Grammys 2016 performances: Why were Rihanna and Lauryn Hill a no-show?

Several artistes, including Taylor Swift, Justice Beiber and Lady Gaga, killed it at the 58th Grammy Awards with their amazing and explosive performances. But a no-show by two of the biggest names — Rihanna and Lauryn Hill — have left fans wondering what happened.

Rihanna, who released her eighth album Anti in January, was reportedly set to perform "Kiss It Better" on the Grammy stage. But according to TMZ, she had to pull out at the last minute due to a persistent case of bronchitis. One of Rihanna's representatives confirmed the report to Just Jared, saying that her doctor "put her on vocal rest for 48 hours because she was at risk of haemorrhaging her vocal chords". (via Vox)

The reason behind Hill's absence, however, was not as clear. In a statement to Vox, Hill's representatives said the Grammy folks made a rather premature announcement regarding Hill's performance at the event.

"The Grammy's announced a performance by Ms. Lauryn Hill prematurely and without approval. Ms. Hill had concerts all weekend, leaving no time to prepare, and was uncertain she would even be able to make it to LA in time to rehearse for the event. Any performance that could have happened was never confirmed, and should not have been advertised as such. Ms. Hill was invited to do a collaboration with an artist she appreciates. The performance was intended to be a surprise and unfortunately due to its last minute nature, was unable to come to fruition."

This does come at a surprise, more so because apparently Hill was seen rehearsing with Weeknd for her performance. A PR representative tweeted her surprise apparently having seen the pair in action at rehearsals: