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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, who disbanded without any releases. She attended Oxford College of Emory University while contributing to material for popular artists, including Britney Spears, Usher, Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls, and Mary J. Blige.

Hilson’s musical style is R&B, hip hop, and pop but her style doesn’t just revolve around music; she embodies the essence of womanhood, intimacy, romance, and independence. Keri Hilson is a multifaceted artist who has pursued a side career in acting, making her film debut in the Tim Story romantic comedy film “Think Like a Man”. She also contributed to 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, an NAACP Image Award, and two Soul Train Music Awards.

Hilson’s first credit as a songwriter was the song “Jump“, performed by Japanese R&B singer Michico for the latter’s debut album, I Do (2002).[11] 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. After graduating from Tucker High School in the DeKalb County School District, Hilson attended Oxford College of Emory University and Emory University in Atlanta for three years and studied a course in theater. She continued working as a songwriter and background vocalist during her schooling years. Hilson eventually stopped working with Dent in favor of Polow da Don. She also became a member of the songwriting and production team, The Clutch.

Together, they wrote Mary J. Blige’s “Take Me as I Am” (2006), Omarion’s “Ice Box” (2006), Ciara’s “Like a Boy” (2006), The Pussycat Dolls’ “Wait a Minute” (2006) and Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” (2007). In 2006, Polow introduced Hilson to American rapper and producer Timbaland, who then signed her to his record label, Mosley Music Group.[3] In October 2006, Hilson made her recording debut on American rapper P. Diddy’s song “After Love” — produced by Timbaland and included on his third album Press Play. She also appeared on American rapper Lloyd Banks’ single “Help” from his album Rotten Apple, released the following month.

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. The former peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 — her first entry on the chart — while peaking atop nine international charts.

On March 27, 2025, Hilson released the single “Bae”; the single samples Hurricane Chris’s 2007 single “A Bay Bay”.On the same day, she announced the parent album, her third, would be titled We Need to Talk; the album was released on April 18, 2025. She posted a series of videos, where she spoke about returning to the music industry; she shared, “I just don’t want to put my life or my art in the hands of people who don’t give a fuck about me […] The thing is, I don’t fear being human — I love being human in my own hands. I fear being human in their hands […] I’d love nothing more than to release this incredible music I’ve been ‘sitting on. There have been so many blockages I have constantly fought myself to not directly speak about”.

On April 21, 2025, Hilson released an official visualizer video for the album’s second single, “Say That”. Later in April 2025, Hilson acted in the Lifetime film Fame: A Temptations Story, alongside Canadian singer and actress Keshia Chanté. On April 25, 2025, “Can’t Wait”, a song in collaboration with Eric Benét was released.