Keri Hilson

Recently two Atlanta-based R&B artists who have toiled behind the scenes for years, writing hits for others have finally stepped out on their own. Both have new albums backed by some of the biggest names in urban music. One, you probably guessed, is Ne-Yo, as he's practically a household name nowadays, but bonus points if you got Keri Hilson, because the alluring chanteuse is only just starting to receive national attention.

Having penned tracks for a virtual who's-who of pop music in recent years – including Britney Spears, Usher, Chris Brown and Mary J. Blige – Hilson's highly anticipated debut CD In a Perfect World… is slated to drop in October.

A joint venture of superproducers Timbaland's and Polow da Don's imprints, the album is the culmination of nearly half a life's work for the 25-year-old singer/songwriter. Raised a strict Christian, as a teenager Hilson became a fan of edgy, soulful performers like TLC and Outkast, and it wasn't long before she craved a career of her own. Her show business ascendancy began with a call from Bel Biv DeVoe member Michael Bivins when she was only 14 years old. The connection led to a shortlived kid group that didn't amount to much, but helped her develop contacts within the music industry.

Years later while recording tracks in Atlanta, she ran into Polow da Don – well before he broke big with hit songs like "Love In This Club." He introduced her to Timbaland, who enlisted her in his collective of producers and songwriters called The Clutch. "I've been very blessed to work with many of the top artists out today," Hilson says. "I was a sponge with a lot of them. I learned that being a star is a natural thing, not contrived or calculated. People love you more when you're genuine."

The connections led to a writing and singing opportunity on rapper Xzibit's song "Hey Now (Mean Muggin')," and, later, writing credits on three tracks on Spears's Blackout, including the single "Gimme More."

But Hilson's breakout as a performer came from singing the hook on Timbaland's mammoth single, "The Way I Are," which topped the charts in countries around the world in 2007, and won them both ASCAP Pop Music Awards. The success of the song laid the groundwork for In a Perfect World…, whose first single, "Energy," has been receiving heavy rotation on MTV Hits.

While she maintains she still likes writing songs for other people, performing definitely has its benefits. "Now that I'm not only behind the lyrics, I've become the voice - the vessel for the message. My favorite thing is definitely when people walk up to me and tell me what a song means to them. That's what I do it for."