Lyfe Jennings has announced that he is considering retiring from live performances after having his confidence shaken by recent online commentary.
The R&B singer shared the news with his fans on Friday (December 30) via an Instagram Story post, which he later reposted to his main feed. In it, he revealed that he had just taken the stage for the first time since a clip of one of his previous performances went viral two weeks ago.
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A fan shared video clips from an appearance by the singer on December 17, making it clear that he did not have the experience he was expecting. The snippet of the performance was shared by several gossip blogs, leading to widespread criticism of Lyfe’s vocal abilities.
“Just did my first show since all this shit and um seriously considering not doing shows nomore [sic],” he wrote. “I be to much in my head now. Everytime [sic] I see a phone pointed at me I just be thrown.. fee like I don’t love this nomore [sic].”
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While he didn’t include a caption with the post, Lyfe Jennings shared an additional message by accompanying the post with a snippet of his song “Till You Gone,” which hears him singing, “They’ll never love you till you gone/ So don’t waste ya time tryna please no n-gga,” with the final word of the line cut off.
Supporters including Bobby V took to the post’s comments to offer words of encouragement. “Naaa brodieee ! U one of the best 2 do it ! Keep goin!!,” he wrote.
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Others took the tough love approach. “What’s wrong with you.???” one fan wrote. “You letting this new generation intimidate you?!?! What would you say to your kids if they wanted to quit because people told them they can’t do something they know they can do. If you don’t pick your damn head up…
“Your footprint is already marked out here in the music world so get out your head and stop letting keyboard fingers punk you,” the fan continued. “Make a quick call to Ginuwine, he capitalized of the laughs and jokes and like some said look at the increase in impression and followers you gained from it. Now incorporate that and make it a part of your show too??”
The criticism that followed Lyfe Jennings’ last performance wasn’t limited to fans and strangers online.
Once the clip made it to Instagram via The Neighborhood Talk, he hopped into the the comments section of the IG post to defend himself. “Better put some respect on my sh*t,” he wrote. “Ima whole legend out here Pronto. 80 shows this year alone 80% of em sold out. Go check my new video ’till you gone’ it’ll explain this gas lighting wit cheap gas ass blog.”
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Lyfe Jennings eventually spotted a comment by Mario, who had responded to the footage with a facepalm emoji, prompting the “Must Be Nice” singer to react. “That’s why I fuck wit the rappers,” Lyfe replied. “R and b n-ggas be fake AF. So much I could say but my number speak for themselves and my rep do too.”
The singer then took the conversation to his own IG account, sharing a clip of the movie Paid In Full. “So Lyfe a meme now?!!,” he captioned the video. “Fuck all yaw Christmas cancelled!!!! ‘Till you gone’ video on youtube and streaming everywhere.”
