Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill Turns Down Oprah Winfrey Interview Request

The former Fugees star is facing up to three years in jail after pleading guilty to failing to file her tax returns from 2005 to 2007, and she has so far only commented on the legal issues in a rambling statement on her blog in June (12).

In the lengthy post, the Doo Wop (That Thing) hitmaker claimed she removed herself and her family from society and went "underground" to protect them from various, unidentified "threats", insisting she had to use her "resources" to "sustain our safety and survival" during a "period of crisis".

But she has declined an offer to explain her comments and pour out her heart to Winfrey in a special interview for her Oprah's Next Chapter series.

When a Twitter.com follower suggested Hill as Winfrey's next interviewee, the TV mogul simply replied, "tried. She said no."

Hill, who reportedly owed more than $1.6 million (£1 million) in back taxes, is due to be sentenced in a New Jersey court in November (12).