Enigmatic Fugees singer Lauryn Hill says “it’s time” to return to the studio.
NPR journalist Zoe Chace managed to catch an ultra-rare interview with the reclusive neo-soul singer.Hill has been somewhat of a white whale for music journalists. After her sensational debut with the Fugees and her landmark 1998 solo album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, she's rarely performed or spoken to the press.
The Fugees had occasional reunions throughout the '00s but what fans of Hill's lone album want is new music.
When Chace hopped in to take a ride with Hill, she got to ask the questions everyone has been wondering about for a decade.
Hill admitted she stopped making music due to a mix of reasons: a lack of a support system, a need for personal growth, and disillusionment with the music industry.
She said, "Oftentimes, the machine can overlook the need to take care of the people who produce the sounds that have a lot to do with the health and well-being of society, or at least some aspect of society."
Hill has begun to hit the stage again recently, playing Australia and New Zealand's Ragamuffin Festival in January and Rock The Bells in June.
She said she has returned to performing because she can finally spend time away from her five children, the youngest now a two-year-old.
She also hinted that she may soon follow up Miseducation. She told Chace, "I think it's just time. I'm starting to get excited again."
"I think most people have never really heard me sing [properly]," she admitted, "If I do record next time perhaps there will be an expanded context."
Until then, Hill continues to play select festival dates during the American summer.
