Being Disney princess Belle means more to H.E.R. than winning an Oscar

As children, we all have big dreams.

For H.E.R., it was seeing herself represented in a Disney princess, which she now gets to realize for herself and millions of little girls around the world as Belle in Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.

"I've loved every Disney princess, but I never had a favorite because I never felt as connected because I didn't see anybody that looked like me," the 25-year-old musician says. "There's no Filipino princesses, so to be a Black and Filipino Belle is huge. It's been a long time coming, and I'm happy that we're here and we're getting to see ourselves in the people that we see on TV and film."

It's hardly the first major achievement for the entertainer — she has Grammys to her credit and an Oscar for Best Song ("Fight For You" in Judas and the Black Messiah).

But when asked, she confesses that being a Disney princess is actually more meaningful than the rarefied experience of winning an Oscar. Because it's all about the journey, not the end result.

"I enjoy the process," she explains. "I've never done this for the awards. It's so amazing to get recognized. It really is. And I hope to continue to be recognized for the hard work. But at the end of the day, it's more fun to be in it and doing it than watching it. The little girl in me that's always been the hard worker and not really cared about what it looks as much as what it feels like, I'm getting back to that."

H.E.R., whose real name is Gabi Wilson, says portraying Belle has helped her find a new side of herself, particularly when donning Belle's iconic yellow dress. "It was very much an arrival. It was confirmation, and it brought something new out of me," the singer says of putting on the costume for the first time. "The character of Belle really unlocked a new side of me, a femininity and what I feel that is to me. A more ambitious side of me. I started walking different and smiling different when I discovered myself in this character, especially in the yellow dress."

Audiences can also discover a new side of the performer when Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration airs on ABC Dec. 15.

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