According to NME, Lauryn Hill has canceled her concert in London. The acoustic performance, scheduled at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on July 15, has been erased from her website’s list of upcoming gigs. The 40-year-old artist took to Facebook to explain what hindered her from entering England.
“I’ve been informed that I won’t be able to enter the UK for a period of time due to my past legal situation. For this reason I have to cancel my concert on July 15th. Know that I was looking forward to performing in London this summer, and that I appreciate all my fans and supporters both in London, and throughout the UK.”
In July 2013, Hill, a former member of the hip hop group Fugees and a Grammy-award-winning singer, spent three months in prison for tax evasion. That year, attorney Nathan Hochman said, “She is looking forward to putting her case behind her and getting back to her music and creating again.”
After her release from prison, Hill performed in a series of comeback shows in London in September last year. The concerts aroused frustration and harsh criticism on Twitter from fans claiming that her classic music had been unrecognizable and “incomprehensible”.
Earlier this year, Hill withdrew from a show in Israel because she was unable to perform in Palestine.
When deciding to play the region, my intention was to perform in both Tel Aviv and Ramallah. Setting up a performance in the Palestinian Territory, at the same time as our show in Israel, proved to be a challenge. I’ve wanted very much to bring our live performance to this part of the world, but also to be a presence supporting justice and peace. It is very important to me that my presence or message not be misconstrued, or a source of alienation to either my Israeli or my Palestinian fans. For this reason, we have decided to cancel the upcoming performance in Israel, and seek a different strategy to bring my music to ALL of my fans in the region.
Despite these struggles, Lauryn continues to be passionate, performing with her daughter and releasing new song, “Consumerism”, in the first 24 hours of being released from prison.
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