Keri Hilson Returns To Music With New Album ‘We Need To Talk’

Reintroducing Herself ‘In Honesty, Truth, And Vulnerability’

We Need To Talk serves as Hilson’s first full-length project since 2010’s No Boys Allowed. The R&B songstress has noticeably been touring and acting during her musical hiatus. Of course, fans have been waiting and wondering about new music in the midst of Hilson’s prolonged absence. Leading up to her album announcement the “Pretty Girl Rock”er released a series of six trailers, which feature candid conversations, giving viewers a peek into Keri’s inner thoughts. MadameNoire chatted with the singer about her anticipated LP, her true-hearted fan base, and her outlook on returning to music after more than a decade.

MadameNoire: You dropped a few snippets on social media titled Me vs. Me, teasing your upcoming project, We Need To Talk. The clips center around self-reflection, almost like a therapeutic inner dialogue. What’s the key message that you want people to take away from the episodes? 

Keri Hilson: It is an introspective conversation. Kind of two sides of myself. There’s the artist and performer—that entity that is like the songwriter and singer side of Keri. Then there’s the home introvert, my child self, who just wants to feel safe. And this is kind of a reflection between those two quote-unquote characters. Which are really just two very prevalent sides of myself…I’ve been gone for a very long time. I don’t even know how many years; maybe 13, 14, 15. I’m not sure [laughs]. But you know, I’ve been gone so long, it’s natural to expect me to have a lot of reservations. I’m human and I wanted to kind of reintroduce myself into this realm of things. I wanted to reintroduce myself in honesty, truth, and vulnerability. 

The Many Sides Of Keri

The duality of being a singer-songwriter and having that cross-over success is rare, especially for women in the industry. And you have been recording and performing for a long time. I wonder if songwriting is something that you want to revert back to solely or does being an artist feel most fulfilling? 

I really can’t say. I think it’s been so long that I’ve already merged those worlds for myself. If people separate those two sides of me, it’s not an experience that I share because, to me, the songwriter and the singer are one, and that is Keri. Like, I can’t make the distinction because even when I’m the artist, I’m also the songwriter for myself. Early on in my career, I would get asked which one I prefer, and I’m like, ‘I like them both.’ Songwriting is very practical. The other side is my dream, being allowed the opportunity to perform the things that are written. 

So I love them both. I like [different] things about them. I like the fact that I could show up in my pajamas if I want to write and arrange. [I can] produce vocals looking however I want to look. I’m not a big fan of the glam process on that artist’s side. So there’s pros and cons…I just feel lucky, to be honest, to have them both because when I can’t do one, I could do the other. You know what I mean? I just feel lucky. 

Related Content: Exclusive: Don’t Waste Your Pretty’s Keri Hilson Shares Why Acting Is Getting Her Full Attention Instead Of Music

During the pandemic you wrote an open letter to fans discussing your hiatus, delays, and releasing new music. At that time, you were in the midst of healing, growth, grief, and even depression, as well as dedicating time to other creative outlets. How did you navigate that process and what does your return to music look like? 

Oh man, the outlets of expression are very necessary. You have to refer to them as outlets because you have to kind of get your thoughts and feelings into the material world to understand them, as opposed to running from them, shielding yourself from looking at them or suppressing [them]. And I’m all about mental health, and, obviously, coming back, that’s a big thing. It’s a big thing because it can affect every part of you. It can affect the human; it can affect the songwriter; it can affect the creative. It can affect the performer from enjoying what she does and it’s the only thing she ever dreamt of doing. Like, it affects so many, my family, how I feel obviously has an effect on the people around me.

So, looking at going back in and speaking about my mental health, that’s really what this all is about. It’s like, how do I find a way to protect who I am and all the healing I’ve done as I’m kind of venturing out to do something that I love, and how do I keep the love there? I have to fight for these things. I’m sure at times, that perspective is going to be challenged. My perspectives, my growth, my healing. Certain things in the processes that I’ve undergone since I’ve been away. Certain things will be challenged, and beyond being fearful, it just calls for protection. I’ve got to protect myself better than I ever have now because I have more to protect, there’s more treasure within me.

Related Content: Keri Hilson Pens Heart-Wrenching Ode To Her Father After His Untimely Death

The Power Of Healing, Therapy, And Protecting Your Tools

Do you think that process stems from lived experience or just maturity? 

I think both of those things, honestly. And also, like you said, grief. I mean, life will kind of force you to add tools to your toolbox. Like, ‘Oh, never thought I needed this. Let me keep this in there because, wow, that happened’…I think that’s also the design of life. But yeah, since I’ve gone away, I’ve allowed myself to live, face and see—and gain the tools. I’m glad you said it like that, because it’s like, yeah, I just want to protect my tools, the things that maturity has brought me, the things that grief has brought me, the things that healing and therapy and all the other creative outlets have brought me. Whether it’s a perspective, whether it’s an actual tangible skill…there’s so many things and so many reasons anybody would grow through their 30s. So yeah, I would say all of it. 

The new album We Need To Talk, I’m assuming it features music that has been in the vault for a while, and of course, a couple brand new tracks. Why that title and why now? 

The title We Need To Talk, for me, is kind of a double entendre. One, obviously, is me wanting to talk to my fans. It might even be a triple entendre because there are times throughout the course of the album, I’m kind of talking to myself also…For sure, one of them is I’m ready to talk. I’m ready to let people into my life a little more. I’m ready to verse where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing beyond the lines in a movie. I’m just kind of expressing that I’m ready, Keri’s ready [laughs]. So that’s that. And again, it is a double entendre that people will hear when they listen to the album.

But I also understand the universe and God and things have to align. And you want that, you want the energy to feel that you’ve arrived at the moment. If that makes sense, like you want the energy to feel perfect, or for there to be indications that, ‘Oh my, wow. I thought I was ready then, but the time is even better now.’ And that’s how I feel. So I’m really grateful that it’s finally happening. You know, more than anything, I’m just grateful.