Keri Lynn Hilson is an American R&B

Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

 singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia

Decatur, Georgia

Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...

, Hilson began her music career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team, The Clutch

The Clutch

The Clutch is an American collective of songwriters responsible for a series of successful singles including Omarion's "Ice Box", Ciara's "Like a Boy", Timbaland's "The Way I Are", Britney Spears' "Radar" and Raven-Symone's "Double Dutch Bus".-History:...

. In 2006, she signed a recording contract with Timbaland

Timbaland

Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....

's record label, Mosley Music

Mosley Music Group

Mosley Music Group is a record label created by producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley. It operates as an imprint of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records.-History:...

.

In 2009, Hilson released her debut studio album, In a Perfect World...

In a Perfect World...

In a Perfect World... is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, released March 24, 2009 on Zone 4. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2009, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases...

, which debuted at number four on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

, and spawned the hit singles "Knock You Down

Knock You Down

"Knock You Down" is a song by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her debut studio album, In a Perfect World... . The song features guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo and American rapper Kanye West. The song was written by Hilson, West, and Ne-Yo along with Kevin...

" and "Turnin Me On".