Trend-setting Hip-Hop/R&B artist Lauryn Hill broke her silence today on her decade-plus near-total absence from the music scene after the success of her Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album in 1998. And from the sound of it, we may just see a full-on Lauryn revival in the coming year.
Speaking to NPR, the Grammy-winning former Fugee explained that the industry took its toll when she found herself surrounded by the wrong people:
"The support system that I needed was not necessarily in place," Hill explained. "Oftentimes, the machine can overlook the need to take care of the people who produce the sounds that have a lot to do with the health and well-being of society. And it's important that people be given the time that they need to go through, to grow, so that the consciousness level of the general public is properly affected."
Popular opinion until now was that Hill, now 35, had a nervous breakdown after her 1998 album success when she all but disappeared from public life. She has performed on occasion, but rarely, and reactions to the performances were often mixed. Additionally, she notoriously almost never grants interviews with the press - until now.
Hill explained that "there were things about myself, personal-growth things, that I had to go through in order to feel like it was worth it."
She also pointed to family demands - she has five children with longtime partner Rohan Marley, son of raggae singer Bob Marley.
"I don't know if you know this, but I have five children," she told NPR. "The youngest is 2 now, so she's old enough that I can leave her for a period of time and know she's going to be okay."
Hill sounded optimistic about her future career, saying "it's time" to start performing again after her hiatus. "I'm starting to get excited again. Believe it or not, I think what people are attracted to about me, if anything, is my passion. People got exposed to my passion through music and song first...And I think that can be infectious."
As for the future, she's working on expanding her already-formidable vocal abilities. "I'm trying to open up my range and really sing more," she says. "With The Fugees initially, and even with Miseducation, it was very hip-hop — always a singing over beats. I don't think people have really heard me sing out. So if I do record again, perhaps it will have an expanded context. Where people can hear a bit more."
Can't wait to see her back on the scene. For the full interview (and it's a good read), head to NPR.
