Hip-hop icon Lauryn Hill’s fans have reacted to the singer’s performance in front of a nearly empty stadium at the recently conducted 2025 Essence Festival of Culture. Not only did the star arrive at the stage at a much later time than what was scheduled, but she ended up concluding her act at around 3.37 AM.
What happened to Lauryn Hill?
On Friday, July 4, Lauryn Hill took to the stage in Louisiana as part of a star-studded lineup at the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture. The roster also included the likes of GloRilla, the Isley Brothers, Babyface, and Maxwell, with Coco Jones coming in as an unannounced performer.
However, Hill sang in front of a nearly empty stadium after unprecedented delays occurred during the performances of those who preceded her. For instance, GloRilla ended her act at a time when the Isley Brothers had to finish their performance. Consequently, Maxwell took to the stage a few minutes before 1 a.m., further delaying Hill’s arrival (via The Hollywood Reporter).
As such, Hill, who is infamous for being late on her shows, has many fans debating on the internet following her performance at the nearly empty stadium in New Orleans. Most of the reactions seem to take Hill’s side, instead putting the blame on the organizers.
One X (formerly Twitter) user noted, “The entire festival was pushed back. This was literally not her fault.” Another fan defended Hill, saying, “I know we’re used to Lauryn Hill not being on time, but the whole day ran late…This was on organizers and scheduling, not Ms. Lauryn Hill.” A third fan highlighted the delays in the concert before noting, “If I’m Lauryn Hill, I’m probably cussing out Essence cause this is just unacceptable.”
Essence Festival has addressed concerns regarding Hill’s show in an Instagram post, stating that the Ex-Factor singer performing in front of a nearly empty crowd wasn’t her fault, as “she arrived on schedule.”
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.
