Keri Hilson reflects on a past music controversy and regrets.
- The 2009 diss track ‘Turnin Me On (Remix)’ stirred significant buzz.
- Hilson reveals she did not write the contentious lyrics herself.
- Producer pressure played a role in her involvement with the track.
- Hilson and Beyoncé have since mended their issues privately.
Keri Hilson recently spoke candidly about her involvement in the 2009 track ‘Turnin Me On (Remix),’ a song that famously took jabs at Beyoncé. The line suggesting Bey ‘move it to the left’ sparked considerable controversy, but Hilson now shares she never penned those words.
During an appearance on The Breakfast Club, Hilson clarified that singer-songwriter Ester Dean actually wrote the diss lyrics. Hilson expressed her initial unwillingness to sing them, saying, “Automatically, I was like, ‘I’m not saying that.'” Her competitive nature as an athlete made her resist any nastiness.
However, Hilson faced pressure from producer Polow Da Don to deliver the lines. “I tried to fight him on it,” she shared, admitting she even began crafting her own lyrics to avoid the contentious ones. Yet, an intense situation unfolded where she felt her album’s release was at stake.
Describing those challenging moments, Hilson revealed, “I was in tears, I was crying, I was adamant that I did not want to do that.” With her career hanging in the balance, young Hilson felt trapped. Today, she acknowledges she could have resisted more but was overwhelmed at the time.
This revelation emerged after Ester Dean’s recent public apology. On Instagram, Dean took responsibility, stating, “I see how it hurt people, especially women, and I take full accountability.”
In 2021, a step towards healing unfolded when Hilson and Beyoncé finally spoke about the incident. Reflecting on that encounter, Hilson shared, “I feel like she understood what happened… there was a bit of healing.” Hilson praised Beyoncé’s intuitive nature, calling her “amazing.”
Keri Hilson’s experience is a reminder of the pressures within the music industry.
