Three years ago, Lizzo described a period when she felt as though her life had come to a standstill because of harsh public backlash.
In August 2023, three of the singer’s former backup dancers filed suit against Lizzo, her production company, and dance captain Shirlene Quigley, alleging sexual, religious, and racial harassment among other claims. The case remains pending.
Around the same time, Lizzo—born Melissa Jefferson—decided to pause releasing music after the conclusion of The Special Tour in July 2023.
During an interview on Monday for Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, the Truth Hurts star recalled that low point, explaining the hiatus came at a moment when it felt like the "world stopped f**king with me."
"I was like, ‘Whoa, this feels like my life is over,’" she remembered. "And so, with fame and success and the public’s overwhelmingly positive reception and understanding of me, I wasn’t looking for trouble because I truly was moving with pure intentions. I really did, which they say you shouldn’t do, just laid my heart bare for the whole world to see."
The About Damn Time singer also opened up about the "really heavy" emotions she wrestled with.
"When everybody started hating me, I kind of didn’t understand… I had experienced small waves of it, but this time after my (Special Tour) ended, it felt legitimate. So I really did feel as if my life were over because music had been my life, and I felt like no one wanted me to create music anymore," the 38-year-old continued. "It was really heavy. It’s really heavy. And I think you have to go to a very, very, very, very low place to be able to float back up to the top."
However, Lizzo says she is in a much healthier frame of mind these days.
"You know, what I came to is knowing who you are and not what you do. I feel like I had defined myself by my work for so long, instead of remembering who I am because that’s my job," she added. "It was incredibly freeing because I’m like, ‘Oh, only I know me, only I know who I am and I need to remember that and not let someone change that because I can do that too.’"
Lizzo is currently promoting her children’s book, Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin’. Featuring illustrations by Mark Pett, the book is now available for purchase.
