Keri Hilson hasn’t released an album in over a decade, but that could change soon.
The R&B singer has revealed that her long-awaited third studio album is on its way. Keri stated on the “Behind the Mask” podcast that she hoped it would be released this year.
“I’m hoping,” she said. “I can say it answers questions, and I can say I’m proud of it. There were a few false starts, but they were not all my fault.”
Among the “false starts” was a press release sent to the media announcing the release of her new album in March 2016, which was later discovered to be a forgery. She also stated that her father’s death caused the delay in January 2020.
“But I feel like I’m getting closer to being able to [release it]now,” she explained.
THEY issued a fake press release. THEY have good info tho: Again IS jammin/LIAR IS the album but it's just not ready. Soon! #nevertrustTHEY
— Keri Hilson (@KeriHilson) March 17, 2016
She may, however, wish to return to the studio. “I’ve been thinking about whether I want to freshen it up a little bit. “I’ve been moved to write,” she explained. “I could create indefinitely and never release it. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past ten years: creating and maintaining it.”
She described the album as a “revealing” look at her ten-year journey. “I wouldn’t say it was an obvious open letter to my fans. I’m not speaking to my fans, but by hearing the love story, you’ll understand me better, and you’ll understand why.”
The 40-year-old singer-songwriter released two albums, In a Perfect World… in 2009 and No Boys Allowed in 2010, but has been quiet since then.
“My truth is, I’d love nothing more than to release this incredible music I’ve been sitting on,’ and I’ve been attempting to do so for years,” she told fans in 2019. “There have been so many blockages I have constantly fought myself to not directly speak about…wisdom. I’ve lost some important characters in the process of stepping back for my own good… “I was prepared for the possibility that some people would not understand or lose faith in me as an artist while I dealt with the trials of my life, but it still hurts.”
In a 2017 interview with “The Real,” she revealed the title of her third album, L.I.A.R., an acronym for Love Is a Religion. “There are so many parallels between religion and love,” she said. “If we believe this will work, we will do whatever it takes and be obedient. We’ll go to any length to make it work. It’s religious in nature. You have to be that dedicated to doing love work.”
It appears that 2023 will be the year that Miss Keri returns. “I do believe this is the year,” she said.