Keri Hilson

Check below for an interview that Clutch Mag did with my favorite upcoming artist, Keri Hilson.

Look closely and think hard. You may recognize Keri Hilson from her guest spot on Xzibit’s 2004 hit Mean Muggin’ (Hey Now) and, more recently, on Timbaland’s worldwide smash The Way I Are. But don’t be fooled by her stunning good looks and pop chick persona because this sister is so much more than just a pretty face. With an unrelenting work ethic that’s made her one of the most sought-after songwriters in the business, Hilson’s credits read like a who’s who of contemporary R&B. Think Usher, Ciara, Chris Brown and Toni Braxton, to name a few. At 25, Hilson’s an industry vet who’s making the transition from behind the production console into the limelight. And she proves there’s no such thing as an overnight success. Having been in singing groups since the age of 14, Hilson worked her way up the ladder, honing her craft as a writer while perfecting her vocal skills. With hard work, perseverance and no shortage of talent it wasn’t long before she came to the attention of über-producer Timbaland, who signed Hilson to his label on the strength of a phone call. Her debut album In A Perfect World . . . is due out later this year.

Q: What can we expect from your album?

Well, it’s a good mix of everything. It’s what you know from me as a songwriter and also as an artist. Of course, the Timbaland influence is there. Timbaland and his protégé Danja and Polow produced the whole album. It’s one congruent sound. It’s like a movement. Definitely like nothing you’ve heard. It’s hard for me to describe my songs just because I’m close to the music. I do know that, from a songwriter’s perspective, it has the components to be a great album and do very well.

Q: What kind of music will it be?

In the same way that you can’t really pigeonhole anything Timbaland works on—like Justin (Timberlake), those are R&B songs but he’s a pop artist, they have pop appeal. I’d say it’s kind of like a girl Justin Timberlake with a little more soul and R&B.

Q: Will it be a concept album? What will the songs be about?

The album is called In A Perfect World . . . and by that I mean no one’s world is perfect and mine is no different. I look like I have it all together but at the end of the day I’m a female, I’m emotional. I go through the same things that everyone else goes through and I just wanted my album to depict that reality because everyone has something about their world that they would change. So it’s based upon that idea and I didn’t wanna do an album that painted myself perfect. I’m far from it.

Q: What’s your relationship with Timbaland? How did you hook up with him?

Polow da Don introduced me. Timbaland had expressed an interest for Polow to look for a female R&B artist and Polow thought of me. At that time my second group had disbanded and I was just focusing on becoming a great songwriter. I didn’t feel the need during that time to pursue the artist thing full out, as I knew that something would happen because people knew if I was songwriting I was demoing my songs, and they heard my voice as much as they saw me as a songwriter. Tim called and...

For the rest of the interview go to Clutch