During the height of her fame as an artist in the music industry, Keri Hilson revealed that she was battling depression.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Hilson opened up about the struggles she faced that caused her lengthy hiatus.

‘I was also depressed at the new height of my career with the success of “Pretty Girl Rock.” I was just not okay. I was not well, I needed a break. I hadn’t taken a break since I was 14 years old in my first girl group. When we disbanded, I went headfirst into songwriting at 17, got my first big check by 18. I joined another group and was also writing while in college,” Hilson said.

“So I never had a break from 14 to, say, mid-20s. It was already a decade of just pure dedication, and I needed a break. Fame was a beast for me, and I fell into a really dark place,” she continued. ‘I needed to step away for a moment. I thought it’d be just a one-year moment, not a 14-year moment, but it turns out it was necessary. I really can’t regret it. I, as a human, needed that time.”

She also spoke about how she almost quit the music business entirely.

“I just wasn’t sure of it anymore. The industry was changing. I love making the art, I love doing music, I love making music, I love performing music — but I didn’t love everything that came with it. I didn’t love the heavy criticism,” Hilson explained. ‘It’s just not like the old industry now, and that, to me, felt like a threat. It felt like you have to be so careful and so cautious in how you speak, what you say, where you go, what you do, how you’re perceived, things you say or [post online]. It felt like I was playing a game of, “How many ways can I be misunderstood?”

Almost 15 years after the release of her last album, No Boys Allowed, Hilson is making her long-awaited return with a new nine-track project, We Need to Talk. While she’s excited to be back making music, she admitted that being away for so long has made her nervous.

‘I’m being completely honest, it feels a little scary. It feels like I’m starting over — I like that feeling. I feel ready. I feel excited,” she said. “I feel a lot of gratitude for the opportunity to still do it. I don’t take that for granted.”