Keri Hilson

Keri Hilson may be a new name to most of us, but this Atlanta native has been working her way up to being a key player behind the scenes in R&B, pop and hip-hop for years. A member of the Clutch collective of writers and producers, Hilson has been racking up songwriting credits for other artists since 2001, including Ciara ("Ooh Baby"), Usher ("Love in this Club, Part II") and Mary J. Blige ("Take Me as I Am"). Along the way, she also got quite a reputation as a backup singer, finally breaking out from the background in 2004 with a featured guest spot on Xzibit's "Hey Now (Mean Muggin)." Hilson had a banner year in 2006-2007: She appeared in the video for Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous," co-wrote and sang backup on most of Britney Spears's Blackout, appeared on and helped write Timbaland's Shock Value and signed with Timbaland's Mosley Music Group. Hilson released her debut album on Interscope in December 2008.