Lauryn Hill (born May 25, 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey), is a seven time Grammy award winning musician, and record producer, initially establishing her reputation as the most visible and vocal member of The Fugees, then continued on to a solo career releasing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. She soon denounced her fame and began writing more spiritually and socially conscious songs.
Lauryn Hill attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ, where she began singing and acting at a very young age. Hill's acting roles included the TV show As the World Turns (as "Kira Johnson" in 1991), and the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, the latter of which showcased her vocal abilities. Though the Fugees had originally formed in 1988, Hill's membership was disrupted by her acting and her education at Columbia University. The Fugees' first album, Blunted on Reality, was much-hyped but fell far short of expectations. This was followed by The Score, a multi-platinum selling album that established all three Fugees (Hill, Pras Michel and Wyclef Jean) as international successes.
She has an incredibly acrobatic and soulful voice, which was clearly demonstrated in her rendition of "Joyful, Joyful" in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
Hill's other acting work includes the film King of the Hill (as "Arletta the Elevator Operator"), the play "Club 127," and the motion pictures Hav Plenty ( 1997) and Restaurant ( 1998). She appeared as a singer in the soundtracks for Conspiracy Theory in 1997 (on the track "Can't take My Eyes Off You") and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in 2002 (on the track "Selah" ).
In 1998, Hill released The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, a critically and commercially acclaimed album. The first, and biggest, single off the album was " Doo Wop (That Thing)", which went to number one in the United States in the summer of 1998. In 1999's Grammy Awards, Hill was nominated eleven times and won Album of the Year (beating Madonna's critically acclaimed album Ray of Light), Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, setting a new record for women in the industry.