Why Did Lauryn Hill Stop Singing? Grammy Performer’s Exit From Music Industry, Explained
Lauryn Hill is making an epic return to the Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 1. The singer, who has not released a full album since 1998, will be taking the stage to perform a musical tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack.
After getting her start in the music industry as a member of the group Fugees, Hill skyrocketed to fame with her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998. However, after the album’s success, which included five Grammy Award wins, Hill mostly stepped away from the spotlight.
She released a live album in 2002 and some singles over the years, while also doing some work with Fugees and popping up for some live shows, but has not continued with a regular career path in entertainment. Scroll down for everything to know about Hill’s decision to stop singing, what she’s been up to instead, and more.
Why did Lauryn Hill stop singing?
Hill’s decision to step away from the music came down to her skepticism about the way the industry works and the pressure put on artists. Her lack of trust in the industry began after she was named in a 1998 lawsuit by four musicians, New Ark, who demanded writing and production credit on her Miseducation album. It wasn’t until 2001 that Hill settled out of court with New Ark for $5 million.
Amid the lawsuit, Hill stepped away from the public eye, then returned in 2001 for an Unplugged special on MTV, which was released as a live album the following year. This project was much different than her debut record, as it featured Hill singing with nothing but her acoustic guitar backing her. The album received more criticism than praise, which was much different than what Hill experienced with Miseducation’s release.
In 2021, Hill submitted email responses for Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums podcast, noting, “After the Miseducation, there were scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations,, and saboteurs EVERYWHERE. People had included me in their own narratives of THEIR successes as it pertained to my album, and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy.”
She also added, “The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER…EVER. Did I say ever? Ever!”
Hill explained that the albums she has released “addressed systemic racism to some degree” before it was widely talked about. “I was called crazy,” she insisted. “Now…over a decade later, we hear this as part of the mainstream chorus.” She urged listeners to “acknowledge the blatant denial that went down” and called out the “public abuse and ostracizing while suppressing and copying what [she] had done, (I protested) with still no real acknowledgement that all of that even happened.”
To put it simply, “[It’s] a lot,” Hill concluded.
During her career, Hill also received criticism for showing up late to concerts and making her fans wait for her to take the stage to perform. Plus, she was in her early 20s and starting a family at the time her career took off, which put her priorities in a different place.
Kathy Iandoli, who wrote the book God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop, pointed out, “It turned into more of a smear campaign. … People were saying stuff like, ‘Lauryn Hill looked homeless onstage.’ You can only criticize and poke at someone for so long. She’s a human being.”
What was Lauryn Hill’s prison sentence?
In 2013, Hill was sentenced to three months in prison for failing to pay taxes on income earned between 2005 and 2007. Following her prison sentence in Danbury, Connecticut, she was on home confinement for three months and probation for a year, per CNN.
The singer began her prison sentence on July 8, 2013, and was released on October 4, 2013, being let go a few days early due to good behavior.
Her prison sentence came after she pled guilty to failing to pay taxes on $1.8 million. Before entering her guilty plea, Hill said that she didn’t pay her taxes because “she withdrew from society at large due to what she perceived as manipulation and very real threats to herself and her family,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What is Lauryn Hill doing now?
While Hill does not consistently release new music, she still sporadically puts out singles, and has embarked on her Artist in Residence tour in Canada at the end of 2025.
“With ‘Artist In Residence,’ Ms. Hill continues to push the boundaries of live performance, bringing her distinctive sound and uncompromising artistry to the stage with renewed force,” a press release about the tour, which visited intimate venues, said. “The tour stands as a continuation of her evolution, an intimate and immersive experience that connects audiences across Canada through the unmistakable presence of one of music’s most enduring voices.”
Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for ESSENCE
In July 2025, she performed at the Essence Festival, but did not take the stage until the early hours of the morning, long after she was scheduled to sing. Many concertgoers had left by the time Hill arrived.
After receiving criticism for the delay, Hill took to social media to insist that it wasn’t her fault, explaining that she’s involved in “every aspect” of what goes into her performances. “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,” she wrote. “That’s nonsense.”
She also pointed out that the event’s promoter “acknowledged the slip up on their end,” citing production challenges.
Who are Lauryn Hill’s kids?
Hill is a mother to six children. Her first child, Zion, was born while she was writing and recording Misconception.
From 1996 until 2009, Hill was in an on/off relationship with Bob Marley‘s son, Rohan Marley. They had five children together during that time. After Zion was born in 1997, the pair welcomed daughter Selah in November 1998, son Joshua in December 2001, son John in June 2003, and daughter Sara in January 2008.
Hill then had another son, Micah, in 2011, but she has never publicly revealed the identity of the boy’s father. She did clarify, though, that Marley is not Micah’s dad.
“Contrary to the numerous reports, Mr. Marley did not abandon me while pregnant with his child,” she wrote in a since-deleted post on X. “We have had long periods of separation over the years but our five children together remain a joy to both of us.”
2026 Grammy Awards, Sunday, February 1, 8/7c, CBS
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