Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 5
Lizzo Releases 5th Album "Bitch" as Lawsuits and Flopped Singles Cloud Comeback
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 5

Lizzo Releases 5th Album "Bitch" as Lawsuits and Flopped Singles Cloud Comeback

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 5

Summary

  • Lizzo’s fifth studio album, "Bitch," arrives after she scrapped an earlier comeback plan and lands to a mixed review that calls the record stylistically scattered and short on a clear pop hit.
  • Two failed singles from the abandoned "Love in Real Life" rollout and underwhelming streams for her stopgap mixtape pushed a rethink, leaving the new album trying rock, R&B, hip-hop and retro pop without a definitive direction.
  • 2023 tour-era lawsuits from three former dancers and a costume designer still hang over her career; some claims were dismissed, others remain active, and Lizzo has said she will fight them rather than settle.
  • The release underscores how far she is from her 2018-2022 commercial peak, with the review arguing that the body-positivity, post-Trump optimism that once powered her hits no longer matches the current pop moment.

Insights

Can Lizzo’s vulnerable new album overcome the controversies that have damaged her once-positive brand?
Does Lizzo's artistic struggle signal the end of the upbeat, body-positive era she championed in pop music?