Lizzo took to social media following the backlash of her recent track “Grrls” to address the comments and shared something amazing…
She has taken full accountability for her actions and fans have praised the star.
Keep scrolling to see what she’s done…
Now, Melissa Viviane Jefferson graced our world in Detroit in 1988.
But we know her best as Lizzo.
Her third studio album, Cuz I Love You, is a total masterpiece.
But it’s not just the brilliant music that she makes that has garnered Lizzo such a legion of fans.
There’s so much more to the star….
For one thing, she’s totally unique.
Which other plus-size, dance-trained, hip-hop artist plays the flute in almost all of her songs?
Truly, Lizzo is one of a kind.
But what’s even more important than her talent?
It’s gotta be Lizzo’s incredible message. Her lyrics are all designed to inspire self-love and confidence – particularly in young women. In a world of problematic messages, she’s a real force for good.
Lizzo has dominated the stage for several years now.
Gaining some pretty high-profile fans along the way.
At the BET Awards back in 2019, there was one audience member who was truly losing her mind over Lizzo’s performance…
Rihanna.
And at the MTV Video Music Awards that same year, Lizzo made even more famous fans.
At the VMAs, the audience was pretty much all going wild for Lizzo – including one Queen Latifah.
And late in 2019, Lizzo was cemented as a true icon.
The star was named as TIME’s Entertainer of the Year.
She was recognized for her trailblazing message of body positivity, advocacy for self-love, and her “relentlessly positive and impossibly catchy” sound.
It’s a truly impressive achievement.
“Attending a Lizzo concert feels like worshipping at the church of self-love, if your preacher was a pop star living joyfully in a big black body, delivering a sermon of self-acceptance that’s as frank as it is accessible,” author, Samantha Irby, wrote for TIME magazine.
Lizzo opened up to the magazine about being an advocate for body positivity:
“I’ve been doing positive music for a long-ass time. Then the culture changed. There were a lot of things that weren’t popular but existed, like body positivity, which at first was a form of protest for fat bodies and black women and has now become a trendy, commercialized thing. Now I’ve seen it reach the mainstream. Suddenly I’m mainstream! How could we have guessed something like this would happen when we’ve never seen anything like this before?” the songstress told TIME.
And even now, the world’s love for Lizzo continues to grow with her success.
Last year saw her nominated for eleven awards at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, and winning one for Top Song Sales Artist.
The same year, she also performed a sold-out show at the Sydney Opera House…
The same place she had previously performed as a young flute player.
But it seems life isn’t all positivity for Lizzo.
As the singer has come under fire for a lyric used in her new track “Grrrls”
Fans quickly took to TikTok to share their shock over the song, which is part of her fourth album, Special.
People began to hit out at the singer for her controversial word choice.
One Twitter user wrote: “@lizzo please re-release ‘Grrrls’ without the ableist slur. That word is not kind to disabled people. Your music is global and you have a voice folks listen to. We are trusting and asking you to release it without the slur.”
Another wrote: “I’m disappointed in @lizzo for using the word “sp@z” in her new song ‘Grrrls.’ There’s no excuse for using an ableist insult in a song in 2022. As someone who champions women, plus size people and others whom society treats poorly, Lizzo preaches inclusivity and should do better.”
“Hey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad,” a third wrote.
“‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better.”
The public outrage has come over part of the song where she sings: “Hold my bag, b**ch / Hold my bag / Do you see this s**t? / I’mma spaz.”
The slur is considered to be extremely offensive to those with disabilities.
Following the response to her new song, Lizzo addressed the comments in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday.
In the post, she wrote: “It’s been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song ‘GRRRLS.’ Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language.”
“As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I overstated the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally). I’m proud to say there’s a new version of ‘Grrrls’ with a lyric change.”
“This is the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.”
The new version will go as follows: “Hold my bag, b**ch / Hold my bag / Do you see this s**t? / Hold me back.”
Fans have since praised the star for taking accountability.
One Instagram user commented: “Showing the world it really is that easy to simply listen & make the change. I love you.”
While another wrote: “This is just ONE of the reasons why you are loved and respected! Wish more people in this world listened.”
Lizzo’s new single will be dropping on July 15, and we can’t wait!