Latest news with #KillingMeSoftly
Metro
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Music icon angers fans after performing to near-empty stadium at 3.30am
Love it or loathe it, sometimes musicians are late taking the stage but Lauryn Hill has turned delays into an art with her Essence Festival appearance. The 90s icon is known for her tendency to be fashionably late but while at the New Orleans festival, her already late-night set was delayed by two hours. By her 2.30am start time, most fans had called it a night, meaning the 83,000 capacity Superdome venue was nearly empty when she finished at 3.37am. Lauryn, 50, put on a show regardless of the waning crowd and belted out hits like Ready or Not and Killing Me Softly to close Essence Festival's first day. While she is notorious for her poor time keeping, the blame for this two-hour shift was not laid at her feet. Instead, the entirety of Friday's Evening Concert Series seemed to be running late, with GloRilla finishing her set at 10pm — 45 minutes into the next scheduled act. From the start things reportedly went awry, having been due to kick off at 7.10pm with Psyrin for a 20 minute set ahead of Lucky Dave at 7.30pm. The lineup included Coco Jones, The Isley Brothers, and Babyface, who all should have finished before 11.15pm for penultimate act Maxwell to start. However, the Ascension singer, 52, was not on stage until 12.55am – a whopping hour and 40 minutes after he was due to start. Maxwell's stage was reportedly cleared around 2am, with Lauryn finally able to perform around half an hour later. 'Where is Lauryn,' asked TikTok user morgand.23 who posted a video of the half-empty stadium and revealed how late it was. For the eighth year, 150,000 festival goers will descend on Glasgow Green from 11-13 July to see the liked of 50 Cent, Gracie Abrams and Biffy Clyro, and you could be there! Metro has teamed up with Rockstar Energy presents TRNSMT Festival to offer four VIP tickets to one lucky winner. For a chance to win this massive music prize, simply enter your details here. You have until midnight on Sunday 6 July 2025 to enter using the form below. Entrants must be 18+. Good luck! T&Cs apply*. Click here if form is not loading. * Open to legal residents of Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18 or over. Promotion opens at 18:01 BST on 2 July 2025 and closes at 23:59 BST on 6 July 2025. The promotion is free to enter; however internet access is required. Entrant must visit and when prompted by the form, submit their name, email, telephone number, date of birth and postcode. Acceptance of the terms and conditions is necessary to enter the promotion. There will be one (1) winner. The winner will win four (4) VIP weekend tickets for TRNSMT Festival, running from 11th – 13th July 2025 at Glasgow Green, in Glasgow ('Prize'). Proof of age and photographic ID are required for entry for all guests (the guests of the winner must be at least 16 years old at the time of entry). The Prize, including entry and attendance at TRSNMT festival, is subject to and governed by the Promoter's full ticket terms and conditions. 1 prize available. 1 entry per person. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Brooklynsd said: 'This messes everything up. Fans waiting and even the workers having to wait until the nights festivities are over. Production crew has to wait until the end too. 'She's so inconsiderate. I'm a fan of her music that's why I'd stream it and never go to a show.' Tommmm added: 'Saw the Fugees back in the day and tried to see her once and learned my lesson when she cancelled four hours after it was supposed to start.' 'That's not ok and people paid to see her,' shared Prissy as Craig joked: 'Early for Lauryn Hill.' Fans commented how 'she's been doing this for years now' and that those waiting had 'no one to blame but themselves'. 'This is y'alls fault, yall know Lauryn is known for being late,' wrote Nico Rhonni as Mr Bing added: 'She does this at every show'. A Lauryn fan page defended her and said: 'Uhuh Essence Fest started late. Nothing was on time. She was not late. Let's not do this.' This comes after the Fu-Gee-La hitmaker cancelled the US leg of the Miseducation Anniversary concert series two years ago. In a statement at the time, she wrote: 'The trust and faith I have in my intentions and my commitment to my art seem to have been overshadowed by this unfortunate portrayal.' The Fugees — which consisted of Lauryn, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel — clarified this was due to poor ticket sales before Pras took a stance against his bandmates. More Trending The 52-year-old musician launched legal action against Lauryn for fraud and breach of contract as they shortened their 2023 tour. There have been no updates since the case was launched in December 2024, meanwhile, Pras is awaiting sentencing after being convicted on 10 counts of corruption the year before. He appealed to President Donald Trump to grant him a pardon over the charges, which involve the $4.5billion (£3.5billion) looting of Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Silentnight unlocks the secret to sleeping soundly when camping this festival season MORE: Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong kicks fan off stage for playing Oasis song MORE: Not over Glastonbury? Win VIP tickets to see 50 Cent, Gracie Abrams and Biffy Clyro at TRNSMT Festival 2025
Vogue
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Lauryn Hill's 2025 Met Gala Look Was All About the Birkin
Stop the presses! A rare Lauryn Hill sighting had everyone talking at the 2025 Met Gala tonight. The iconic singer was on hand for the red carpet affair this evening, bringing a dash of sunshine in her sculptural yellow double-breasted suit. Paying homage to the 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' theme this year, a spotlight on Black dandyism and tailoring, Hill chose a modern suit look that was dramatic, very much avant-garde—and totally on point. Her traditional shirt and tie? 10 out of 10—no notes. Her choice of bag, meanwhile, was a total showstopper as well. Hill carried around a classic (and very luxurious) Hermès Kelly bag in cerulean blue—the ultimate status bag that offered the perfect pop of color to her look. A big Kelly in such a covetable color? It's almost as rare of a find as a splashy red carpet appearance from Hill herself! Combined, it was the most epic pairing. Now, Siri, please play 'Killing Me Softly'—because she was one of the most iconic divas of the night.
Los Angeles Times
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
After early growing pains, Kiki Iriafen has become part of USC's one-two scoring punch
Kiki Iriafen tried to play coy. But the man serenading her new USC teammates and coaches over dinner in the back room of their swanky Paris restaurant had just brought out an extra microphone. And now teammates were egging her on. She brushed them off at first. But they knew her well enough already to know she couldn't resist. So on the eve of USC's season, Iriafen stood up, grabbed the mic and joined in singing along with the Fugees' 'Killing Me Softly.' She walked the aisle, working the backroom of the restaurant as she belted it out. By the final refrain, the whole room was singing with her. It was just the sort of spotlight-stealing performance that her Trojans teammates would come to expect from the star forward over a stellar 25-2 season at USC. 'That's just unapologetically Kiki,' senior Rayah Marshall explains. And to think, when she transferred from Stanford last spring, it wasn't clear how Iriafen — a likely top-five pick in the upcoming WNBA draft — would fit with a team that already boasted one ball-dominant star in JuJu Watkins. But by late February, with the Trojans No. 4 in the country and a Big Ten title on the line Saturday against No. 2 UCLA, Iriafen had become an inextricable part of their national title pursuit — and not just for her nearly nightly double-doubles. 'Kiki brings such a joy, such an effervescence,' coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. 'We try not to take that for granted.' Stepping into the spotlight never was a problem for the perpetually sunny Iriafen. But finding where she fit at USC proved more of a process, one that took time and tested her mental toughness. It started well before that Paris trip, before she'd even committed to USC. Legendary coach Tara VanderVeer had just retired at Stanford, and Iriafen, an L.A. native and former Harvard-Westlake standout, was considering both USC and UCLA when Watkins gave her a call. The two had crossed paths many times as part of the city's hoops scene but they'd never played on the same squad. Over several conversations, they talked about their fit together and their goals. Iriafen even talked to Watkins' family. The prospect of a partnership was tempting: She'd made the Final Four as a freshman at Stanford but played just a single minute in the Cardinal's championship loss. Two years had flown by without a return trip. 'I just felt like I was still missing something,' Iriafen said. Together, Watkins and Iriafen knew they had the potential to form one of the most potent one-two punches in college basketball. They also acknowledged that would require some sacrifice. Even if neither totally understood at the time what that would look like in practice. 'The important thing was we were aligned on the same goals,' Iriafen said. 'Whatever it takes to win a national championship, whatever it takes to win, that's what we want. We both wanted that very badly. If I really cared about the extra stuff, the stats and all that stuff, I would've just stayed where I was at. But I really wanted to end my college career with a bang.' It felt seamless at first. USC teammates went out of their way to make her feel welcome. 'From the moment I got here,' Iriafen says, 'it was like, 'We want you here, we value what you say,' stuff like that.' But on the court, it was like stepping into a whole new world. The system at USC was completely different from the more rigid one she'd developed in at Stanford, where touches in the high post were regularly manufactured for her. Gottlieb's offense, by comparison, ran fewer sets with far more freedom, more pick and rolls and an improvisational flow that felt, admittedly, a bit uncomfortable at first. More was asked of Iriafen on defense too. Until USC, she'd never really been asked to guard out to the perimeter. All of the adjustments pushed Iriafen in ways that she's grateful for now. But at the time, 'there were definitely some growing pains.' The early loss to Notre Dame stands out in her mind. Iriafen accounted for 15 points — nearly 25% of USC's scoring — and pulled down nine rebounds. But she felt like she'd failed the team anyway. She came away questioning what role she was meant to play. She didn't find those answers right away. There were nights when Iriafen would put it all together, such as when she scored 30 in a win over Saint Louis. Or her stretch of four double-doubles in five games in December. But well into the season, she still didn't feel like herself. And now there were more eyes on her than ever before. 'There are so many things on social media, so many expectations you have for yourself,' Iriafen said. 'And when things aren't going the way you want them to, it's about how do you keep showing up every single day? How do you keep pouring it in and keep believing in yourself?' Those questions of fit have been an undercurrent through most of the season, for more than just Iriafen. Navigating that dynamic has required constant adjustments — and regular reassurances — from Gottlieb, who has talked at great length about managing the weight of expectations. That weight seems to have lifted since the start of February. Since USC's loss to Iowa, the Trojans have won six in a row, with a pair of top-10 wins and two more against teams in the top 25, while Iriafen has been on a tear, averaging 20 points in that stretch. The one night she looked out of sorts was in USC's win over UCLA, as Iriafen opened the game one for nine from the field. Watkins came alive in her absence, scoring 38, but it was Iriafen who helped finish off the top-ranked Bruins with nine points in the fourth quarter. 'I feel now like we're in a much better place,' she said. It also took time for Watkins to figure out how best to play off of Iriafen. 'I've never really played with a player like her before,' Watkins says. 'She's definitely raised my IQ.' What happens next for USC, with the NCAA tournament fast approaching, will hinge in no small part on Iriafen, who has shown that she can step into the spotlight when the moment calls for it. The video evidence played over the Galen Center jumbotron for all to see last week, as Iriafen's Paris performance rang out over the loudspeaker during Senior Day speeches. It was a perfect moment to encapsulate what she'd brought to USC. 'I think her WNBA career is not in jeopardy,' Gottlieb said of that performance. 'But we loved it.'
USA Today
25-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Apple Manufacturing Company coming to Detroit
Hear this story Good morning, today is Tuesday. ⛅ Weather: Today's expected high is 48 degrees with a passing morning shower or two and periods of clouds and sunshine in the afternoon. 🎧 Prefer to listen to the news? Here are today's top stories. 😊 Like our work? Please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access. Apple is making its presence known in Detroit with the recent announcement of an Apple Manufacturing Academy coming to the city later this year. While an exact location has not been confirmed, the academy is expected to offer free in-person and online courses, with a skills development curriculum in areas such as manufacturing process optimization and project management, writes JC Reindl. Companies will also be helped to transition to advanced manufacturing, the announcement said. Here's more in this story. 📰Related: Apple confirms on website downtown Detroit is getting Apple Store Also worth reading 📰 News: A 50-year-old IT manager struck a patriotic theme as he declared his candidacy for Dearborn mayor, saying he will focus his campaign on fighting crime, flooding and drug addiction, writes Niraj Warikoo. 🖊️ Opinion: Guest columnist and former WDIV news anchor Devin Scillian writes about what it means to be "all in" and Donald Trump's supporters. 📺 Television: Lester Holt, 65, will step down as anchor of the nightly news program after a decade, he announced Monday. He's set to move to a full-time role as anchor for NBC's "Dateline." ⏰ Keep in mind: The annual return to Daylight Saving Time in Michigan is March 9, bringing with it late evening sunshine that gets people out of the house. Here's what you need to know. 🕯️In memoriam: Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer of hit 'Killing Me Softly,' has died. She was 88. Thanks for starting your morning with us. Please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access. Obituaries | Podcasts
New York Times
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: A Majestic Chart-Topper Who Thrilled Us Softly
'The thing that engulfs me in music is the pulse. If I can find that heartbeat, I can live in there — in that music.' ROBERTA FLACK, a former teacher who became a singer and pianist and was one of the most successful artists in the 1970s with songs like 'Killing Me Softly' and 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.' She died on Monday at age 88.
