Lizzo is reflecting on both her return to music and her personal transformation, opening up about the challenges she has faced in recent years.
In a cover story with New York on Sept. 8, the 37-year-old artist admitted that reentering the music industry after multiple lawsuits and personal struggles has not gone the way she envisioned.
“I put out those two singles, and it feels like I had a crash course in what putting music out as a pop artist in 2025 looks like, and it’s … interesting,” she said.
“The industry and the landscape change every year. What worked last year is not going to work this year.”
When she released her 2022 album Special, Lizzo felt confident navigating the music world and its “gatekeepers from radio to marketing to media.” But with her June mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling, the singer admitted she felt unprepared despite years of planning.
“I’m flying by the seat of my pants. Which is crazy because I had three years to plan this s— out, and all of my plans kind of crumbled.”
She added, “I think I needed to drop those songs so I could subvert that expectation of me, because, in turn, it created this new discovery that I really wanted. I wanted people to rediscover who I am and fall in love with her all over again.”
Her comeback has unfolded while she continues to fight legal battles.
In August 2023, three of her backup dancers, Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez, filed lawsuits accusing her of sexual harassment, racial harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
Lizzo denied the allegations in an Instagram post, writing, “I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days.
I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”
Weeks later, a separate lawsuit was filed by Asha Daniels, a former wardrobe assistant, who claimed her team fostered a “racist and sexualized” work environment.
Lizzo has sought dismissal of both cases, with some allegations already thrown out, while other claims remain ongoing in court.
Alongside her legal fight, Lizzo has been candid about her mental health, body image and physical transformation.
In a recent interview with Women’s Health, she described body positivity as “the radical act of daring to exist loudly and proudly in a society that told you you shouldn’t exist.”
The singer, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, explained that her weight loss was never about meeting outside expectations.
“I like how I look now. I still think I’m big. I’m still wearing plus-size clothing. I have the same rolls. I got the same belly, the same thighs. I think I’m just a smaller version.”
She also dismissed the idea that her progress should be tied to weight loss drugs or surgery.
“If I did all of this on Ozempic, if I did all this with surgery, I would be just as proud of myself, because this s*** is hard. Everyone who’s ever been in a bigger body in this current version of society knows that this s*** ain’t easy. Existing isn’t easy.”
