Meet kerri, Who Timbaland Called “the Anakin to my Obi-Wan” (“SAME PLACE” Single Out Now)
March 14, 2025 BY Bailey Vigliaturo
Today, Montreal-based artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist kerri shares his latest single “SAME PLACE,” one week after previewing the track on Timbaland’s livestream to enormous praise. The song follows January single “CHANGE ME,” produced by buzzing artist Max Fry, and his December EP DON’T PANIC: the fall of kerri.
In the aforementioned livestream, the GRAMMY-winning superproducer was so taken by kerri’s music that he dedicated over 20 minutes of the stream to talking about him, leading to kerri amassing hundreds of new followers on Spotify, Instagram and YouTube overnight. Timbaland dubbed kerri “the Anakin to his Obi-Wan Kenobi” and within 24 hours, sent kerri stems for an upcoming collaboration.
But kerri has put in years of work leading up to this potentially life-changing cosign, and has plenty of accomplishments to show for it. His song “us/faces” appeared on NBC’s Bel-Air, tastemaker outlets like Complex Canada and Ones to Watch have shown him love, and he’s consistently appeared on Spotify editorials like New Music Friday: Canada, anti-pop and Indie All-Stars. Add all this together, and it’s evident that kerri’s been on the precipice of a breakthrough for quite some time.
“SAME PLACE” continues kerri’s monthly single series “Don’t Panic Fridays,” which began in June 2024, as well as videos for each track shot locally in Montreal. The series will lead into a full-length album later this year. Thematically, it’s been a reminder, both to himself and to his supporters, to eschew fear of judgment and be proud of their authentic selves. Blurring the line between alternative R&B, indie rock, and bedroom pop, the upcoming project draws on a sonic palette that only kerri knows how to present.
“This music signifies me entering a constant state of reinvention,” reveals kerri. “It feels like having confidence in my voice artistically and trusting myself as a human being. Over the last year as I started to see the world for the first time again, I found myself wishing I had been less afraid. Less afraid of being goofy, less afraid of showing myself, less afraid of accepting love. I’m…embracing a messy but genuine future.”
“SAME PLACE” is available at digital retailers here: https://kerri.ffm.to/sameplace
