Hilson has been writing music for other artists since 2001, including Britney Spears, Ciara, Usher, and Ludacris. Despite having made a name for herself as an arranger and background vocalist, lending her vocal talents to many of the songs she wrote on, Hilson remained behind the scenes for the most part until 2004, when she was featured on Xzibit's single, "Hey Now (Mean Muggin)" and made her performing debut singing the track live at the 2004 MTV Europe Awards.
In 2006, Hilson reappeared on the music scene in the video for Nelly Furtado's single "Promiscuous". Meanwhile, she signed as an artist with Timbaland's newly formed Interscope associated label Mosley Music Group and the pair started work on her debut album '"In A Perfect World...". The same year, she was featured on "After Love" from Diddy's album Press Play which was originally written for Danity Kane. She also wrote "Right Now" for Danity Kane as well as "Help", the second single from Lloyd Banks' Rotten Apple.
In 2007, Hilson made several appearances on Timbaland's solo effort, Shock Value where she featured heavily on the singles "The Way I Are" and "Scream" and the tracks "Miscommunication" and "Hello". Furthermore, she was featured on the track "Lost Girls" on Rich Boy's debut album and its second single "Good Things" and was credited as a writer and backing vocalist on Britney Spears' album Blackout. She also worked on Spears' follow-up "Circus", but the tracks didn't appear on the album.
A promotional video for her song "Where Did He Go" was released in 2008 and she went on to further promote herself as a solo artist on "Get It Girl", a track produced by Timbaland & Danja and recorded for a Verizon ringtone promotion and available also through iTunes.
She also played the lead role in Usher's music video for "Love in This Club", (as well as co-writing its "Pt. II" remix) appeared as one of the "independent women" in Ne-Yo's music video for "Miss Independent" and appeared briefly on Nelly's "Party People" music video wearing a T-Shirt with the slogan 'Hip Hop aint dead'. She soon after featured on Nas' debut single from his controversial album Untitled, "Hero".
After many pushbacks, Hilson's debut solo album In a Perfect World... has now been set for an early 2009 release. The album's first single was "Energy" and its music video was released July 14, 2008. "Energy" has peaked at a low #78 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A second single "Return The Favor" features Timbaland was released officially as a digital download on October 7, 2008 and the video, directed by Melina, premiered on October 23, 2008. In the meantime, she also featured on Chris Brown's single "Superhuman" and Kardinal Offishall's 2008 single "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)", which was originally featured Rihanna. This single failed to chart on the Hot 100.
The track "Turnin Me On" features rapper Lil' Wayne and was released as the third official single as a digital download on November 25. The video, which was directed by Erik White after he and Hilson met on the set of the "Superhuman" video, premiered on November 20, 2008. "Turnin Me On" has so far peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and recently hit #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming Hilson's most successful single as well as her first Top 50 single in the U.S.. It also peaked as the #1 Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop track. "Turnin Me On" also stood as the #1 video on BET's 106 & Park for about a week and currently is the #5 video request on that show, flucuating between the Top 5.
Recently, Keri Hilson's track "Alienated" was played exclusively on UK radio station Kiss 100 after winning the Fresh 40 mixtape deck battle with 51% against Maino's "All The Above".
It was announced on March 10th that the video for "Knock You Down"(featuring Ne-Yo & Kayne West) was in production and would be released as the fourth single.
Hilson's music has been favorably received, appearing on list of "Top Year Singles" with the songs, "Energy" and "Turnin Me On". The first was on Blender magazine list of the "The Top 144 Songs of 2008", at #61, and the latter was on Vibe magazine's "The 80 Best Songs of '08" at #67. Vibe also praised her voice and called her "ridiculously hot".
In 2010 saw the birth of No Boys Allowed and comes out on the 21st of December 2010. The First Single was Breaking Points and received positive and negative reviews, however failed to chart well. The second single Pretty Girl Rock saw more success and went on to chart respectably well. The song got that much attention that a official remix was made featuring Kanye West, which made the album too. The Suspected third Single is The Way You Love Me and a full length video (short film) appeared on Vevo. The video got mixed reviews, one side saying the video was a side to Keri that had never saw before (a more seductive side). However, some said that this side was too out there and was a bit too much.
DISCOGRAPHY:
ALBUMS:
2009: In A Perfect World...
2010:No Boys Allowed
SINGLES:
2004: Hey Now (Mean Muggin) [Xzibit feat. Keri]
2006: Help [Lloyd Banks feat. Keri]
2007: The Way I Are [Timbaland feat. Keri & D.O.E.]
2007: Good Things [Rich Boy feat. Polow Da on & Keri]
2008: Scream [Timbaland feat. Keri & Nicole Scherzinger]
2008: Hero [Nas feat. Keri]
2008: Energy
2008: Superhuman [Chris Brown feat. Keri]
2008: Return The Favor [feat. Timbaland]
2008: Numba 1 (Tide Is High) [Kardinal Offishall feat. Keri]
2008: Turnin Me On [feat. Lil Wayne]
2009: Knock You Down [feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo]
2009: Slow Dance
2010: I Like
2010:Got Your Back [T.I feat. Keri]
2010:Breaking Point
2010:Pretty Girl Rock
2010:The Way You Love Me
STRONGER
Keri Hilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've been through the storm,
We've been through it all
We had some close calls,
But never would fall
We climbed all the mountains,
Went through all the valleys,
But you never left me behind
I found my way through the clouds,
No more running scared and closing my eyes
I will be true, this love from my heart,
I'm laying my life on the line
[Chorus:]
I will survive,
As long as it's you by my side
I will survive,
As long as it's you by my side
I'm stronger, stronger, stronger
I'm stronger, stronger, stronger
[Verse 2:]
They said we wouldn't make it,
Guess what, we made it
And deep down, I'm wondering how
You were always for me,
Never been the one to hurt me
You gave me peace of mind
I found my way through the clouds,
No more running scared and closing my eyes
I will be true, this love from my heart,
I'm laying my life on the line
[Chorus:]
I will survive,
As long as it's you by my side
I will survive,
As long as it's you by my side
I'm stronger, stronger, stronger
I'm stronger, stronger, stronger
Sometimes I can't believe
That you are with me,
There's nobody lucky as me
So I get on my knees,
To make sure that He
Knows that I'm grateful,
For what he gave me
I will survive
[Chorus:]
I will survive,
As long as it's you by my side
I will survive,
As long as it's you by my side
I'm stronger, stronger, stronger
I'm stronger, stronger, stronger
Said I'm stronger with you babe
I will survive, with you by my side
The lyrics of Keri Hilson’s song “Stronger” describe a relationship that has endured various challenges and hardships, ultimately becoming stronger and more resilient as a result. The verses describe the couple’s journey through life’s “storm” and “mountains” and “valleys,” with the reassurance that they have always stood by each other’s side. The chorus repeats the phrase “I will survive” as a statement of their endurance and perseverance, with the added emphasis that it is only possible with their partner.
The second verse highlights the doubts and criticisms the couple may have faced from those around them who didn’t believe their relationship could last. But despite these outside opinions, they remained steadfast and supportive of each other. The bridge brings in a spiritual element, with the singer expressing gratitude for the partner’s presence in their life and recognizing a higher power’s role in bringing them together.
Overall, the lyrics of “Stronger” celebrate the strength and resilience of a committed relationship, recognizing the challenges it may face but placing faith in the bond between the two individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
We've been through the storm,
We've been through tough times
We've been through it all
We've been through everything life could throw at us
We had some close calls,
We almost lost each other
But never would fall
But we never gave up on each other
We climbed all the mountains,
We overcame all the challenges
Went through all the valleys,
We endured all the lows
But you never left me behind
But you always stayed by my side
I found my way through the clouds,
I found clarity in my mind
No more running scared and closing my eyes
I'm no longer afraid
I will be true, this love from my heart,
My love for you is genuine
I'm laying my life on the line
I'm fully committed to you
I will survive,
I will get through anything
As long as it's you by my side
As long as you're with me
I'm stronger, stronger, stronger
I'm resilient and powerful
They said we wouldn't make it,
People doubted our relationship's success
Guess what, we made it
But we proved them wrong
And deep down, I'm wondering how
I'm amazed at our relationship's strength
You were always for me,
You always supported me
Never been the one to hurt me
Never caused me pain
You gave me peace of mind
You made me feel calm and secure
Sometimes I can't believe
I'm grateful for what we have
That you are with me,
That we're together
There's nobody lucky as me
I feel fortunate to have you
So I get on my knees,
I pray to show my gratitude
To make sure that He
To make sure that God
Knows that I'm grateful,
Knows that I appreciate what He's given me
For what he gave me
For our relationship and your presence in my life
Said I'm stronger with you babe
You make me stronger
I will survive, with you by my side
I can overcome anything with your support
Contributed by Samuel D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@msjai803biiihh
I am a big fan of Mary j and Keri. But Keri killed this song. Definitely love her version 😍
@Arianna1Star1234
Ester dean was better she had more soul in her voice
@jefflee1495
What a masterpiece. Wish Keri hilson was able to keep this one for herself.
@boitumelolebotse3390
2021 and it still hits hard! I love it
@alexisdelgadillo925
I’ve tried to find this version for yearsssss!! I had it on an MP3 player and had never found it.. until today 💖💕
@aravianewton5505
Yes I love do find song like these especially by Keri.
@BigJamZBMF
thanx who ? 😊
@trinmozestudios
I need Keri to sing more songs like this 🥺🥺 this is EXCELLENT! Can't even compare it to Mary J's, they're both different with the same emotion and passion! Love this ♥️🔥
@mcebisidlamini9325
Wh esle still thinks Keri still killed it in 2021?
@edwardjacobsiv
Keri Hilson's version is much more beautiful. It gives the song so much more meaning. 🥺