Ms. Lauryn Hill took the stage at the Grammy Awards tonight, February 1, for a touching In Memoriam performance. Hill paid tribute to Roberta Flack, who died in February 2025, and D’Angelo, who died in October 2025.
Hill opened her performance of “Nothing Even Matters” by mentioning that she and D’Angelo never got to perform the duet together on stage. The tribute featured more than just Hill, however, as she introduced artists like Lucky Daye, Jon Batiste, and many more.
She then transitioned into “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in tribute to Roberta Flack. Hill’s vocals stood out backed by a sweeping arrangement of strings, piano, and percussion. As the tribute continued, so did the waves of performers taking the stage to honor the two legends. Chaka Khan and John Legend performed “Where Is the Love,” before Wyclef Jean joined the stage on guitar for “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” The tribute concluded with a rousing rendition of the Fugees’ version of “Killing Me Softly”, which had the audience on their feet.
Lauryn Hill’s Links to Roberta Flack and D’Angelo
Lauryn Hill made a mainstream name for herself first as part of the Fugees. The group made waves with the song “Killing Me Softly” in 1996. It was originally a No. 1 hit for Roberta Flack in 1973, then titled “Killing Me Softly With His Song”. This version with Hill on vocals took the Fugees to the 1997 Grammys, where they won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
On Hill’s 1998 debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo joined on the song “Nothing Even Matters”. That song was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1999 Grammys. Although her collaboration with D’Angelo didn’t win that year, Hill still dominated her other awards, including Best New Artist. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won both Album of the Year and Best R&B Album.
After the deaths of Flack and D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill posted tributes on social media. Of D’Angelo, she wrote, “I regret not having more time with you.” Meanwhile, she remembered Roberta Flack as an icon of Soul and inspiration. She wrote that Flack “moved me and showed through her own creative choices and standards what else was possible within the idiom of Soul.”
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