Keri Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American R&B singer and songwriter signed to Zone 4/Mosley Music Group/Interscope Records. She is part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch. Hilson has been writing music for other artists since 2001, including Britney Spears, Ciara, Usher, and Ludacris. Despite having made a name for herself as an arranger and background vocalist, lending her vocal talents to many of the songs she wrote on , Hilson remained behind the scenes for the most part until 2004, when she was featured on Xzibit's single, "Hey Now (Mean Muggin)" and made her performing debut singing the track live at the 2004 MTV Europe Awards.