H.E.R. Reveals How She Used Her Signature Shades To Shape Her Image

As part of the iHeartRadio HBCU Homecoming Celebration, a special panel came together aimed to uplift and inspire the next generation of Black women leaders.

Hosted by The Breakfast Club co-host Angela Yee, the iHeartRadio Beautiful Possibilities presented by Ulta Beauty panel welcomed Kreyol Essence CEO/founder Yve-Car Momperousse, actress/producer/best-selling author La La Anthony, and singer/songwriter H.E.R. to explore female entrepreneurship and brand building as the modern-day self-CEO. Each of the ladies talked about each of their inspiring personal and professional journeys and how they got to where they are today, and so much more.

The inspirational discussion culminated in a beautiful acoustic performance from H.E.R., as she performed her songs "Comfortable," "Best Part" and "Hold On."

Check out some of the highlights from the iHeartRadio Beautiful Possibilities presented by Ulta Beauty panel below.

H.E.R. on her signature shades and how she used them to shape her image:

"In 2016, when I finally was like, 'Okay, this is me, this is it, this is time to share my music, which is my message, to the world and was kind of like a diary. It was like the evolution of woman, to me, at the time. I really didn't want people to know anything about me. I didn't want them to know what I look like [or] how old I was, I just wanted the music and the message, [and] the lyrics to be exactly all they needed to know [and] all they needed to see. And a lot of people were like, but you have the whole package. There's this whole package and social media was starting to be super, super prominent. Then, having to show your face and take these pretty pictures and do all this and do all that, and the glitz and the glamour. And it's like, I don't think I need that in order to spread my message, in order to create a brand. So, I kind of went against the grain because I wanted the music to be the forefront. It's so much more important to me. It's so much more important. So it's like, here I am. Do the music, listen to the music."

She added, "The glasses, when I started performing, that's when it came, was when I started performing, because I didn't want people to look into my eyes. And to me, the eyes are the window to the soul. My music is the window to my soul. That's all you need to see. That's all you need to know in here. When I dropped my music and I started going on tour, and people started to see the instruments, it was a slow build. And I started to uncover a lot of pieces of me, but it's really important to not give it all at once, and do everything at once. It's bits and pieces. You're building this thing that just gets bigger and bigger. And the impact grows as you grow as a person, as an artist, as a business owner. Now that I'm here, it's like, wow, I've built this thing where Halloween just passed, and I saw a bunch of little girls wearing glasses, holding a guitar with big hair. And it's like, it's become this thing everybody knows me for, and the music along with it. It's beautiful that I've been able to build this brand, but at the end of the day, it all just came from me doing me and being exactly who I am."

Yve-Car Momperousse on how she was able to navigate her company through almost shutting down:

"Success is not a straight line. You're definitely going to have moments and times where you doubt yourself, if you're good enough. But, know that you are, and have faith in something larger than you, and you can make it to grow. When you have a new idea, you're not thinking about all the challenges that are going to come across to it. We got this huge order for Haitian Black Castor Oil, and in the process of trying to really scale the business, we could not produce enough castor oil and our largest client left us. So, we almost shut down. That was one of the hardest times in the company. It was a time where we were asking ourselves, is it worth it? And the thing that kept me going is the fact that the women that we employ in Haiti, the women who were emailing us to say the product is helping to promote my hair growth and moisture, and it's changing my life — that's what made me and my partners think, alright, we need to regroup. So, instead of dealing with one large client, I went and made sure that I created a relationship with retailers like Ulta Beauty. And that helped to turn the company around to where we are on track in the next five years to create jobs for 30,000 people."

La La Anthony on the importance of being authentic:

"My thing is just be you, because it's the only act that you can keep up consistently is being yourself. When you're trying to be somebody else or paint this different picture, eventually, the rug is going to be pulled from under you, and you're going to be exposed. So my thing is I can only be me, and you're either going to love it or you're not. And I'm okay with it either way, because I'm being authentically who I am. So, I think when you're developing your brand and thinking about, what is my brand? Who does my brand speak to? What does my brand represent? It should represent exactly who you are and you being authentically you, and people can read that. They can read when you're being real, they can read when you're being genuine, they can read when you really do use a product and you didn't just get paid to say, hey, this is the best thing I've ever tried in my life. The consumer is too savvy nowadays. So, on-brand, for me, is being exactly who I am, and I think that resonates really well."