Keri Hilson was a rising star in the music industry, but she stepped away from it all after the release of her sophomore album. What happened?
By D.M.Nov. 30 2023, Published 10:23 p.m. ET
The Gist:
- Keri Hilson dominated the R&B charts in the late 2000s.
- She took a break from music after releasing her second album.
- Many people think that a feud with Beyoncé prompted Keri’s hiatus.
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Fans of R&B music are undoubtedly familiar with singer Keri Hilson. She rose to stardom following the release of her 2008 single “Energy.” The song peaked at Number 21 on the Billboard R&B chart, but Keri’s follow-up singles were even more successful. She scored her first Top 10 song with “Knock You Down,” featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo.
In addition to her time as an artist, Keri also wrote songs for other popular singers. She penned tracks for iconic artists like Britney Spears, Usher, and Mary J. Blige. Keri opened up about her love for storytelling in an interview with Complex and explained that writing helps keep her “creative juices flowing.”
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“Even at my biggest, I want to be writing for other artists,” Keri said. “Even at my peak — the highest I can be as an artist — I always want to be keeping my creative juices flowing, keeping money in the bank, putting my intellectual property out there.” However, at the height of her career, Keri stepped away from the public eye, leaving many to wonder what happened to the R&B superstar.
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Keri Hilson had a rumored feud with Beyoncé.
In 2009, Keri released a remix to her song “Turnin Me On,” and some believed that she took a shot at Beyoncé in the track. “Your vision cloudy if you think that you da best, you can dance, she can sing, but need to move it to the left,” Keri raps in the song. Adding, “She needs to go have some babies, she needs to sit down, she fake.” Members of the Beyhive immediately took issue with Keri’s lyrics, which some believed referenced Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable.”
A few years later, Keri was asked to hold up a magazine with Beyoncé and Jay-Z on the cover and things got awkward. “Who’s that?” Keri asked, as she took the magazine. She then handed the magazine back to the interview, adding, “No, I'm sorry, I can't do that.”
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Following the red carpet incident, Keri was relentlessly trolled on social media, as some believed she was throwing unwarranted shade at Beyoncé. Keri fired back at internet sleuths in 2013, after the trolling became overwhelming. “You have no idea what your hateful words could do to someone's spirit,” Keri tweeted. “Years of verbal abuse from strangers all day long. Enough is enough!”
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Keri Hilson stepped away from music after a battle with depression.
Keri did her best to dismiss rumors that she had a feud with Beyonce. She told HipHollywood that she never had any conflict with another female singer, despite online speculation. “I don’t have a beef with any female artist. I think it’s just interesting that we live in such a gullible world,” she said (via Life & Style).
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Keri later opened up about her time away from the spotlight and explained that she was battling with depression in the early 2010s, which stifled her creative abilities. “There was so much stress, depression, division among my team,” Keri revealed on the R&B Money podcast. Adding, “One thing after the next, and then my dad died.”
Keri has since returned to the public eye and appears to be focusing on her acting career. She starred in the television movies Ruined, and Seven Deadly Sins: Lust.
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