“I hate being controlled”: When Lauryn Hill explained her departure from the spotlight

“I hate being controlled”: When Lauryn Hill explained her departure from the spotlight

Singer recorded only one album in her solo career, the extremely successful The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, never to release new music again.

There are rare cases of successful artists who record just one album. It was like that with the Sex Pistolslegendary punk band that left only Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977) in its catalog of unpublished works. And it also happened with Lauryn Hillhip hop icon, decades later.

The artist, of course, recorded albums with the group Fugees. However, she only produced one album of new songs during her solo career: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, still cited today as one of the greatest hip hop works of all time. Released in 1998, the material today has more than 20 million copies sold across the planet.

With such success, it was to be expected that Hill continued releasing new works. It wasn’t the case. The most she did was acoustic MTV Unplugged No. 2.0recorded in 2001 and released the following year, without new songs.

Why? In a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone USA(via website Igor Miranda), Lauryn approached the subject in a way he rarely does. On that occasion, she was invited to reflect on the entry of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on the list of the 500 greatest albums in history, produced by the magazine. The album came in 10th place, ahead of classics like Revolver (Beatles), Thriller (Michael Jackson) and Exile on Main St. (Rolling Stones).

When asked about the reasons why there wasn’t another album after this one, Lauryn was quite sincere in highlighting her issues with fame. The artist definitely didn’t want to be in the spotlight, as she felt that her relationship with the public sometimes went beyond music.

“I’ve always had a problem with the idea of ​​artists as public property. I agreed to share my art. I’m not necessarily agreeing to share myself.”

Still in her report, the singer highlighted that many people “feel entitled” to try to control the artists they love. It’s a toxic relationship, in her opinion.

“People feel entitled, as if they own you, or own a piece of you, this can be very dangerous. I detest any such control and resist expectations that suggest I simplify, or be predictable, to make people comfortable rather than express myself authentically.”

Lauryn Hill and demanding others

During his statement, Lauryn Hill also pointed out that there was a lot of demand around her as an artist and someone with a public life. Several people placed expectations around her that they wouldn’t place around themselves.

“I also resist the unrealistic expectations placed on me by people who would never place those same expectations on themselves. I can be diplomatic and patient as much as necessary. I cannot, however, diminish myself through self-deprecation and constant diminishment.”

Uncomfortable with falsehood

In another interview, from 2009, with Essence (via the website Igor Miranda), Lauryn Hill highlighted that the music industry practically “forced” him to be fake with other people. It was necessary to show happiness for people she simply didn’t like.

“The Lauryn Hill they met at the beginning was all that was allowed at the time. I had to step away when I realized that, for the sake of the machine, I was being too compromised. I felt uncomfortable having to smile in someone’s face when I didn’t really like them, or even didn’t know them well enough to like them. For 2 or 3 years, I stayed away from all social interaction. It was a very introspective moment, because I had to face my fears and conquer all demonic thoughts about inferiority, about insecurity or the fear of being black, young and talented in this Western culture.”

More peaceful life

Another point that is not addressed by Lauryn Hill in the interviews mentioned it was his desire to build a family. The singer married Rohan Marleyson of Bob Marley, in 1996 — the same year the two met. Now divorced, they have six children together, including the young singer and model Selah Marley.

In the end, Hill concludes that not even his record company, Columbia Recordsseemed interested in her second album. To Rolling Stone USAthe artist guaranteed that no one went after her to convince her to make another record.

“The weird thing is that no one from my label has ever called me and asked ‘how can we help you make another album?’ Never… never. Did I say ‘never’? Never.”

Source: Rollingstone

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