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Keri Hilson claims she was forced to diss Beyoncé in 2009 remix track

Keri Hilson has claimed she was forced to diss Beyoncé in the 2009 remix of her song Turnin' Me On.

During an interview for The Breakfast Club on Wednesday, the Energy hitmaker was asked about the controversy surrounding a leaked version of her 2008 track, titled Turnin' Me Off, which featured new verses from herself, Lil Wayne, and T-Pain.

The remix included the lyric, "You can dance, she can sing but need to move it to the left, left," which many fans speculated could be a reference to either Ciara's dance talent or Beyoncé's 2006 song Irreplaceable.

Addressing the rumours, Hilson expressed "regret" over ever recording the remix.

"It's a regret. But not in the way people would think because that's a song I actually didn't write. Those are not my words," she insisted.

Hilson went on to claim singer-songwriter Ester Dean actually wrote the lyrics and that she asked producer Polow da Don to cut the verse entirely.

"Automatically, I was like, 'I'm not saying that.' That was my position," the 42-year-old recounted, adding that she felt the verse was "shady".

"I tried to fight him on it and I began writing my own but he... It was quite forceful. In an executive-artist way only," she said of Polow, before noting that she felt pressure to record the track in the lead-up to the release of her debut album In A Perfect World... later that year.

"My album wasn't out yet, so it was like, 'You're not coming out if you don't do this,'" the Knock You Down star continued. "The mistake that I made was not continuing to fight, but I was in tears. I was crying. I was adamant that I did not wanna do that... I was young, I felt I had no power, I felt I had no choice."

Representatives for Beyoncé, Ciara, and Polow da Don - real name Jamal Jones - have not yet responded to Hilson's comments.

However, Pitch Perfect actress Dean took to Instagram after the interview aired and issued an apology to all parties.

"I submitted a lot of verses for that remix - one got picked, and it was co-written with Keri. Looking back, it was childish and didn't age well. I see how it hurt people, especially women, and I take full accountability," she wrote. "I've worked with and supported many women since, but that doesn't erase that moment. I'm sorry for my part in it. Growth is real, and so is this apology."

Photo: Cover Media
Source: Cover Media
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