Laury Hill Research Paper

Lauryn Hill was influenced by music from a very young age. Her parents were musical and brother played multiple instruments, so Lauryn grew up around music. When Lauryn was growing up on the opposite side of Hudson river, a new form of music called rap was replacing disco in New York. She was deeply moved by the music of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Roberta Flack, which would later shape her own music career. Even though Lauryn was very involved in school activities and sports, Lauryn’s passion was still music. So, she used every opportunity she had to perform in musical events. At the age of thirteen, Lauryn performed in Apollo Theater and later performed on local television and films. Hill’s professional entry to music industry

She was brought up in a devout Methodist home where her parents taught her the importance of faith and black history. As a young girl, she was very active in choir and gospel choirs with her family. She remains very open about her relationship with God and clearly it permeates most of her lyrics as a solo artist. Two of Lauryn’s important songs are “Zion” and “Lose myself.” Zion is Lauryn’s first son and child and she wrote the song in anticipation of the new born baby. The name Zion is significant since the song alludes many references to the Bible including “For unto me a man child would be born,” “To wait at Zion,” “Marching to Zion.” Mount Zion is a hill in eastern Jerusalem that is anticipated as the heavenly city and therefore is a symbol of hope and renewal. Becoming Zion’s mother gave Lauryn hope in life since she looked at it as an opportunity for spiritual growth. Even though she was asked to abort the baby, she refused to do that and instead found joy in giving birth to Zion. “Lose myself” is a song Hill wrote for the animated film Surf’s Up in 2007. Unlike her usual songs that deeply stem from her life situations, this song is written with more of a Hawaiian surfing theme. Due to it’s major or happy tone, “Lose myself” has a fast- paced tempo. On the other hand, “Zion” even though not necessarily minor, has a slow tempo. Also, it includes crescendo and decrescendo in some parts. However, both songs are done in high