Keri Hilson has finally addressed the long-standing controversy that placed her on the wrong side of Beyoncé’s fiercely loyal fanbase.
In a recent interview, the singer expressed regret over a leaked remix of her 2009 track “Turnin Me On,” which included lyrics interpreted as a jab at Beyoncé. Hilson clarified the most crucial detail—those weren’t her words.
The remix appeared at the height of Hilson’s rise, while she was touring with Lil Wayne. Producer Polow da Don, who signed her to Interscope alongside Timbaland, urged her to record a remix of her hit. Hilson says that by the time she returned from tour, Polow had brought in another songwriter to pen the new verse. That lyricist was later revealed to be Ester Dean.
The now-infamous lines—“You can dance, she can sing, but she need to move it to the left, left. She fake. She need to go have some babies”—were interpreted as a direct shot at Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable.” Hilson says she immediately pushed back. She rewrote parts of the verse, changing lines to shift the focus back to the song’s original theme—men, not other women. But her resistance was met with pressure. According to Hilson, Polow involved others and made thinly veiled threats against her debut album, which hadn’t yet dropped.
Hilson said she was adamant, even brought to tears, but ultimately caved. “I was young. I felt powerless,” she said. Though she recorded her own cleaner version, the diss-laced remix “leaked” anyway. It’s a moment she says has haunted her career ever since.
Years later, Ester Dean confirmed in a comment section that she wrote the controversial verse. At first, her tone leaned toward bragging. She later issued a public apology, calling the lyrics childish and harmful. She said she takes “full accountability” and has since grown.
But Hilson wasn’t satisfied with Dean’s version of events. After the apology went viral, Hilson entered The Shade Room’s comments to push back. She denied co-writing the diss, saying she only rewrote three lines of the verse—lines that focused solely on a male love interest. “That was the only battle I won,” she wrote. Hilson took issue with Dean’s timing, accusing her of staying silent for 16 years only to speak when backlash emerged.
The backlash wasn’t limited to the remix. In 2011, Hilson drew more criticism when she refused to hold a magazine featuring Beyoncé on its cover. She later explained she froze and didn’t want to reignite controversy. “I just wanted it to go away,” she admitted during the interview.
Through it all, Beyoncé has never commented publicly. Hilson, meanwhile, continues to live in the shadow of a moment she says she never wanted, defending herself against a firestorm she believes was never truly hers.
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