Fifteen years after her last album No Boys Allowed, R&B star Keri Hilson is finally ready to speak her truth. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter—behind smashes like “Pretty Girl Rock” and Timbaland collab “The Way I Are”—releases We Need to Talk: LOVE today, the first installment of a three-part comeback project brimming with raw honesty.
After penning iconic tracks for Britney Spears (“Gimme More”) and Usher (“Love in This Club”), Hilson dominated late-2000s radio before vanishing post-2011. “I hit rock bottom,” she admits to PEOPLE, nearly quitting music after industry battles and personal struggles. Though she took acting roles (Think Like a Man) and toured sporadically, fans ached for new music.
The 9-track LOVE chapter strips away maximalist production for intimate confessions. Opener “Grateful (Intro)” nods to her comeback, while closer “Say That” demands vocal commitment from a lover. “It’s not about chasing hits,” Hilson tells Rated R&B, emphasizing growth over charts. Still, the album taps her hitmaking roots—her 2010 sophomore LP No Boys Allowed boasted features from Kanye West, Chris Brown, and Rick Ross
With two more We Need to Talk installments coming, Hilson’s rebirth prioritizes authenticity. “This is step one,” she says—and after 15 years, her voice sounds fresher than ever.
