Keri Hilson

Keri Hilson initially planned to break into the music industry as a singer. Straight from the best-laid-plans file, however, she encountered several false starts. Hilson did put it on layaway as she sharpened another skill: songwriting. Not only has she become a sought-after writer, Hilson finally broke out earlier this year as a chart-topping singer with her aptly titled debut album, "In a Perfect World."
Five years ago, the relatively unknown songwriter signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group. Around that time, Atlanta-based songwriter/producer Polow Da Don arranged an introduction between Hilson and Timbaland. The producer signed her to his Interscope-distributed Mosley Music imprint in 2006.
All the while, Hilson was developing her songwriting skills. Stranded in Miami during Hurricane Katrina following a songwriting retreat, she became a founding member of the songwriting/production collective the Clutch. The five-person team has churned out such R&B/hip-hop and pop hits as Mary J. Blige's "Take Me As I Am," Britney Spears' "Gimme More" and Omarion's "Ice Box." Through her connection with Timbaland and Polow, Hilson got placements for songs recorded by the Pussycat Dolls ("Wait a Minute") and Ludacris ("Runaway Love"). She also wrote and was featured on Timbaland's top five Billboard Hot 100 hit "The Way I Are." Then two years ago she began to focus on her dream. The long gestation from songwriter to artist paid off. Hilson's "In a Perfect World" debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Selling 411,000 copies after 19 weeks, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has spun off two hits: "Knock You Down" featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo and "Turnin' Me On" featuring Lil Wayne. A new single, "Slow Dance," is scaling the charts, as is R. Kelly's "Number One" featuring Hilson. Looking back on her songwriter-to-artist evolution, she says taking the alternate route was worth it.
"I thought I was ready back then," she says. "But in all actuality, I now know a little more than the average new artist. I learned a lot about the business from my behind-the-scenes view. And my songwriting has definitely made me a lot less inhibited as a singer and opened up the creative boundaries I thought I had. It's a double learning experience that's given me a strong foundation."

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