Lauryn Hill has postponed another show due to a vocal injury that is affecting her ability to carry out her “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” 25th anniversary tour.
Earlier this month, the Grammy-winning vocalist postponed an Oct. 23 show in Philadelphia to rest her voice and “prevent any more serious strain or damage” to her vocal cords. On Monday, she postponed a show in Fort Worth, Texas, hours before showtime, telling fans that she had been “masking the injury with medication.”
“As you may know, I’ve been doing my best to overcome a serious case of vocal strain/injury over the past week or so,” the 48-year-old tweeted. “I fought through the last couple shows, pushing my voice, and masking the injury with medication. This isn’t safe or sustainable.
The “Ex-Factor” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)” singer said she woke up Monday morning “hoping to have enough voice to get through” that evening’s show but could “barely talk let alone sing or rap.”
“I need to heal and rest the voice in order to continue the tour. For these reasons, sadly, my doctors have advised me to postpone tonight’s show,” she added. “Much love to all of you for your support, and I look forward to coming back to Texas soon.”
A new date for that show has not been announced yet.
Hill is set to resume the trek in Denver on Thursday before playing a few shows in the Los Angeles area. She’ll reunite with her former bandmates, the Fugees, at Crypto.com Arena in downtown L.A. on Saturday and she’ll play a solo show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Sunday.
It is unclear if her vocal injury will affect those dates.
The eight-time Grammy winner launched the tour celebrating her landmark 1998 album in Minneapolis in early September. She pushed the Oct. 23 Philly show to Nov. 25, promising the new show would be “a special one.” Hill resumed the tour Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, where hometown hero Chance the Rapper was in attendance with his mom. There, she reunited with her former bandmates, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel.
“The start of this tour has been incredible,” Hill tweeted upon announcing the Philly postponement. “What an amazing experience to celebrate this anniversary with all of my family, friends and all of you. I look forward to giving you the show you deserve with a fully recovered and healthy voice.”
Hill came to fame in the 1990s as part of the New Jersey-raised act inspired by Haitian refugees. The members of the group rebuked gangster rap and blew up on the hip-hop scene with a smooth, sophisticated sound. The band’s soulful 1996 album, “The Score,” earned the group two Grammy Awards, including best rap album. It was the group’s second and final LP and included the hits “Ready or Not,” the catchy “Fu-Gee-La” and the Grammy-winning “Killing Me Softly,” a Hill-led cover of Roberta Flack’s iconic hit.
After five years together, the trio broke up in 1997 to pursue solo projects. In 1998, Hill debuted “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” — her only solo studio album to date. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart propelled by the popularity of her bouncy, retro tune, “Doo Wop (That Thing).”
Winning five solo Grammy Awards that year, Hill became the first woman to win five or more awards in a single night, according to the Recording Academy. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” also became the first hip-hop album to win the album of the year Grammy.
Hill has performed regularly but somewhat under the radar since serving a three-month jail sentence in 2013 for tax evasion. The Fugees briefly reunited in 2005 for the single “Take It Easy” and again in 2021 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “The Score.”
