Keri Hilson is Back With ‘We Need to Talk: Love,’ Her Latest Album After 15 Years
She’s still got something to say, or rather, sing about. Keri Hilson, who debuted in 2008 with her single “Energy,” is back after a 15-year hiatus from the music scene….
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 19: Keri Hilson speaks onstage at the 7th Annual Black Music Honors on May 19, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Black Music Honors )
She’s still got something to say, or rather, sing about.
Keri Hilson, who debuted in 2008 with her single “Energy,” is back after a 15-year hiatus from the music scene. The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter has made her long-awaited return with her latest album, We Need to Talk: Love. The R&B singer released the single “Bae” to a positive reaction on March 2, ahead of the album’s release on April 18.
Keri Hilson: “I Had To Give Up Music for a While”
From the song “Grateful,” track one on her latest album, Wilson sang about hitting rock bottom a few times, and “I think I had to give up music for a while / I stepped away, I thought it would be just a year / I realize not what I’m grateful for all those years / Because I have built myself back up / It is kind of a comeback” referring to those years that she was MIA in the music industry.
In an interview with Billboard, Hilson shared how she came to know herself more as a person and as an artist in the past 15 years. The “Knock You Down” singer appreciated how she’s “pretty freaking courageous” and how she learned “how important necessary freedom is as you call your own shots. Those are the two biggest things. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s definitely welcome.”
Hilson also shared all the “serendipitous moments” that happened to her to make her realize it’s time to release new music, including “fans walking up and saying, ‘You helped me leave an unhealthy relationship or marriage’ with songs like ‘Beautiful Mistake.’” She added that there were also “happenstance encounters” with people who could help her on how to build her label the way she wanted: “So, I felt redemption, vindication. Energy in the universe made it so very clear that it’s time. I couldn’t deny it.”
The singer-songwriter also dabbled in acting, starring in the 2012 movie Think Like a Man. She called it a “longer escape,” while music can provide “an escape for a day or two. But while I’m creating movies, I get to pause time for much longer periods. It allows me to escape reality, and that’s really part of why I dove head first into it,” especially after her father passing away in January 2020.
Aside from her latest album, Hilson is also set to appear this year in Lifetime’s Fame: A Temptations Story on April 26.
