Lauryn Hill

Notoriously-reclusive music star Lauryn Hill has spoken out about her hiatus from musicmaking. Lauryn gave gave a rare interview to National Public Radio’s Zoe Chace following a performance at the Santa Rosa Harmony Festival.

Why did she stop recording?

The 35-year-old noted that there “were a number of different reasons” why she stopped performing and recording after her hit 1998 solo album.

“There were a number of different reasons. But partly, the support system that I needed was not necessarily in place. There were things about myself, personal-growth things, that I had to go through in order to feel like it was worth it. In fact, as musicians and artists, it’s important we have an environment — and I guess when I say environment, I really mean the [music] industry, that really nurtures these gifts. 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. And it’s important that people be given the time that they need to go through, to grow, so that the consciousness level of the general public is properly affected. Oftentimes, I think people are forced to make decisions prematurely. And then that sound radiates.”

The singer-rapper is best known for her work with ’90s hip-hop trio The Fugees and her groundbreaking Grammy-winning solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. She has been largely absent from the music scene since 1999 and has only released one album since his critically-acclaimed 1998 solo effort: 2002′s MTV Unplugged. Lauryn says now that her children are older, she feels more comfortable getting back on the road.