International songstress Keri Hilson broke down in to tears at a conference at Kenyatta International Convention Centre(KICC) in Nairobi.
This came after the artist was asked by a local journalist Local on some of the lessons she learnt in relation to her music career when she was undergoing depression and that kept her away from the outside world.
For a moment, the room remained almost silent as both reporters and Keri seemed to be weighing the gravity of the question.
The constant and sure smile on Keri’s face faded away as her eyes became slightly watery with tears, a tiny teardrop falling on her left cheek.
According to Keri, “I think we should learn to express our feelings in the songs we write. It was during that time that I feel I worked on some of my best projects as a songwriter.”
She further added that, she learned to accept emotions as part of what makes one who they are.
Keri who is in Nairobi for the Terminal Music Weekend concert that starts this Friday had been suffering from depression.
Keri revealed her struggle during a panel discussion with the Silence the Shame organization the Georgia native explained her hiatus.
“Literally, seven years of my life have been a battle with depression, and I can’t say that I’m all the way clear, but I’m in the clear,” voiced the singer. “When ‘Pretty Girl Rock’ was at the top of the charts, I was bearing the weight of some personal and professional mistakes, and they just weighed so so so heavy on my spirit, and I was just not myself.”
Despite living out her dreams, Hilson’s mental health was at a low because of mistakes she made personally and professionally.
“It all just kind of spiraled for me, and became something I had never been through, I had never recognized myself as a person who can’t pick themselves back up. I mean, I was literally on stage crying.” She added that a break-up of a longterm relationship worsened the low point she had reached.
Hear Keri Hilson discuss her bout with depression and coping mechanisms in at the 11:47 mark in the video above. Silence the Shame is an initative started by Shanti Das which works to break the stigma of mental health and the hip hop community.
Besides her career in music, Hilson has also been involved with several charities. In January 2010, she teamed up with Akon on the charity single, “Oh Africa”. All proceeds of the single benefited underprivileged African youth.
The following month, Hilson joined the extended list of artists during the recording session of the single, “We Are the World 25 for Haiti”, to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.On May 25, 2010, she performed at the Virginia Stand Up! A Call to Action benefit concert, organized by Chris Brown to help with continued relief efforts in Haiti.
On October 21, 2010, Hilson attended Collins Academy High School in Chicago as part of the Get Schooled National Challenge and Tour, a “program aimed at increasing high school and college graduation rates and promoting the importance of education”.
A year later, she received a Get Schooled Award for her involvement with the program. In 2011, Hilson contributed in the fight against AIDS by posing in retail-clothing company H&M’s celebrity-driven collection for Fashion Against AIDS. 25% of all sales from the collection were donated to the Designers Against Aids charity. Hilson contributed to the It Gets Better Project, a project which aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.
In June 2011, Hilson became an ambassador for MTV Staying Alive, a foundation which raises awareness and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
In September 2011, she lent her support to US First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, which aims to combat childhood obesity. She made T-shirts for the campaign that read “Pretty Girls Sweat”, and exercised with the young women at The Educational Alliance’s Sirovich Senior Center in New York City on September 24.
During Hilson’s visit in Africa in November 2011, she stopped by an orphanage to visit her young fans who had lost their families during the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis. She gave each orphan a “care” package, which consisted of bookbags, T-shirts, sunglasses, notebooks and an electric keyboard.
In April 2012, Hilson worked with DoSomething.org to encourage young people to take part in the nationwide Epic Book Drive by bringing books to local people in need.
In a press release, she stated: “Joining DoSomething.org’s newest effort to provide for people in need with Epic Book Drive was the easiest decision ever!. I truly believe providing access to those who want to learn is the key to bettering lives around the country. And helping kids find healthy outlets, such as books, has always been a passion of mine. So my involvement here is a natural fit.