Lauryn Hill Explains Why Lauryn Hill Is Late For Everything
In this fast-paced, constantly-changing world we live in, there are still a few things you can count on. The sun will always rise in the east. The struggle will always be real. And if you go to see Lauryn Hill perform, there’s a very good chance she will show up long after she’s scheduled to. And that’s if she shows up at all, of course. The last time we checked in on Lauryn Hill, she had allegedly bailed on performing at the 2016 Grammys. This weekend Lauryn was scheduled to perform a show in Atlanta, GA, and surprise, UsWeekly says she showed up two hours late.
Lauren clearly wasn’t feeling all the impatient types rudely tapping at their pretend wristwatches when she finally did arrive, so she took to Facebook. After the cut is Lauryn’s long-ass open letter where she explains why she doesn’t show up on time. According to Lauryn, it’s not because she stopped giving a shit years ago; it’s because her energy isn’t always synced-up with the time.
“I don’t show up late to shows because I don’t care. And I have nothing but Love and respect for my fans. The challenge is aligning my energy with the time, taking something that isn’t easily classified or contained, and trying to make it available for others. I don’t have an on/off switch. I am at my best when I am open, rested, sensitive and liberated to express myself as truthfully as possible. For every performance that I’ve arrived to late, there have been countless others where I’ve performed in excess of two hours, beyond what I am contracted to do, pouring everything out on the stage.
Because I care so deeply about the artistic process, I scrutinize, have perfectionist tendencies, and want space made for spontaneity, which is not an easy process, with the many moving parts on the road. Some days we are more successful than others re time. However, the vitality that is infused into the performances is always appreciated by the audiences, who may not know exactly what it took to accomplish. What hasn’t been touched upon by the media, I’m sure, are the hundreds of people who rushed the stage and stayed in excess of an hour after the show ended last night, just to connect.
Our challenge is to figure out the best way to accommodate the vitality, spontaneity, and spirit that make the performances worthwhile and special to begin with, while also making that experience available and accessible to others. If I didn’t Love and respect the art, I wouldn’t be doing this. The audience and I should have that in common.
My true audience knows emphatically that I care. It isn’t possible to affect people in any deep and meaningful way without putting sacrificial time in. I have nothing but Love and appreciation for the fans in Atlanta, and regret not being able to give you a full show. We are figuring out a plan to make it up to you, and will announce details as soon as we have them.
Respectfully, MLH”
I didn’t know Jaden and Willow Smith got a job writing apology letters for Lauryn Hill. No, that clearly came from the mind and soul of Lauryn Hill. If it was actually written by the Smith children, the excuse given would have been: “I can’t be on time because time doesn’t even exist.”
So now that we have a reason for why Lauryn Hill can’t show up on time, it should be a whole lot easier for future venues to schedule performances. For example, instead of saying she goes on at 8:30pm, just tell the audience to show up whenever, bring a book, and don’t make any plans for the next 12 hours. It’s a small sacrifice for the art!
All jokes aside, I will be using that excuse the next time I accidentally fall asleep on the couch and wake up 45 minutes late for something. “Look, have you tried aligning your energy with the time? It’s impossible. And yes, those are pillow marks on my face; you don’t get to be full of this much vitality and spirit without a nap.”
Pic: Wenn.com