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Essence Festival Takes Blame for Lauryn Hill Delay as Stephanie Mills Demands Improvements

Organizers have yet to respond to an open letter from Stephanie Mills calling for improved backstage operations

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Stephanie Mills performs onstage during Day 3 of the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans. (Credit: Josh Brasted/Getty Images)

Overview

  • On July 7 Essence Festival posted on Instagram that scheduling overruns, not Lauryn Hill, caused her 2:30 a.m. start time and apologized to fans and the artist
  • Lauryn Hill thanked the festival for clarifying that production missteps—rather than her—led to the two-hour setback in the nearly empty Caesars Superdome
  • Stephanie Mills issued an open letter detailing chaotic scheduling, backstage disorganization and persistent sound system failures that undermined her own performance
  • Festival organizers have not addressed Mills’s critique or outlined any plans to review and upgrade their production processes
  • The incident has reignited calls from fans and performers for stronger event management and clearer accountability at major music festivals