Amid the internet’s ongoing back-and-forth debate filled with criticism and defense of the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, which took place over the Fourth of July weekend, legendary auntie Stephanie Mills called out the legacy brand for falling off.
Simply put, there was something in the way it made her feel. Mills kept it respectful, though. There was no mudslinging, cussing, blaming or shaming in her ask. In the open letter posted to the singer’s Instagram page, she addressed the festival organizers and outlined her grievances. Mills expressed that as a performer and attendee, her experience was “negatively impacted.” Much of the shortcomings Mills described were “logistical.” The iconic singer identified “significant production issues,” timeliness, and technical problems as the culprit.
“The scheduling and time management were severely lacking, creating a chaotic and stressful environment backstage,” the letter read.
“This disorganization cascaded onto the stage, impacting the flow of the event and ultimately diminishing the quality of the performances.”
The “Feel Good All Over” songstress stated that the issues weren’t just one-off faux pas but rather ongoing challenges that “severely hampered my ability to deliver my performance to the best of my ability.” Mills said the audience experience was impacted as well and that the “lack of technical preparedness is unacceptable for an event of Essence Festival’s caliber and prestige.”
Ms. Mills’ hope is that EssenceFest organizers will consider her concerns in its attempt to do better. She closed her letter “respectfully.”
Essence Festival of Culture has been under fierce criticism over the few years with patrons calling out the declining event and the departure from its previous standard, as well as the brand’s partnership with Target amid a Black boycott. Conversely, there still exists a demographic of attendees who still enjoy the festival that takes place annually in New Orleans.
As a performer and VIP attendee, Ms. Mills has a nuanced perspective. Performance artists, particularly at the level of Mills, tend to be serious when it comes to their work and understandably, expect the same “standard” in kind from entities they work with. Mills deserves this. Her career spans over five decades, dating back to 1978 when she starred in the original Broadway production of The Wiz as Dorothy at just 16-years old. She bridged the gap between the disco era and the early sound of the 1980s, dominating the charts with hits like “What You Gonna Do With My Lovin” and “The Comfort of a Man.”
Now, at age 68, she has been a consummate professional far too long to operate in mediocrity.
AUNTIE MAGAZINE caught up with the soulful songbird who shared how she developed her showmanship:
“I think, because I did Broadway at a young age and that teaches you how to perform,” Mills told AUNTIE. “And I think that was my education, you know, doing theater and learning how to do things the right way.”
Mills is currently on the Black Promoters Collective’s much-appreciated tour, The Queens: 4 Legends, 1 Stage. Check Ticketmaster for upcoming cities and shows.
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