Lizzo Addresses Bitch Album Flop: 'I Hurt My Own
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Lizzo's album 'Bitch' failed to chart on the Billboard 200, selling 2,649 copies with just under 2.7 million on-demand streams in its first week after its June 5 release, then dropping to 650 units and under 900,000 streams in week two, per Luminate data.
- The flop is a sharp reversal from her 2022 album 'Special,' which debuted at Number Two on the Billboard 200 with 69,000 equivalent album units.
- On the Proto Pop podcast with host Zachary Hourihane, Lizzo admitted, 'I hurt my own feelings,' saying she was 'really stressed and really sad for a few days' despite believing 'this is some of my best stuff.'
- Lizzo attributed part of the album's reception to a changed music industry over the past three years, specifically pointing to shifting radio dynamics that she said got her 'ass chewed out.'
- The commercial decline comes against the backdrop of an unresolved 2023 lawsuit from former backup dancers accusing Lizzo of sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, and fat-shaming.
- Lizzo dismissed the 'Khia Asylum' — an online term for fading pop stars — calling it 'a tool to bully artists' that 'targets only women, and a lot of Black women,' and called the phrase itself 'backhanded' for being named after rapper Khia.
- Lizzo argued she doesn't belong in the 'Khia Asylum,' citing her Grammys, Number Ones, and diamond record as proof of sustained success.
Why it matters: The album's failure to chart — with first-week sales of just 2,649 copies — represents a sharp reversal from 'Special' debuting at Number Two in 2022, and lands while Lizzo still faces an unresolved 2023 lawsuit alleging sexual harassment. Her candid podcast appearance opts for transparency rather than a PR script during a commercial low point.
