Lauryn Hill slams Essence Festival 'nonsense': 'Delays were not my fault'

Lauryn Hill is slamming the narrative surrounding her 2025 Essence Festival of Culture performance delays over the holiday weekend.

The "Killing Me Softly With His Song" hitmaker took to social media Tuesday, July 8, to address "nonsense" surrounding her Essence Fest set, thanking "Essence for clarifying that the delays were not my fault."

Hill took the stage at 2:30 a.m. local time in New Orleans for the annual festival and celebration of Black culture on Friday, July 4, to a smaller crowd than she would typically attract.

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"Family, let me address a few things: I am involved in every aspect of what it takes to put on my shows, because it requires THAT much involvement to protect the integrity of my message and the quality of what I do," Hill added.

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The music legend said she plans for performances "diligently" while "also being a parent, grandparent and steward to my immediate family and community," adding that she does so "without complaint because it is truly labor of love and great passion for me."

The eight-time Grammy winner, long the subject of controversy surrounding her performance tardiness, was previously praised by Essence, an outlet whose core audience is Black women, in an Instagram post June 6 following a People magazine article highlighting the lateness to the stage.

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"Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the PEOPLE have to say. Let’s be very clear— WE don’t play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines," the caption read. She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can."

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"The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched. Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them," the statement continued. "All love and deep profound admiration for Ms. Lauryn Hill."

Last year, Hill and her hip-hop group Fugees, who were set to kick off a new leg of The Miseducation Anniversary Tour beginning this month, abruptly canceled their U.S. tour dates. But in her own Instagram post this week, Hill dismissed the backlash about her Essence Fest performance timing.

Lauryn Hill, pictured on the first day of the 2025 Essence Festival in New Orleans on July 4, is speaking out about production delays that impacted her performance attendance.

"There seems to be a misconception out there that I am somewhere on the Riviera with my feet up, drink in hand, showing up to concerts whenever because I'm too important to care," Hill said, adding that the narrative is "nonsense… and anyone who's been a part of these productions knows that IN FACT the opposite is true."

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"Those of us who are still out here grinding to present an alternative to the divisive, to the shallow, to the controlled, and to the intentionally limiting narrative of our representation do what it takes to do so," Hill added. "We are here, pushing through the resistance."

"Ask yourself how and why I'm still standing after years of public effort to defame me?" Hill asked. "Because someone has to do it!"

Stephanie Mills 'grateful' but concerned about Essence Festival 'professionalism'

Hill wasn't the only one to take issue with the Essence Fest snags. In an open letter to Essence Festival organizers posted publicly to her social media July 7, Mills expressed concern over the event's "overall level of professionalism" following her Sunday performance.

"While I remain grateful for the opportunity to have participated, my overall experience was unfortunately marred by significant production issues that negatively impacted both my performance and the artist experience as a whole," the performer wrote.

Stephanie Mills, performing July 6 at Essence Fest, criticized the festival's production staff for their "overall level of professionalism."

Mills told fans that "the schedule and time management were severely lacking, creating a chaotic and stressful environment backstage" and noted that there were "technical difficulties, specifically concerning the sound system" that "proved deeply problematic."

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Mills called for a "comprehensive review of organizational structure and operational management."

Contributing: Edward Segarra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lauryn Hill slams Essence Festival 'nonsense'