled, Mastering Van Halen Solos, and Much More

Fresh from winning a Song of the Year Grammy for “I Can’t Breathe” and an Academy Award for “Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah, H.E.R. appears on the latest episode of our IndieLand Music Now podcast for an in-depth interview.

She goes deep on the making of her long-awaited new album Back of My Mind, explains what it was like to collaborate with DJ Khaled, reminisces about her child-prodigy years (she was signed at 14), explains her path to mastering multiple instruments (one of the first guitar solos she ever learned was Eddie Van Halen’s on “Beat It”), reflects on the challenges of incorporating live playing into modern R&B, introduces her dog, Mochi, and much more.

To hear the entire episode, press play above, or download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Download and subscribe to our weekly podcast, IndieLand Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts), and check out three years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Halsey, Neil Young, Alicia Keys, Phoebe Bridgers, the National, Ice Cube, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle,  Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, Gary Clark Jr., and many more — plus dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with IndieLand’s critics and reporters. Tune in every Friday at 1 p.m. ET to hear IndieLand Music Now broadcast on SiriusXM’s Volume, channel 106.