Lizzo’s New Album Goes Double Wood, Social Media Has Thoughts

Lizzo was once a media darling who couldn’t put out a bad song if she tried. But that was before weight shaming and sexual harassment allegations made by her backup dancers and before streaming started to dominate listeners’ ears. 

Now, Lizzo’s 5th studio album Bitch has gone quadruple aluminum as the streets are no longer interested in what the one-time music darling has to offer. Rolling Stone did a deep dive to figure out exactly what happened and why her latest album sold only 2,560 copies in its first week, a huge drop-off from Special, which sold 39,000 copies when it debuted in 2022. 

“I think the biggest reason is that she never had a core fanbase,” one former senior label executive told Rolling Stone. “She was a very song-driven, radio-hits-driven artist who lacked a core fanbase, and that’s what you need today for career longevity.” 

Lizzo Blamed Her Album’s Poor Sales On The Changing Music Industry

Even Lizzo tried to explain why she had such a poor showing earlier this month when she tweeted: “The industry changed so much in the last 3 yrs. streaming replaced radio & I was a radio darling,” she wrote on X. “That’s how my fans discovered my music.”

Rolling Stone also noted that all three of Lizzo’s singles failed to make the Hot 100 charts. At one point in her career, Lizzo couldn’t miss. She collected Grammys and hits as if it were predestined. Lizzo literally couldn’t miss. Now she can barely hit the backboard. 

Some critics believe that Lizzo’s fall off happened after her body-positive, good girl image took a damning blow in 2023 when the “Truth Hurts” singer’s backup dancers filed a lawsuit claiming that sexual harassment and weight shaming created a hostile work environment.

In one alleged incident, the dancers claimed that she forced them to touch a woman’s breast in Amsterdam.

During an interview with CBS earlier this year, Lizzo downplayed the incident, claiming that the “truth is less salacious than the headlines,” TMZ reports. 

Despite several attempts by Lizzo’s lawyers to get the suit dismissed, the case appears to be moving forward. A trial date has not been set. 

You can see more reactions to Lizzo’s albums spectacularly flopping below.