Grammy award-winning singer Lauryn Hill was yesterday sentenced to three months in jail for failing to pay taxes on income believed to be around $1.8 million.

The former Fugees star last year pleaded guilty to three counts of tax evasion, saying yesterday in court that she had always meant to pay the money eventually, but was unable to during a period when she had left the music industry.

Despite having paid nearly $900,000 over the past few days, Hill (37) will serve three months in an American prison and then serve another year under parole, the first three months of which will be spent under house arrest. She must also pay a fine of $60,000 in addition to her jail sentence.

Hill first started singing in the '90s with US hip hop group, The Fugees. She then went on to release the multi platinum-selling The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hil in 1998, which won her five Grammys, including 'Album of the Year'.

In a statement to the judge yesterday, the mother-of-six described how she couldn't pay her taxes after leaving the music industry in order to protect her family, according to ABC News. She compared her treatment in the music industry over the years to that of the slavery of her ancestors in the past.

"There were veiled threats, there was blacklisting. I came to be perceived as a cash cow and not a person. When people capitalize on a persona, they forget there is a person in there".

On her official website yesterday, Hill released a "compulsory mix" of her new song 'Neurotic Society', along with a statement reading: "Here is a link to a piece that I was "required" to release immediately, by virtue of the impending legal deadline. I love being able to reach people directly, but in an ideal scenario, I would not have to rush the release of new music."