Lauryn Hill lifts lid on decision to release only one studio album: “Creativity is most potent when it’s free”
Lauryn Hill has made a rare comment about her career, explaining why she never released a new album after her world-renowned debut project, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
In 1998, Hill released her only album, which included the chart-topping hit ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ as well as singles such as ‘Ex-Factor’ and ‘Everything Is Everything’.
In a comment on Instagram, the 51-year-old star looked back at her early release and revealed, “When you’re inspired and desire to be principled, what doesn’t get talked about enough is the drain… nor the challenge to find safety so that you can create with integrity.”
Hill added that her career often hinged on making people money, rather than finding “sense” in her work.
In reference to Fugees 1966 album, The Score, she went on, “The Score nor the Miseducation were made because we were ‘allowed’ to represent what we did, we fought for every inch. Wild success can cause greed that begins to denigrate the art for the money.”
Hill also wrote that “artists go through phases, creativity requires expression, exploration and experimentation“. The musician went on to compare herself to Harriet Tubman, suggesting they shared a similar urge to challenge the status quo.
She wrote, “I was like a Harriet Tubman figure in some respects running to speak difficult truths to power before certain forces tried to close those doors. If it was so easy to do, where is that expression now on the world stage? Systems fear what they can’t control. Creativity is most potent when it’s free.”
As a nod to the continued desire of the industry for her next project, Hill concluded, “If I did nothing else, I introduced standards and possibilities to a generation that didn’t know they could operate on that level before then.”
She finished, “I am often doing things outside the support of the system before people can even realise what I’ve done. Another artist who values inspiration then recognises its value and re-presents it to an audience, ready to receive it.”
Earlier this year, the singer revealed that she is set to bring Diaspora Calling! Festival to the Milton Keynes National Bowl on August 7th. Hill will headline the event.
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