Keri Hilson Says She Was Forced To Diss Beyoncé In ‘Turnin’ Me On’ Remix

It’s been nearly 15 years since the Beyoncé-Keri Hilson drama blew up the internet, and practically iced out Hilson’s rising career. But now? Keri is finally setting the record straight. And whew, the tea is hot!

In a brand-new interview on The Breakfast Club, Keri Hilson got real about the infamous 2009 “Turnin’ Me On (Remix),” the same track that had fans convinced she was coming for Queen Bey’s crown. The lyrics were shady. The timing was wild. And the fallout? Brutal.

But here’s the twist: Keri says she never even wrote the diss.

For the first time, the R&B singer revealed that the controversial bars were not hers. “It’s a regret. But not in the way people think,” she confessed. “That’s a song I actually didn’t write. Those are not my words.”

According to Keri, the remix was cooked up by hitmaker Polow Da Don, who was pressing her for a quick follow-up while she was touring with Lil Wayne. “He had been on me for a couple of weeks, (saying) we need to do a remix,” she explained.

And when she heard those now-infamous lines: “She can dance, she can sing, but she need to move it to the left, left.” Keri says she immediately pushed back. “Automatically, I was like, ‘I’m not saying that.’ That was my position.”

But the pushback didn’t stick. “It was quite forceful,” Keri Hilson shared. “In an executive-artist way.”

Keri says she tried to rewrite her own version of the remix, but ultimately, pressure to protect her debut album, In A Perfect World… led her to record the shady track. At the time, she says she wasn’t totally sure who the verse was aimed at, but she knew it was messy.

“I remember thinking, ‘That’s shady,'” she recalled.

Fans have long speculated that the lyrics were a direct shot at Beyoncé, especially lines about “having some babies” and “moving to the left,” a clear nod to “Irreplaceable.” Whether or not Polow Da Don ever confirmed the target, the damage was done. Keri’s career hit a wall. Radio cooled off. Social media dragged her for years. Some fans still haven’t forgiven her.

Now 42, Hilson reflects on that moment with a mix of regret and clarity. It wasn’t just a bad career move. It was a decision made under pressure at a time when she felt she had no choice.