Lizzo Slams Criticism of Her New Music & Says ‘the Way This World Treats Black Women Is Sickening’

Lizzo has some things to get off her chest. In a series of posts on X Monday (March 17), the star clapped back at critics of her new music before calling out the way Black women have historically been mistreated.

Four days after the release of her latest single “Still Bad,” Lizzo began by writing, “Saying my brand of ‘poptimism’ doesn’t work in a ‘post Covid world’ is a lazy take.”

“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,” she continued, referring to her 2022 Billboard Hot 100-topping single that won record of the year at the 2023 Grammys. “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 [Jackson], of Funkadelic, of Earth Wind and Fire… nobody’s doing it like me for Us.”

It’s been a long time since Lizzo used X, having made the switch to Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky in November after declaring, “I hate the internet.” But on Monday, the hitmaker said of her return to Elon Musk’s platform, “Yall really got me off Bluesky … but I got time today.”

The next day, the “Truth Hurts” rapper returned with a few closing thoughts. “The way this world treats black women is sickening,” she wrote, citing Jackson, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner as examples of Black women musicians who faced adversity in their careers. “The least protected person in America…”

“What happened to me was supposed to destroy me but it has only set me free!” Lizzo added. “Now I know none of this is real. The only thing that’s real is the love that I share with my family, my friends, nature, my fans, in Real Life.”

“Still Bad” and Lizzo’s previous single, “Love in Real Life,” mark her first proper releases since 2022’s Special album. The songs also serve as her comeback after a few of her former dancers sued her in August 2023 on allegations of sexual harassment and hostile work environment, all of which the Yitty founder has repeatedly and emphatically denied. She was also sued by her former stylist, Asha Daniels, for similar claims — which Lizzo also thoroughly refuted — but the musician was dismissed from the case in December. Her Big Grrrl Big Touring Company Inc. remains a defendant in the latter case.

Lizzo has been open about how her mental health has suffered in the aftermath, and perseverance is already a major theme in the two new songs she’s dropped this year leading up to new album Love in Real Life. She also elaborated on the subject during Tuesday (March 18) interview with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mashup, saying of her struggles with depression, “I think we like to shame ourselves for feeling bad, especially as Black women.”

“I’m like, ‘Get it together. Why can’t I just be in a good mood? Why can’t I just be happy? Why can’t I just be strong?’” she continued on the program. “And it’s just like, you have to be easy on yourself and let yourself feel what you’re feeling.”

See some of Lizzo’s messages on X below.