Keri Hilson Third Album: Singer Will Be ‘Emotional,’ ‘Hurt’ With New Music

Keri Hilson is ready for another round, of music that is. The stunning singer-songwriter came to fame as a member of the platinum songwriting team The Clutch -- behind such tracks as Omarion's 'Ice Box,' Ciara's 'Like a Boy' and Timbaland's 'The Way I Are' -- as well as a solo hit maker with her 2009's 'In a Perfect World...' and 2010's 'No Boys Allowed.' Now the chanteuse is busy finishing up her follow-up release, and the time in the studio has more than recharged her batteries.

"I've just been in the studio," Hilson tells The BoomBox. "I've also taken a step back from taking so many shows and accepting every single offer. I wanted to live and experience new things. That's what I really like to do between every single album. Just take a few months off and live life. I thought it was important to allow my home family and personal relationships to flourish again. Because you can lose a lot of that... you miss a lot of things."

As for the sound and feel of her upcoming music, the Grammy-nominated artist describes it as a mixture of her first two projects with some surprising elements thrown in.

"I'm working on a new sound," the Decatur, Ga., native explains. "I just love to challenge myself. My first two albums to me were incredible. They were a moment in time. 'In A Perfect World' was very emotional and tapped into how I was feeling at the time. And my last album, 'No Boys Allowed,' that's how I was feeling at the time as well [laughs]. I was being very territorial, very instructional on how to become a man and what we deserved and demanded as women. The new music has kind of both sides: very emotional, but I've also gone through some hurt in the past couple of years. I'll be explaining some things."

But just don't ask Hilson when the new project will be released. "I don't know," he admits. "To tell you the truth I don't want to know [laughs]. I just write about my experiences and keep the release dates far, far from me. When I feel that I have [good material] is when I will give it to the label. But I'm not quite there yet. I'm still working."