Lauryn Hill’s 2:30 a.m. Essence Festival 2025 performance sparked backlash, but Essence says delays weren’t on the legend.

Lauryn Hill Sets The Record Straight After ESSENCE Fest Delay Lauryn Hill isn’t here for the noise. After fans raised eyebrows about her late-night performance at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival, the ...

Lauryn Hill performs during the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture. Getty Images “If I’m Lauryn Hill, I’m probably cussing out Essence cause this is just unacceptable,” one fan wrote on X .

The organizers of Essence Fest don’t want you to be miseducated about Lauryn Hill. The singer closed out the first night of the festival with a performance that began around 2:30 a.m.

Lauryn Hill has officially spoken out after fans and critics raised questions about the delay during her set at the 2025 Essence Music Festival. Taking to Instagram, the legendary singer […] ...

Lauryn Hill at the 2025 Essence Festival Of Culture. Getty Images “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 ...

Lauryn Hill in 2025. Erika Goldring/Getty. Despite the late-night performance, Hill, 50, spent her set chatting with the remaining audience members at the Superdome, which can hold over 70,000 people.

Lauryn Hill is off the hook as Essence takes blame for a set that wrapped after 3:30 a.m. Stephanie Mills, however, is still hot over how the festival was run.

Ms. Lauryn Hill performs onstage during Day 1 of the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola at Caesars Superdome on July 04, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Essence Festival is defending Lauryn Hill after event delays caused her performance to start at 2:30 a.m. and saw her sing for a near-empty stadium: 'The delay? Not hers. We will take that.' ...