Stephanie Mills Pens Open Letter to Essence Festival Over 'Disorganization'

R&B legend Stephanie Mills has written an open letter to The Essence Festival of Culture after her weekend performance was “marred” by technical problems.

In the letter posted to her social media channels on Tuesday, July 8, Mills began by expressing gratitude for an invitation to perform at the 2025 festival, which ran from July 4-6 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

From there, the Grammy-winning singer described the experience as “chaotic” and said her performance was plagued by “production issues.”

“The challenges I encountered were multifaceted and, in my view, indicative of broader organizational shortcomings,” she wrote. “The scheduling and time management were severely lacking, creating a chaotic and stressful environment backstage. This disorganization cascaded onto the stage, impacting the flow of the event and ultimately diminishing the quality of the performances.”

[The full letter is below]

In a statement to Urban Hollywood 411, festival organizers thanked Mills for the feedback.

“Essence Festival of Culture is rooted in love and the celebration of Black women. Ms. Stephanie Mills brought her timeless voice and powerful presence to our Super Lounge stage this year, reminding us all why she remains an icon,” the statement read. “We truly appreciate all of the feedback we’ve received and are honored that she chose the Essence Festival of Culture to kick off her summer tour.”

Mills’ letter came one day after the festival released a statement admitting it was to blame for delays that caused the opening night concert to run so far behind schedule that Lauryn Hill performed in a near-empty Caesars Superdome on Saturday after 2:30 a.m.

“She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can. The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched,” Essence said.

According to Nola.com, Babyface was one of seven performers who took the stage in the hours before Hill. He told the audience he was “tired as hell.”