What Is Keri Hilson's Net Worth?
Keri Hilson is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who has a net worth of $5 million. Keri Hilson began her career writing hit songs for other artists. Her debut solo album, released in 2009, went Gold and earned her her two Grammy nominations. She is a regular guest performer on albums by other artists, including Timbaland, Nas, and Sean Paul.
Keri first broke into the music scene at age 14 when she signed a record deal with girl group D'Signe. Hilson spent most of her teenage years as a songwriter and background vocalist for the likes of Usher, Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Toni Braxton, and Ciara. She became a member of the songwriting and production team known as The Clutch and co-wrote songs such as Mary J. Blige's "Take Me as I Am" and Britney Spears' "Gimme More." In 2006, Hilson was signed to Timbaland's record label Mosley Music Group. Her debut album, 2009's "In a Perfect World," hit the "Billboard" 200 chart at #4, reached #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and had a first-week sales tally of 94,000 copies. By October 2009, the album went Gold. Keri made her film debut in 2012 in the romantic comedy "Think Like a Man."
Her music awards include a BET Award for Best New Artist (2007), a MOBO Award for Best R&B/Soul Act (2009), "Soul Train" Music Awards for Best New Artist (2009) and Best Collaboration (2009 – with Kanye West and Ne-Yo), an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist (2010), and a Get Schooled Award (2011).
Early Life
Keri Hilson was born Keri Lynn Hilson on December 5, 1982, in Decatur, Georgia. Her mother owned and operated a daycare center, and her father worked as a developer in the U.S. Army. Keri grew up in a predominately African-American neighborhood that she described as somewhat rough. Her parents decided to send Hilson and her four siblings to a school over an hour away because they wanted them to receive a better education. Keri knew at the age of 12 that she wanted a career in music and was inspired by the singing competition show "Star Search." Her mother paid for her to take piano lessons, but Hilson used the lessons to practice her vocals while the instructor played the piano. When she was just 14, she secured a recording deal with the girl group D'Singe, which later disbanded. The first song she penned was "Jump," which she wrote for Japanese artist Michico's debut album "I Do." As a teenager, she worked as a background vocalist and songwriter for producer Anthony Dent. Keri performed background vocals for artists including Usher, Ludacris, Kelly Rowland, Ciara, Polow da Don, and Toni Braxton. She attended Tucker High School in DeKalb County, Georgia. After graduating, she enrolled at Oxford College and then at Emory University in Atlanta, where she studied theater.
Early Career
Hilson received her first major paycheck of $25,000 in 2002 for her work on Reuben Studdard's first album, "Soulful." During this time, she ceased working for Anthony Dent and began working more for rapper and music producer Polow da Don. In 2004, she joined the Atlanta-based songwriter and record-producing group referred to as "The Clutch," which was responsible for hits such as Mary J. Blige's "Take Me as I Am," The Pussycat Dolls' "Wait A Minute," and Britney Spears' "Gimme More." After Hilson was introduced to Timbaland in 2006, he signed her to his label, Mosley Music Group. She was subsequently featured on rapper Loyd Banks' single "Help," which was from his 2006 album "Rotten Apple." In the following year, she was featured on Timbaland's worldwide hit "The Way I Are" as well as on his collaboration single with Nicole Scherzinger, "Scream." In 2008, Keri appeared in Usher's music video for "Love in This Club" and Ne-Yo's music video for "Miss Independent," and both songs were hits.
Solo Career
In March 2009, Hilson released her debut solo album, "In a Perfect World…" Stylistically, the album was a mixture of pop and R&B, and it debuted at #4 on the "Billboard" album charts. By April of that year, the album had been certified Gold. The first single from the record, "Energy," was released in May and peaked at #78 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The track also charted in the United Kingdom and in New Zealand. The single featuring Lil Wayne, "Turnin Me On," was the record's second single, and it peaked at #15 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The album's third single, "Knock You Down," which featured Ne-Yo and Kanye West, was its most successful and peaked at #3 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The song was an international hit, and it charted in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and The Netherlands. After the success of her album, Keri joined T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes, and Gorilla Zoe as a supporting act on Lil Wayne's "I Am Music Tour." In 2009, she won a BET Award for Best New Artist.
Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
In 2010, Hilson became the new face of the personal care and beauty product brand Avon. That same year saw the release of her second album, "No Boys Allowed." It debuted at #11 on the "Billboard" album charts, and the single "Pretty Girl Rock" peaked at #24 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Keri received two nominations at the 2011 BET Awards for her work generally as an R&B artist and for the music video for "Pretty Girl Rock." In the summer of 2011, she joined Lil Wayne for the second leg of his "I Am Music Tour," and she announced that she had begun working on her third studio album. However, she continued to postpone the album's release, but its title, "L.I.A.R.," was leaked to the public in 2016. She later confirmed that "L.I.A.R." was the album's title and that it stood for "Love Is a Religion." Over a decade later, the album has yet to be released.
Acting and Activism
In addition to her career as a musician, Hilson has appeared in several films and over twenty music videos. She was cast in a minor role in the 2012 romantic comedy "Think Like a Man," which starred Michael Ealy, Gabrielle Union, and Kevin Hart. The following year, Keri had another minor role in the action film "Riddick." In 2016, she returned to the big screen with a small part in the holiday film "Almost Christmas," which also featured Danny Glover, Gabrielle Union, and Mo'Nique. She landed her first supporting role the following year in the television movie "Love by the 10th Date."
Hilson is an active philanthropist and has supported a variety of charitable causes. In 2010, she collaborated with Akon on his single "Oh Africa," and the song's proceeds were donated to underprivileged African youths. Later in 2010, she performed at a benefit concert to help support Haiti in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, and she was one of the artists featured on a charity track "We Are the World 25 for Haiti." Keri has supported increased access and quality of education and has been active in raising awareness for HIV and AIDS.
