Keri Hilson

Full Name:Keri Lynn Hilson
Birthday : December 5, 1982
Hometown : Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Label : Interscope

The Pussycat Dolls, Usher, Diddy, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Lloyd Banks are just a few of the musical superstars who have collaborated with 23 yr-old singer/songwriter Keri Hilson to create spine-tingling music. Her talent is undeniable, and after catching the eye of acclaimed producer Timbaland, then with Polow’s orchestration, she signed to Interscope Records in early 2005. She will release her debut album on Timbaland’s joint-venture label, Mosley Music Group (MMG/Interscope).
Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Keri Hilson began writing her own music before the age of 12. Then, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson were her musical inspirations. Later, Lauryn Hill and Robin Thicke were added to her ever-growing assortment of influences. As a writer, she was mentored under producer Anthony Dent. It was he who produced Keri’s first writing debut “Jump” for a female artist on Sony Japan. Since then, Keri has been establishing her signature as an R&B, hip-hop writer and artist, gaining respect and spreading a buzz throughout the music community. Keri is credited for writing such familiar tracks as “Take Me As I Am” for Mary J. Blige, “4 Minutes” for Avant, “Icebox” for Omarion, and numerous others for artists including Ciara, Toni Braxton, LeToya Luckett, Usher, Ruben Studdard, Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland, and Ludacris.Before she could utilize her talents for her own solo endeavors, RB singer, vocal arranger, and songwriter Keri Lynn Hilson wrote a slew of songs, many of them charttoppers, for several popular artists in the mid2000s as part of the fiveperson production/songwriting team known as the Clutch. The dynamic songwriter was born in Decatur, GA, only a few miles outside of Atlanta. Addicted to TV talent shows like Star Search and Showtime at the Apollo, she was already plotting out her career in music at age 12. Even though her mother hired a piano teacher to encourage those talents, she mainly wanted to sing; therefore, Hilson converted those sessions into vocal lessons, accompanying the teacher on piano. In her mid to late teens, her career jumped off as a songwriter and background vocalist, working under producer Anthony Dent (Destiny’s Child, Diddy). Borne out of that relationship were two failed girl groups (named Pretty Toni and D’Sign), and, more importantly, a host of connections within the industry for whom she wrote or did backup vocals, including Usher, Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Ciara, and upandcoming Southern rap producer Polow da Don.After Hilson graduated from high school, she managed to continue juggling all these tasks when she enrolled into Emory University in Atlanta. She eventually moved on from Dent and began working more with Polow da Don. Attending school while actively advancing her music career put a great demand on her, especially from being a member of the extremely versatile Clutch team. But as luck would have it, Polow introduced her to superproducer Timbaland, who wasted no time in signing the multitalented songbird to his growing Mosley Music imprint in 2006. Over the next couple years, Hilson’s songwriting was practically ubiquitous, responsible for numerous hit singles, including Mary J. Blige’s “Take Me as I Am,” Omarion’s “Ice Box,” the Pussycat Dolls’ “Wait a Minute,” and Ciara’s “Like a Boy.” With Timbaland and the Clutch in her corner, Hilson relied on the vast pool of recording artists and producers who needed (and wanted) to return the favor for her Mosley Music/Interscope debut.