"I'm sorry for my part in it" – Pitch Perfect star Ester Dean regrets writing Beyoncé diss for Keri Hilson

Ester Dean, an actress and musician known for playing the character Cynthia Rose in the Pitch Perfect film series, shared through her social media account that she regrets writing part of a song for Keri Hilson that includes a dig at Beyoncé. In her social media post on April 9, Dean wrote,

“I submitted a lot of verses for that remix — one got picked, 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...I'm sorry for my part in it.”

The lyrics were from the track Turnin' Me On from Hilson's debut album.

The controversy surrounding Ester Dean and Keri Hilson's song

Ester Dean, who began her career as a songwriter in the 2000s before achieving success as a solo musician and actress, referred to the remix of "Turnin' Me On," performed by Keri Hilson, in her apology post on April 9. Some lyrics from the remix, released in 2009, were interpreted as a jab aimed at Beyoncé. The lyrics in question were:

“You can dance, she can sing / But she need to move it to the left, left,”

These lines from Turnin' Me On have been interpreted as a reference to Beyoncé's 2006 hit single Irreplaceable.

Furthermore, portions of Hilson's remix were seen as misogynistic and provoked strong reactions from fans and critics alike.

“She need to go have some babies / She needs to sit down”

Addressing the controversial parts of the remix, Ester Dean, who co-wrote the track, further mentioned in her post,

“I’ve worked with and supported many women since, but that doesn’t erase the moment”

It is important to note that Dean's post followed Keri Hilson's statement, where she also referenced the controversial lyrics. During her appearance on the radio show The Breakfast Club, Hilson shared that she had not written any of the contentious parts of the lyrics. Hilson said,

“That’s a song I actually didn’t write. Those are not my words.”

During the radio show, Hilson claimed that she had been pressured to sing the controversial parts of the song. She shared that she did not agree with the lyrics even when the song was being produced. Hilson explained that since it was too early in her career, she lacked the courage to assert herself regarding her lyrics. She further expressed regret for not following her instincts and resisting the performance of lyrics she disagreed with, stating,

Trending

“Automatically, I was like, ‘I’m not saying that.’ That was my position. I’m an athlete. I am competitive. But I’m not nasty, I’m a finesse player. I don’t look at things like that…my album wasn’t out yet, I was told it’s not coming out if you don’t do this…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.”

Ester Dean addressed Hilson's claims in her April 9 post. While Dean accepted responsibility for the controversial lyrics, it is crucial to emphasize that she stated she did not solely write the song and that she co-wrote the lyrics with Hilson.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback