Ladies Take Note ::: Keri Hilson, “Being a freak is what you want to be.”

While she’s currently on Lil Wayne’s I Am Music Tour, Keri Hilson found the time to take a break and answer a few questions for The Fader. She talked briefly about being a freak, her start as a songwriter, her fitness regimen and what she misses about her hometown ATL. Check out a few quotables:

On being “a freak”:

(0:15) “Being a freak is what you want to be. I’m not saying with everybody. In that record I’m talking about one guy, on one night. And if women are very honest, this is what we want some nights. It’s not to be mistaken with ‘hoe’… To me, there’s nothing sexier than confidence. So don’t wear or be anybody that you’re not comfortable being or wearing. With songs like “Pretty Girl Rock, my album is all about taking control and owning yourself; owning your sexuality; owning your beauty; your confidence. Don’t let other people’s opinions or a man’s opinions validate how you feel about yourself.”

On being a songwriter before becoming a famous singer and how she makes great songs:

(1:10) “It wasn’t frustrating for me being behind the scenes [as a songwriter] because I understood my role. When you understand your role you’re comfortable with it. At that point, when I was a songwriter for all those years, I stopped considering myself as an artist. I nestled on into being a songwriter… When you wake up you don’t know what’s going to come out of you. You don’t know if your inspiration will lead you to something great or something mediocre. You go in the studio, and just because you’re working with people you always work with doesn’t mean that this is going to be a colossal song.”

On staying fit:

(2:10) “Usually we find a park. I like to hang out outside. So my fitness is a lot of cardio, a lot of sprints. I do things to mimic what I do on stage. So for cardio I’m running, running, running until I get my heart rate up as much as it can go and then I stop. And then take a break and then do it again. Because that’s what it’s like on stage. I do something that’s fast, fast, fast pace and then I do a ballad. Then it goes fast, fast, fast pace, then there’s another ballad. And we just make it fun. I even play basketball.”

On missing Atlanta:

(3:35) “What I miss most about Atlanta is my family. Really, that’s only because of the food… I’m kidding (laughs). Atlanta is such a nice city. The people are cordial, they open doors for you. I also love the hustle. There’s this Dirty South mentality that you find in other places of the South, of course, but in Atlanta there’s nothing like it. I’m biased, I’m sure. But there’s nothing like it. The hustle just makes you want to go extra hard. When I go there I start thinking that I haven’t done anything at all.”

Here’s the footage :)

Peep the video in its entirety here:

-@Kami2Kute