Lizzo Responded To Criticism Her Music Doesn't Work In A "Second Trump Term America" With A Whole Bunch Of Posts
Lizzo is firing back at the criticism she's received over her song "Still Bad" with a series of X posts, and the discourse is getting heavy.
On March 17, Lizzo released a comeback single, " Still Bad," a track from her upcoming fifth album, Love in Real Life, which is expected to be released later this year.
Last week, at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, Lizzo opened up about struggling with "dark depression" in 2023. That year, the "Truth Hurts" singer was sued by former backup dancers on allegations of sexual and racial harassment and a hostile workplace environment. Lizzo has denied all allegations.
At her concert, Lizzo said she named the album Love in Real Life because "I was so heartbroken by the world and so deeply hurt that I didn't want to live anymore, and I was so deeply afraid of people that I didn't want to be seen. Eventually, I got over that fear."
She told the audience as she was walking through the crowd at the concert she attended, "something miraculous happened." Lizzo shared that a random person reached out and said, "'Lizzo, I love you,'" and they embraced, and "it felt so damn good."
When other people joined in, she said the experience was "fucking life-saving" and the only type of love you can get in real life and not the internet. And she's not wrong based on the discourse this week.
Amid challenging the multiple ongoing lawsuits by former employees alleging sexual and racial harassment and a toxic work environment, Lizzo is also responding to the toxicity of internet echo chambers.
Lizzo clapped back at the criticism that her music doesn't work in this era. "Saying my brand of 'poptimism' doesn't work in a 'post Covid world' is a lazy take.. As if I didn't release 'about damn time' post pandemic..," she began. "As if I didn't write 'about damn time' to be a post lockdown anthem to inspire us to get outside and together again.. and was successful at it btw ;)"
@lizzo / x.com x.com
She's referring to this viral X post that specifically said, "this brand of poptimism doesnt work for me post covid and in second term trump america."
"Same people saying my music is 'too optimistic' would've been real mad in the 60s at James Brown and Motown," she continued, comparing her music to other prominent Black artists who faced criticism for their popular music.
"Imagine listening to 'say it loud I'm black and I'm proud' and saying it's too optimistic imagine listening to 'hey yah' and saying it's too poppy… what André say? Yall don't wanna listen ya just wanna hate," she wrote.
"I think seeing and hearing a black woman make real music with radical joy triggers miserable people… but I follow in the footsteps of Janet, of Funkadelic, of Earth Wind and Fire… nobody's doing it like me for Us. And I stand on that."
Noam Galai / Getty Images for Atlantic Records, @lizzo / x.com
"Aretha & Whitney got backlash for being 'too pop' and they kept going… and so will I."
"The way this world treats black women is sickening… blacklisted Janet and now 20yrs later yall calling her music 'cute black girl bops' & giving her flowers… Dogged Whitney for her love life & called her a drug addict for laughs but now yall wanna honor her Yall laughed at Tina's abuse and never let her forget… The least protected person in America…"
Lizzo wrote, "'Still Bad' is a breakup song with the world. It literally starts with me saying 'I'm bouta throw my phone away' it's a call to action for the negativity we experience on our phones and how we need to disengage and recenter. The girls that get it, get it."
"In the music video I'm literally taking my power back from the 'birds' (tweets) that tried to keep me down with negativity…," she continued.
Atlantic Records / youtu.be @lizzo / x.com
Lizzo said she's also doing this for herself, referencing a video describing who she would perform with a new rendition of the 2001 "Lady Marmalade" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. "Everything I do is for her. The way the world treated this girl was so nasty & vicious. I'm going hard for her— my Shayla."
She also referenced the backlash she's received for sharing her weight loss journey on the internet. "I have no loyalty to hatred— u mad I lost weight? Stay mad. Ur bitter I make hits? Stay bitter. I only have loyalty to love and real people not click bait critters."
@lizzobeating / Instagram: @lizzobeeating
Lizzo continued her series of posts by encouraging people to fight against negativity on the internet. "Talkin shit about me is a cheat code to going viral. I seen people who's only viral video is the one where they're talking shit about me… If u gotta mention me to finally feel seen… honestly ur welcome," she wrote.
"Free yourself from the opinions of people that do not matter Realize that the only person that matters is Yourself," she added.
@lizzo /
The "About Damn Time" singer finished her posts, writing, "God put me here to share my story and that story is how a fat black woman WINS. Have a amazing, blessed day on Purpose Go get some fresh air, this internet shit will break u down I'm going for a walk."
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