Who has Lauryn Hill's back?

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How did it get to be this way for Lauryn Hill? A career that started with such sparkling promise has been terribly dulled by romantic woes, unprofessional antics and financial missteps. Are there no friends to provide words of wisdom? No mentors to offer sage advice? No public relations professional or trusted tax accountant? How has Hill managed to slip through so many cracks?

It could be that Hill has never been relieved of the pressure that comes with fame at an young age. It may be hard to believe, but Hill was still a teenager when struck gold with The Fugees in the mid-90s. And when The Miseducation dropped? Lauryn was just 23, a young woman unwittingly becoming something of an oracle to devoted listeners. The gift of The Miseducation is also its curse — even after 14 years, fans have never stopped wanting that version of Lauryn, the one who made them feel honest, and strong and beautiful, vulnerable yet ever-resilient. The common refrain among loyal Lauryn-ites has been, “We wanted too much,” and it repeated with every bungled public appearance, ill-received concert and unfulfilled promise of a return.

At the same time, it’s possible Hill has been focused on her role as a mother of six, and wanting to protect her children from the glare of the spotlight that became too much for her to bear. At her New York concert this week, she addressed the audience, saying, “I had to make sure I was safe and my family was safe. I never abandoned you.”

And it’s easy to see why Hill would want to protect herself — her relationships with Wyclef Jean and Rohan Marley have read less like fairy tales and more like Shakespearean tragedies. Her rocky relationship with Wyclef Jean is thought to be the reason behind the break-up of The Fugees. And though they were together for fifteen years and had five children, Lauryn and Rohan Marley were in what turned out to be nothing more than a “spiritual” marriage — that is, not legally husband-and-wife as Hill claimed early in the relationship. (Just last month, Marley announced that he’s now engaged to a Brazilian model.) Part of it could be that Ms. Hill simply has back luck in love — but part of it also has to be attributed to ill-advised decision-making when it comes to romantic relationships.

All told, it’s reasonable that fans are still eager to forgive and reconcile with Ms. Hill. The trouble is, the IRS isn’t an eager fan. The feds are the one audience Lauryn Hill can’t win over with a song and a mea culpa. Here’s to hoping Ms. Hill starts making more sound decisions — or at least consulting with people who can help her do that — and fast.

Veronica Miller can be found on Twitter at @veronicamarche.