Lizzo Confronts the Fallout of ‘Bitch’ Without a PR Filter

When Lizzo’s Bitch arrived in June, it moved 2,649 copies in its opening week and drew 2.7 million on-demand streams. By the second week, those figures sank to 650 copies and under 900,000 streams. For an artist whose previous album Special bowed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 69,000 equivalent units, the drop was stark. Speaking with Zachary Hourihane on the podcast Proto Pop, Lizzo didn’t reach for a sanitized response. “I was really stressed and I was really sad for a few days,” she said. “I hurt my own feelings.”

The tepid reception lands as her public standing has shifted. In 2023, former backup dancers sued her, alleging sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, and fat-shaming; the lawsuit has yet to be resolved. Lizzo acknowledged the changed terrain directly: “I had to come to terms with the fact that not only is the music industry different… but also my relationship and my connection musically with the world is different. I’ve had to mourn that.”

She also criticized the “Khia Asylum,” a viral label used to diminish once-successful female pop stars, calling it a misogynistic tool that targets Black women. “I feel like I can’t be in the Khia Asylum,” she said, noting her Grammys and world records. Her immediate response was not to dwell but to go back to the studio. “You have to keep going,” she said.