Keri Hilson

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Biography

Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She was born and raised in Decatur, Georgia , and spent most of her youth working with producer Anthony Dent, as a songwriter and backing vocalist|background vocalist for several Contemporary R& B|R& B and Hip hop music|hip hop artists. By the age of 14, Hilson had secured a record deal with the girl group D'Signe, who later disbanded. She attended Emory University in Atlanta , while she continued writing songs for artists, including Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige , with the production and songwriting team, The Clutch . In 2006, Hilson signed with American rapper and producer Timbaland 's record label, Mosley Music Group|Mosley Music . Her breakthrough came the following year after appearing on Timbaland's single, " The Way I Are ", which topped Record chart|charts around the world.

Hilson's debut studio album, In a Perfect World... , was released in 2009, and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200| Billboard 200 chart, eventually being List of music recording certifications|certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album spawned the hit singles, " Knock You Down ", " Turnin Me On " and " I Like (Keri Hilson song)|I Like ". It also earned Hilson two Grammy Awards|Grammy Award nominations for Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist and Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration|Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Knock You Down". Her second studio album, No Boys Allowed , was released in 2010 and was considerably less successful than its predecessor; however, it included the hit single, " Pretty Girl Rock ". Hilson's achievements include a BET Award , MOBO Award , NAACP Image Award and two Soul Train Music Awards . Apart from her work in music, she has pursued a career in acting. Hilson made her acting debut in the romantic comedy film , Think Like a Man , in 2012.

Biography

1982–2007: Early life and career beginnings

Keri Lynn Hilson was born on December 5,& nbsp;1982 in Decatur, Georgia . She was raised in an African-American neighborhood and came from a American middle class|middle class family. Hilson and her siblings did not attend a school within the neighborhood because her parents cared a lot for their education, 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". From the age of 12, Hilson wanted to pursue a musical career, after watching television talent shows, Star Search and Showtime at the Apollo . Her mother then hired a piano teacher to give her piano lessons; however, Hilson wanted to become a singer and therefore "converted those sessions into vocal lessons, accompanying the teacher on piano". By the age of 14, Hilson had secured a record deal with the girl group D'Signe, who later disbanded.

Hilson spent most of her teenage years working with producer Anthony Dent, as a songwriter and backing vocalist|background vocalist for the likes of Usher (entertainer)|Usher , Ludacris , Kelly Rowland , Ciara and Polow da Don . After graduating from high school, Hilson attended 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, and began working more with 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 (Mary J. Blige song)|Take Me as I Am " (2006), Omarion 's " Ice Box (song)|Ice Box " (2006), Ciara's " Like a Boy " (2006), The Pussycat Dolls ' " Wait a Minute (Pussycat Dolls song)|Wait a Minute " (2007) 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 . In November& nbsp;2006, Hilson was featured on American rapper Lloyd Banks ' single, "Help", for his album Rotten Apple (album)|Rotten Apple (2006).

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 (Timbaland album)|Shock Value (2007); on Rich Boy 's "Good Things" with Polow da Don; and thereafter, in December, on Timbaland's song " Scream (Timbaland 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.

2008–09: In a Perfect World...

In 2008, Hilson appeared in the music video s for Usher's single, " Love in This Club ", and Ne-Yo 's single, " Miss Independent (Ne-Yo song)|Miss Independent ". Her debut studio album, In a Perfect World... , was released on March 24,& nbsp;2009. The album contained Pop music|pop -oriented Contemporary R& B|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 , 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 US, In a Perfect World... debuted at number four on the Billboard 200| Billboard 200 chart, and number one on the Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first-week sales of 94,000& nbsp;copies. By October& nbsp;2009, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its first single, " Energy (Keri Hilson song)|Energy ", released in May& nbsp;2008, peaked within the top eighty on the US Billboard Hot 100| Billboard Hot 100 chart. It reached the top fifty in the United Kingdom, and peaked the highest in New Zealand at number seven, and was certified gold in the country. Hilson also featured on three singles in 2008; in June, on rapper Nas ' song " Hero (Nas song)|Hero "; in September, on Kardinal Offishall 's " The Tide Is High#Kardinal Offishall version|Numba 1 (Tide Is High) "; and thereafter, in October, on Chris Brown (American entertainer)|Chris Brown 's song " Superhuman (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 US. The next single, " Knock You Down " featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo, achieved more success, reaching number three on the Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, eventually being certified two times platinum. The song also reached the top ten in Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. " Make Love (song)|Make Love ", " Slow Dance (song)|Slow Dance ", and "Change Me" featuring Akon , were released as the album's fourth, fifth and sixth US singles, respectively.

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 BET Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist , Best Female R& B Artist, as well as BET Award for Viewer's Choice|Viewer's Choice and BET Award for Best Collaboration|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 (R. Kelly song)|Number One " with R. Kelly , "She Don't Wanna" with Asher Roth , " Everything, Everyday, Everywhere " with Fabolous , " Medicine (song)|Medicine " with Plies (rapper)|Plies , and on the remix of Sean Paul 's song, " Hold My Hand (Sean Paul song)|Hold My Hand ". Hilson was nominated for Breakthrough Artist and American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R& B Female Artist|Favorite Soul/R& B Female Artist at the American Music Awards of 2009|2009 American Music Awards , but lost to Beyoncé Knowles . The re-released edition of In a Perfect World... , in January& nbsp;2010, included the single " I Like (Keri Hilson song)|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 Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist and Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration|Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Knock You Down" with Kanye West and Ne-Yo.

2010–present: No Boys Allowed

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 ". In April& nbsp;2010, it was made known that she had replaced Jennifer Hudson as the new face of the cosmetics and personal care products company, Avon Products|Avon . " Breaking Point (song)|Breaking Point " was released as the first single from Hilson's second studio album, No Boys Allowed , in September& nbsp;2010; it only appeared on the US Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart at number 44. On December 2,& nbsp;2010, Hilson was among one of the many female artists who performed at the VH1 Divas#VH1 Divas 2010|VH1 Divas Salute the Troops concert, where she sang "Turnin Me On", "Knock You Down", " Pretty Girl Rock ", and a duet with American country music duo, Sugarland , on the Aretha Franklin song, " Think (Aretha Franklin song)|Think ". No Boys Allowed was released on December 21,& nbsp;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". In the US, No Boys Allowed debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, and number seven on the Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first-week sales of 102,000& nbsp;copies. Although it sold 8,000& nbsp;copies more than her debut album, In a Perfect World... , it failed to match that album's debut chart position of number four. As of February& nbsp;2011, No Boys Allowed has sold 205,500 copies in the United States.

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. The single reached the top twenty in Germany and New Zealand, and top thirty in Austria and Slovakia. " One Night Stand (Keri Hilson song)|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 (rapper)|Chipmunk 's single " In the Air (Chipmunk song)|In the Air ", for his album Transition (Chipmunk album)|Transition (2011). In April& nbsp;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 BET Awards of 2011|2011 BET Awards , Hilson was nominated for Best Female R& B Artist and BET Award for Video of the Year|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.

2012–present: Acting debut and third studio album

During an interview with 106 & Park on October 25,& nbsp;2011, Hilson revealed that she has already 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." She further explained in an interview with The Boombox that she's working on a new sound for the album, and described it as a mixture of her first two albums with some surprising elements thrown in. Hilson also said a release date has not been confirmed yet, saying "I just write about my experiences and keep the release dates far, far from me. When I feel that I have is when I will give it to the label. But I'm not quite there yet. I'm still working." Hilson made her acting debut in the romantic comedy film , Think Like a Man , released on April 20,& nbsp;2012. She will also star alongside Vin Diesel in the Science fiction|sci-fi action film , Riddick (film)|Riddick (2013), but it is unknown what role Hilson will play.

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Hilson's music is generally R& B 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 music|hip hop , Soul music|soul , Acoustic music|acoustic , electronic music|electronic and reggae . Hilson describes the album as "more self assured. It's a lot more aggressive". Kristin Macfarlane of The Daily Post (New Zealand)|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 Scherzinger, Blige or 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. In addition, she cites Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill as inspirations.

Philanthropy

Besides her career in music, Hilson has also been involved with several charities. In January& nbsp;2010, she teamed up with Akon on the charity single , " Oh Africa ". All proceeds of the single benefited underprivileged African youth. The following month, Hilson joined the extended list of artists during the recording session of the single, " We Are the World 25 for Haiti ", to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake . On May 25,& nbsp;2010, she performed at the Virginia Stand Up& #33; A Call to Action benefit concert, organized by Chris Brown to help with continued relief efforts in Haiti. On October 21,& nbsp;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". A year later, she received a Get Schooled Award for her involvement with the program. 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. Hilson contributed to the It Gets Better Project , a project which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth .

In June& nbsp;2011, Hilson became an ambassador for MTV Staying Alive , a foundation which raises awareness and prevention of HIV and AIDS. In September& nbsp;2011, she lent her support to United States First Lady|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 on September& nbsp;24. During Hilson's visit in Africa in November& nbsp;2011, she stopped by an orphanage to visit her young fans who had lost their families during the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis . She gave each orphan a "care" package, which consisted of bookbags, t-shirts, sunglasses, notebooks and an electric keyboard. In April 2012, Hilson teamed up with DoSomething.org to encourage young people to join in the nationwide Epic Book Drive by bringing books to local people in need. 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."

Discography

In a Perfect World... (2009)

No Boys Allowed (2010)

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2012
2013

Tours

Headlining

European Tour (2011)

Supporting

I Am Music Tour (2009) (with Lil Wayne)

I Am Still Music Tour (2011) (with Lil Wayne)

Awards and nominations

|-
| style="text-align:center;"|2007
|"The Way I Are" (Timbaland featuring D.O.E. and Keri Hilson)
| 2007 MTV Video Music Awards|MTV Video Music Award for Monster Single of the Year
||-
|rowspan="14" style="text-align:center;"|2009
|rowspan="4"|Herself
| American Music Award for Favorite Female R& B/Soul Artist
||-
|American Music Award for Breakthrough Artist
||-
|BET Award for Best New Artist
| |-
|BET Award for Best Female R& B Artist
||-
|rowspan="2"|"Turnin Me On" (with Lil Wayne)
|BET Award for Viewer's Choice
||-
|BET Award for Best Collaboration
||-
| In a Perfect World...
| 2009 Urban Music Awards|Urban Music Award for Best Album
||-
|rowspan="4"|Herself
|Urban Music Award for Best Female Act
||-
| MOBO Awards|MOBO Award for Best International Act
||-
|MOBO Award for Best R& B/Soul Act
||-
| Soul Train Music Awards|Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist
||-
|"Turnin Me On" (with Lil Wayne)
|Soul Train Music Award for Song of the Year
||-
|rowspan="3"|"Knock You Down" (with Kanye West and Ne-Yo)
|Soul Train Music Award for Best Collaboration
||-
|Soul Train Music Award for Record of the Year
||-
|rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|2010
| Grammy Awards|Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
||-
|rowspan="2"|Herself
|Grammy Award for Best New Artist
||-
| NAACP Image Awards|NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist
||-
|"Got Your Back" (T.I. featuring Keri Hilson)
|Soul Train Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Song
||-
|rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|2011
|"Pretty Girl Rock"
|BET Award for Video of the Year
||-
|rowspan="2"|Herself
|BET Award for Best Female R& B Artist
||-
|Get Schooled Award
||-
|"Pretty Girl Rock"
|Soul Train Music Award for Best Dance Performance
||}

Copyright Citations

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Urban/R&B Music Artists

Keri Hilson

Biography

Biography

1982–2007: Early life and career beginnings

2008–09: In a Perfect World...

2010–present: No Boys Allowed

2012–present: Acting debut and third studio album

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Philanthropy

Discography

Filmography

Tours

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Copyright Citations