Keri Hilson

I first encountered Keri Hilson, like most people, through her collaboration with Timbaland on the number one single, “The Way I Are” in 2007. Her sweet and smooth voice on the track crooning, “I like you just the way you are,” encouraged anyone from club-goers to radio listeners to sing along to every word of the massive R&B, pop hit. Then came her next big collaboration with Neyo and none other than Yeezus himself, Kanye West, on “Knock You Down.” The track was another massive chart success and definitely created more hype around Keri herself, being the lead act on this track instead of a featuring artist. Her song writing skills are second to none and I think she is completely underrated as an artist! I saw Keri Hilson in Birmingham in 2011 and her live performance definitely lived up to her mainstream success… It also showcased how well her writing talent translated into her stage presence - she had so much energy and her voice was pristine. Her songs were also blended together really well, it didn’t come across as a succession of separate and jolted chart hits, but she delivered her material in a very cohesive and polished way. I hope she comes back to the UK soon as I will definitely be seeing her again!