Lizzo isn’t charting anymore. Her fifth studio album, “Bitch,” landed with a thud this week, and the numbers tell a story that would’ve seemed impossible just three years ago. The project shifted only 2,650 copies in its first week, a stunning drop from 2022’s “Special,” which opened to 39,000 copies sold. Her three singles? None of them made the Hot 100.
For someone who was stacking Grammys and multiplatinum plaques not long ago, this marks a seismic shift. Lizzo herself acknowledged the change on X, writing: “The industry changed so much in the last 3 yrs. Streaming replaced radio & I was a radio darling. Not to mention the very obvious & public attack on my career changed things.”
The “attack” she’s referring to centers on a 2023 lawsuit that has cast a shadow over her career trajectory. Her backup dancers filed complaints alleging sexual harassment, weight-shaming, and a hostile work environment. The allegations include a troubling incident in Amsterdam where dancers claimed they were coerced into inappropriate physical contact.
Despite her attempts to get the case dismissed, it’s moving forward. Lizzo downplayed the accusations during a CBS interview earlier this year, suggesting “the truth is less salacious than the headlines,” but the damage to her public perception appears to have taken root.
Industry insiders point to another critical factor: Lizzo was always a radio phenomenon without necessarily building the deep fanbase modern music demands. One former music executive told Rolling Stone that 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.”
There’s also the brand betrayal factor. Lizzo built her empire on confidence, self-love, and uplift. When allegations emerged suggesting she mistreated those closest to her, the narrative fractured. As the executive noted, “When you’re called to task for the mistreatment of exactly what you held out as being your brand, then fans don’t wanna see you win anymore, and they desert you.”
Whether it’s the lawsuit, the shift from radio to streaming, or both working in tandem, Lizzo’s moment at the top has clearly passed. The woman who once seemed unstoppable is now facing a reckoning both commercially and culturally, and there’s no obvious path back to the heights she once occupied.
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