Keri Hilson

Last year was supposed to belong to Keri Hilson.

In 2007, Hilson and Timbaland's dance hit The Way I Are was all over radio, in clubs, on phones and even in a McDonald's commercial. After years of behind-the-scenes work with five-member writing team The Clutch (Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, Ciara), Hilson's glassy vocals put her center-stage. The leggy beauty's debut was scheduled for release that same year, but budget cuts at her label and two lukewarm singles prompted delays. Hilson bided her time with a guest slot on Nas’s Hero and sexy cameos in the videos for Usher’s Love in this Club and Ne-Yo's Miss Independent, all of which helped her stay on the radar.

It may have been worth the wait. Her debut, In a Perfect World..., has already delivered two hit singles, Turnin’ Me On featuring Lil’ Wayne and the sugary Knock You Down featuring Kanye West. Praised by some for its tight songwriting, the album. has also been criticized for overbearing production – primarily handled by Timbaland and Polow Da Don (Usher, Fergie, Ludacris) – and what Rolling Stone calls a lack of "personality."

Having already lived the ups and downs of the entertainment industry, the 26-year-old Hilson is taking it one day at a time: "Five years from now, I hope, I pray that I'm not jaded from the industry because there's so much you have to deal with to remain successful.”