Lauryn Hill just shared the heartbreaking reason she has not released another studio album since her 1998 solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
The former Fugees member was the first woman to win five Grammys in one night for the album, but left the public eye for years after its release. In a new interview with Rolling Stone‘s Amazon Music podcast 500 Greatest Albums, Lauryn explained why she never released another full studio album.
“The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, ever…ever,” she told the podcast. “Did I say ever? Ever!”
She also said that while Miseducation offered her the freedom to experiment, the pressure of putting out a sophomore album that would live up to the first’s hype was enormous.
“After the Miseducation, there were scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations and saboteurs everywhere,” she said. “People had included me in their own narratives of their successes as it pertained to my album, and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy.”