After 16 years of whispers, side-eyes, and fan theories, Keri Hilson is finally telling her side of the story about those infamous lyrics that many believed were aimed at Beyoncé.
In a brand-new interview with PEOPLE, the R&B star is opening up about what really went down with the 2009 remix of her hit song “Turnin’ Me On.” And guess what? Keri says she never wanted to diss Queen Bey in the first place.
“I never wanted to record it. I definitely never wanted it to come out,” Keri shared.
The Remix That Started It All
Back in 2009, Keri Hilson was one of the hottest names in R&B. Her song “Turnin’ Me On” was climbing the Billboard charts, and fans couldn’t get enough. But then a remix dropped online—one with lyrics that seemed to throw serious shade at Beyoncé. One line told someone to “move it to the left,” which fans took as a reference to Beyoncé’s hit “Irreplaceable.”
That’s when the drama started.
Fans picked sides fast. Team Keri vs. Team Beyoncé took over social media and blogs. Keri got caught in the middle, and it’s something she says she’s been dealing with ever since.
“Those Weren’t My Words”
Keri is finally telling the truth: she didn’t write those diss lines.
“I didn’t write them,” she explained. “I was forced to sing them.”
Keri says she showed up to the studio ready to write her own verse. But when she got there, someone else had already written it. The producers—Polow da Don and Danja—had a different plan. According to Keri, someone on the team wanted the remix to get attention, no matter what kind of attention that was.
“It didn’t matter if that was negative or positive,” she said. “Calls were made that twisted my arm into doing something I never wanted to do.”
Even though she didn’t write those lines, she says she “ate it” and stayed quiet to protect other people involved. She also stayed silent to protect her own career.
“I probably could have cleaned it up,” she said, “but I didn’t want to make my career even more difficult. I wanted it to go away.”
Still a Beyoncé Fan
Here’s the twist: Keri’s actually a fan of Beyoncé.
“I’ve been a fan of hers for a very long time,” Keri said.
She says the lyrics didn’t reflect how she really felt. In fact, the whole thing scared her. Back then, she felt like one phone call could end her career, and she was still young and trying to figure things out.
Her last album came out in 2010, and since then, she’s taken time to reflect. Now, with a new album called We Need to Talk coming out April 18, Keri’s finally ready to be honest.
“I can give myself grace,” she said. “I was young. I felt these people had my career in their hands.”
What About Beyoncé?
So, how did Beyoncé feel about all of this? Keri says she honestly doesn’t know.
The two have met in person and introduced themselves, but they never talked about the remix. Still, Keri says she wishes they could have a real conversation about it.
“I’ve always wondered what she was told about that, if she was told the truth,” Keri shared.
“I would love the opportunity to sit down and discuss the matter with her. I don’t know if it will ever happen, but it’s something I’ve dreamt about.”
Songwriter Apologizes
Keri isn’t the only one speaking up. Earlier this week, songwriter Ester Dean—who many fans believed wrote the controversial lines—admitted she co-wrote a few verses for the remix.
“Looking back, it was childish and didn’t age well,” Ester said on Instagram.
“I see how it hurt people, especially women, and I take full accountability.”
She added that she’s worked with and supported many women since then but knows that doesn’t erase what happened.
“Growth is real, and so is this apology,” she wrote.
Keri also chimed in to clear things up, saying she only “re-wrote three lines” of the verse—and none of them were aimed at her fellow artists.
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