The Keri Hilson Situation: The Brilliance of “I Like” in an Imperfect World

by Bradley Stern
filed under: Britney Spears, Cathy Dennis, David Jost, Kanye West, Keri Hilson, Lil Wayne, Linda Perry, Omarion, Robin Grubert, Timbaland, Tokio Hotel, Video Premiere

It’s a familiar situation: The songwriter seeking to transition to the stage.

For some artists, it’s worked. For others, not so much: While it seems Lady Gaga has all but eclipsed the songwriter title with her newly found icon status, other incredibly talented heavyweights, including Cathy Dennis (“Toxic,” “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”) and Linda Perry (“Get The Party Started,” “What You Waiting For?”) have garnered a moderate, niche popularity that, while enough to establish a devoted following, ultimately pales in comparison to the success enjoyed by the superstar singers of some of their greatest works.

It’s hard to say exactly where Keri Hilson will wind up along that scale. As one of today’s leading modern pop songwriters, she’s already proven herself as an accomplished talent, with credits on such radio smashes as Britney‘s “Gimme More,” Omarion‘s “Ice Box” and Timbaland‘s “The Way I Are.”

Yet her solo career singles, including “Energy” and “Knock You Down” have largely wavered in popularity. Of all the singles off of In A Perfect World…, the most successful of them all happen to sport a “featuring” spot from the likes of Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne and other mega-wattage superstars, ultimately begging the question: Can Keri carry herself as an artist in her own right?

“I Like” is Keri Hilson’s latest release, a German-only single penned by David Jost (Tokio Hotel) and Robin Grubert released on December 11. The song was selected as the theme song for the German film, Zweiohrküken, and has since peaked at #1 on the German Music Charts.

Though “I Like” seems destined to slip past the world’s radar, the smooth, slinky electro-tinged number happens to be one of Hilson’s finest solo tracks–and ironically, one which she had almost nothing to do with. According to an interview with songwriter David Jost, Hilson was selected because he thought she would supply “the perfect voice” for the track.

In a perfect world, this song would be rocketing up the radio charts right now, but just because the rest of the public hasn’t caught on to this sublime track doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t.

I like, I like…I love.

pixel The Keri Hilson Situation: The Brilliance of I Like in an Imperfect World

  • RJ

    She’s such a breath of fresh air to the R&B/Pop world and it’s a shame she isn’t going to get the recognition she deserves (outside of when she writes something like “Gimme More,” but still no one knows it’s her.)

    I love Miss Keri Baby to death.

  • Calen

    Such a beautiful track. I love as well.

  • http://Just-a-bit-skeet.blogspot.com Jordan

    The song is being released in the US, me thinks. Why do I think this, you ask? A brand new, “movie tie-in-less” version of the music video was posted on her official vevo yesterday. Plus, she performed it on Dick Clark’s New Years Eve thing-y. So, yeah. There’s hope!