Stephanie Mills has penned an open letter to the organizers of the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, detailing the “multifaceted challenges” she faced while performing for the event.
The R&B diva shared the letter to her Instagram account Tuesday (July 8) following the conclusion of the New Orleans festival Sunday (July 6) night. Mills performed the final night and also attended the festival’s National Urban League Women In Harmony Awards Luncheon Saturday (July 5).
“I am writing to share my feedback following my performance at this year’s Essence Festival,” she began, adding that while she was appreciative of the platform, her performance was, “marred by significant production issues that negatively impacted both my performance and the artist experience as a whole.”
Stephanie Mills performs onstage at the VVIP Superlounge Experience during Day 3 of the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola at Caesars Superdome on July 06, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Josh Brasted/Getty Images for ESSENCE)
She continued, “The challenges I encountered were multifaceted and, in my view, indicative of broader organizational shortcomings. The scheduling and time management were severely lacking, creating a chaotic and stressful environment backstage. This disorganization cascaded unto the stage, impacting the flow of the event and ultimately diminishing the quality of the performances.”
Mills — who just completed the first leg of The Queens Tour alongside Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, and Gladys Knight — also insisted that technical issues were “persistent,” adding, “This lack of technical preparedness is unacceptable for an event of Essence Festival’s caliber and prestige.”
She later added that the overall level of professionalism “fell far short of the standards I expect from such a highly regarded festival,” insisting that organizers take an extensive look at this year’s failings before moving forward with future plans. Check out the full letter below.
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