Keri Hilson

American singer and songwriter (born 1982)

Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, she began her musical career as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists under the wing of record producer Anthony Dent in 2002. At the age of 14, Hilson secured a record deal with the girl group D'Signe, which ultimately disbanded. She attended at Oxford College of Emory University while contributing to material for popular artists, including Britney Spears, Usher, Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls, and Mary J. Blige; she joined the songwriting production group, the Clutch in 2004. Later that same year, she guest performed on the single "Hey Now (Mean Muggin)" by Xzibit, which marked her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Two years later, she signed with producers Polow da Don and Timbaland through their respective labels Zone 4 and Mosley Music Group—both imprints of Interscope Records—to further pursue a recording career. She guest appeared on Timbaland's 2007 single, "The Way I Are," which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked atop record charts in eight other countries, becoming her mainstream commercial breakthrough. Her 2008 debut single, "Energy" and its follow ups "Return the Favor" (featuring Timbaland) and "Turnin Me On" (featuring Lil Wayne) preceded the release of her debut studio album, In a Perfect World (2009). The album was met with positive critical response, reached number four on the US Billboard 200, and received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also spawned the single "Knock You Down" (featuring Kanye West and Ne Yo), which earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and matched "The Way I Are" as her highest charting song. Her second studio album, No Boys Allowed (2010) was met with mixed reviews and a commercial decline from its predecessor, although it spawned the platinum certified single "Pretty Girl Rock" (remixed featuring Kanye West). As of , Hilson has not released any music as a lead artist since 2011. Hilson's musical style is R&B, hip hop, and pop; womanhood, intimacy, romance, and independence is her typical subject matter. She has pursued a side career in acting, making her film debut in the Tim Story romantic comedy film Think Like a Man. Prolific in charitable endeavors, she has contributed in the fight against HIV and AIDS, supported various relief efforts for natural disasters, and has been involved with several educational organizations. Her accolades include two Grammy Award nominations (including Best New Artist), a BET Award, a MOBO Award, a NAACP Image Award, and two Soul Train Music Awards.

Keri Lynn Hilson was born on December 5, 1982, in Decatur, Georgia. Hilson's mother owned and ran a day care center and her father was a developer who served in the Army. Her brother is Kip and her sisters are Kelsee, Kye and Kaycee. Hilson and her siblings did not attend a school within the neighborhood, stating that "they shipped us off for an hour to get to school every day. It was just that important for us to maintain the life that they had created". Hilson's first official work as a songwriter was "Jump", written for a Japanese R&B singer Michico's debut album I Do (2002). Hilson spent most of her teenage years working with producer Anthony Dent as a songwriter and background vocalist for the likes of Usher, Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Toni Braxton, Ciara and Polow da Don. The following year, Hilson was featured on three singles; in June, on Timbaland's song "The Way I Are", the second single from his album Shock Value (2007); on Rich Boy's "Good Things" with Polow da Don; and thereafter, in December, on Timbaland's song "Scream" with Nicole Scherzinger, the fifth single from Shock Value. Out of the three singles, "The Way I Are" achieved the most success, topping nine charts around the world.

In 2008, Hilson appeared in the music videos for Usher's single "Love in This Club" and Ne Yo's single "Miss Independent". Her debut studio album, In a Perfect World , was released on March 24, 2009. The album contained pop oriented R&B songs. It was initially planned to be released the previous year; however, the album was delayed several times because Hilson wanted to make sure it came out to her liking, stating "I'm just a perfectionist. I have had many [release dates], but it's all for a good cause. The label wants to make sure the album has its proper release, and I'm thankful for that. Very grateful, even though fans look at it like it's a bad thing." In the United States, In a Perfect World debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart, and number one on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, with first week sales of 94,000 copies. By October 2009, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its first single, "Energy", released in May 2008, peaked at number 78 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 21 on the US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. It reached the top 50 in the United Kingdom, and peaked the highest in New Zealand at number two, and was certified gold in that country. Hilson also featured on three singles in 2008; in June, on rapper Nas' song "Hero"; in September, on Kardinal Offishall's "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)"; and thereafter, in October, on Chris Brown's song "Superhuman". "Return the Favor", featuring Timbaland, served as the second international single from Hilson's In a Perfect World album, while "Turnin Me On" featuring Lil Wayne, was released as the second US single. The latter achieved commercial success, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, eventually being certified platinum in the United States. Hilson and Lil Wayne performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on March 27, 2009. The next single, "Knock You Down" featuring Kanye West and Ne Yo, achieved more success, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, eventually being certified two times platinum. It also reached the top ten in Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Hilson and West performed "Knock You Down" on the Late Show with David Letterman on May 4, 2009. "Make Love", "Slow Dance", and "Change Me" featuring Akon, were released as the album's fourth, fifth and sixth US singles, respectively. Hilson performed "Slow Dance" with The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on September 18, 2009. Hilson, along with Gym Class Heroes, Gorilla Zoe and T Pain, were supporting acts on Lil Wayne's I Am Music Tour in North America. At the 2009 BET Awards, she was nominated in four categories, including Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Artist, as well as Viewer's Choice and Best Collaboration for "Turnin Me On" with Lil Wayne. She eventually won the Best New Artist category. In 2009, Hilson was featured on five singles; "Number One" with R. Kelly, "She Don't Wanna" with Asher Roth, "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere" with Fabolous, "Medicine" with Plies, and on the remix of Sean Paul's song, "Hold My Hand". Hilson was nominated for Breakthrough Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist at the 2009 American Music Awards. The re released edition of In a Perfect World , in January 2010, included the single "I Like", which reached number one in Germany, Poland and Slovakia, and peaked within the top ten in Austria, Norway and Switzerland. At the 52nd Grammy Awards, Hilson was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Knock You Down" with Kanye West and Ne Yo.

During the first half of 2010, Hilson guest featured on rapper Trina's single "Million Dollar Girl", and on T. I. 's single "Got Your Back". "Breaking Point" was released as the first single from Hilson's second studio album, No Boys Allowed, in September 2010; it only appeared on the US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs Chart at number 44, and spent two weeks on the chart. No Boys Allowed was released on December 21, 2010. Described as a "girl power album", No Boys Allowed was primarily of the R&B and pop genres. Despite the album's title, Hilson stated "it's not about excluding men. It's more about women understanding that there comes a time in your life when you want a man. A real man. A grown up. Not a boy. And that's not a bad thing." Speaking of the songs on the album, she explained "I write from a female perspective, but I'm also telling men what women are really thinking and feeling about them". Although the album sold 8,000 copies more than Hilson's debut album In a Perfect World , it failed to match that album's debut chart position of number four on the Billboard 200, due to No Boys Allowed being released during the festive season with several Christmas albums debuting inside the top ten. Hilson achieved success with the album's second single, "Pretty Girl Rock", which reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs Chart, eventually being certified platinum. Hilson promoted "Pretty Girl Rock" with live performances on televised shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. "One Night Stand" featuring Chris Brown, and "Lose Control (Let Me Down)" featuring Nelly, were released as the album's third and fourth singles, respectively. In 2011, she was featured on British rapper Chipmunk's single "In the Air", for his album Transition (2011). In April 2011, Hilson, along with many other R&B and hip hop acts, traveled to Australia to be part of its biggest urban music festival, Supafest. At the 2011 BET Awards, Hilson was nominated for Best Female R&B Artist and Video of the Year for "Pretty Girl Rock". In July 2011, she was a supporting act on the second leg of Lil Wayne's I Am Still Music Tour in North America, before embarking on her first headlining European tour in October. In 2011, Hilson posed nude for the May issue of Allure magazine. Hilson made her acting debut in the romantic comedy film Think Like a Man, released on April 20, 2012. She also appeared alongside Vin Diesel in the sci fi action film Riddick (2013), in a brief role as a prisoner allowed to escape to make room for Riddick.

On October 25, 2011, during an interview on BET's 106 & Park, Hilson revealed that she had begun recording her third studio album. She explained, "There's some people in the world that aren't gon' like this album coming from me. As I was experiencing the world, there were things that I was also experiencing on a personal front, and in my music it's coming out. There's a specific few people who ain't gon' like to listen to this album. Very emotional, I'll say that." At the time, Hilson explained that a release date had not yet been confirmed, saying "I just write about my experiences and keep the release dates far, far from me. When I feel that I have [good material] is when I will give it to the label. But I'm not quite there yet. I'm still working." In July 2017, Hilson was featured on Zambian singer Tiwah Hillz's single "Beautiful". Hilson announced that she would be releasing new music in summer 2019, nine years after her previous album. She performed on Femme It Forward Tour in summer 2019 alongside Mya, Brandy, Ashanti, Monica and Amerie. In October 2019, Hilson referred to the album as untitled, but said that it was in the final stages of mixing and production. As of July 2023, no further details about the album have been released. In April 2020, Keri was featured on Ghanaian musician Stonebwoy's song "Nominate". She later recommended Rihanna for a future collaboration with the Ghanaian dancehall musician.

Hilson's music is generally R&B, hip hop and pop. Her debut album, In a Perfect World , consists of a pop/R&B style, with elements of electro music. Many of the album's themes deal with relationships, physical attraction and lovemaking. Hilson said, "lyrically it's a very vulnerable album. You know, I definitely didn't want to paint myself as perfect on this project. Instead, I wanted it to be something that was very relatable, especially to women". Her second album, No Boys Allowed, displays a wide variety of styles, including pop, R&B, hip hop, soul, acoustic, electronic and reggae. Hilson describes the album as "more self assured. It's a lot more aggressive". Kristin Macfarlane of The Daily Post noted that the album is "pure girl power and about being sexually confident, and confident as a woman; not putting up with crap relationships and getting your way". Hilson sings with "smooth vocals". Following the release of her debut album, Sophie Bruce of BBC Music expressed that, "there's no denying Hilson has a great voice, but it lacks the feisty edge of [Nicole] Scherzinger, [Mary J.] Blige or [Beyoncé] Knowles". Mark Nero of About. com commented, "Keri's voice, while strong, isn't particularly distinctive or memorable". Hilson has stated that her musical influences come from her father's side of the family. "My grandmother would sing in the choir; while my dad—while he was in college—sang and recorded with a quartet. it was definitely my dad's Southern side that impacted on me musically". Hilson's father also introduced her to artists such as Sade, Anita Baker, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Lisa Stansfield, Take 6 and Stevie Wonder. TLC as her idols.

Besides her career in music, Hilson has also been involved with several charities. In January 2010, she teamed up with Akon on the charity single "Oh Africa". All proceeds of the single benefited underprivileged African youth. On May 25, she performed at the Virginia Stand Up! A Call to Action benefit concert, organized by Chris Brown to help with continued relief efforts in Haiti. On October 21, 2010, Hilson attended Collins Academy High School in Chicago as part of the Get Schooled National Challenge and Tour, a "program aimed at increasing high school and college graduation rates and promoting the importance of education". In 2011, she received a Get Schooled Award for her involvement with the program. Also in 2011, Hilson contributed in the fight against AIDS by posing in retail clothing company H&M's celebrity driven collection for Fashion Against AIDS. 25% of all sales from the collection were donated to the Designers Against Aids charity. In June 2011, Hilson became an ambassador for MTV Staying Alive, a foundation which raises awareness and prevention of HIV and AIDS. In September 2011, she lent her support to US First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign, which aims to combat childhood obesity. She made T shirts for the campaign that read "Pretty Girls Sweat", and exercised with the young women at The Educational Alliance's Sirovich Senior Center in New York City on September 24. She gave each orphan a "care" package, which consisted of bookbags, T shirts, sunglasses, notebooks and an electric keyboard. In a press release, she stated: "Joining DoSomething. org's newest effort to provide for people in need with Epic Book Drive was the easiest decision ever!. I truly believe providing access to those who want to learn is the key to bettering lives around the country. And helping kids find healthy outlets, such as books, has always been a passion of mine. So my involvement here is a natural fit."