What song did Ester Dean write for Beyoncé? Writing credits explored as Pitch Perfect star apologizes for 2009 Beyoncé diss track 

Ester Dean, who wrote the tracks Start Over and Countdown for Beyoncé’s 2011 album, 4, took to social media on April 9 to publicly acknowledge and apologize for her part in a remix song which took a jibe at Beyoncé.

Turnin’ Me On was a remix produced by Polow da Don in 2009. The track was sung by Keri Hilson, who co-wrote the song along with Ester Dean. Upon its release, the song got a lot of attention for its controversial lyrics, which were widely interpreted as a diss against Beyoncé. Some of the lines of Turnin’ Me On were thought to contain direct references to Beyoncé’s 2006 single, Irreplaceable. Beyoncé’s fans had reacted sharply to lines like:

“Your vision cloudy if you think that you’re the best…She need to go have some babies / She needs to sit down, she fake”

Keri Hilson, who sang the track, drew a lot of flak for Turnin’ Me On back in 2009. More than fifteen years later, while speaking on the radio show The Breakfast Club, Hilson claimed that she did not write the controversial parts of the 2009 track, and that she was forced to sing the song despite the fact that she felt the lyrics were problematic and disrespectful.

Ester Dean and Beyoncé’s relationship explored

Shortly after Keri Hilson’s revelation, Ester Dean posted to her social media account that it was she who had co-written the song alongside Hilson.

She wrote:

“I submitted a lot of verses for that remix—one got picked, and it was co-written with Keri,” Dean wrote. “Looking back, it was childish and didn’t age well. I see how it hurt people, especially women, and I take full accountability.”

“I’ve worked with and supported many women since, but that doesn’t erase the moment. I’m sorry for my part in it. Growth is real, and so is this apology.”

Dean’s collaboration with Hilson on the controversial track sits at odds with Beyoncé’s fans as the songwriter-actress had in fact collaborated with Beyoncé for her fourth studio a couple of years after the release of the controversial track.

Countdown, one of the songs that Dean wrote for Beyoncé’s 4, performed extremely well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 71 on the list.

Beyond Dean and Beyoncé’s professional collaboration, the Cowboy Carter star has even shared personal dating advice with Dean. VH1 reported that while speaking to the outlet about her relationship with Beyoncé, Dean had shared,

“[Beyoncé] just sat down with me and told me how to get a man and what I should do. I told her all my man goals. She had me figure out what I wanted in a boyfriend. It's so crazy, 'cause everything I told her I wanted, that's what my boyfriend is. She would be a great relationship counselor."

Ester Dean’s songwriting career explored

Ester Dean has been a prolific songwriter who has written hit tracks for artists like Rihanna, Katy Perry and Drake.

Dean wrote What's My Name for Rihanna in 2010. The track went on to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart in 2010.

That same year, Dean wrote Firework for Katy Perry’s hit album, Teenage Dream. The single Firework became an instant party hit.

In 2013, Selena Gomez’s Come & Get It released. This track, which was originally written by Dean for Rihanna, became Gomez’s first top ten hit.

While speaking to New Yorker about her songwriting process, Dean said,

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“I go into the booth and I scream and I sing and I yell, and sometimes it’s words but most time it’s not. And I just see when I get this little chill, here and then I’m, like, ‘Yeah, that’s the hook.’”

According to NPR, Dean had been passionate about writing lyrics from her grade school years. As per NPR’s report, writing and performing songs had helped Dean cope with life as the youngest child of a single mom.

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