Lizzo’s New Album Didn’t Even Chart. What Happened?
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- Lizzo's fifth studio album "Bitch" (June 5, Atlantic Records) sold 2,649 copies in week one and 650 in week two with under 900,000 streams, failing to chart entirely — a steep drop from 2022's "Special," which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 39,000 copies sold.
- A former senior label executive told Rolling Stone Lizzo "never had a core fanbase," calling her a "radio-hits-driven artist" who lacked the audience required for career longevity in the streaming era.
- Lizzo publicly blamed streaming's replacement of radio and "the very obvious & public attack on my career" — referencing an unresolved 2023 lawsuit from former backup dancers alleging sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and fat-shaming; she told CBS Mornings last month she's preparing for trial rather than settle.
- Industry pundit Ray Daniels pushed back on the label-blame, pointing to Lizzo's 26.4 million TikTok and 11.2 million Instagram followers: "you still blaming the label... you're talking to the fans about how the label is not promoting your music?"
- Rolling Stone's review called "Bitch" "full of tired moves and cynical appeals to the streaming algorithm," while a veteran music executive said labels are likely "phoning it in" with a "super lackluster" rollout for artists deemed past their commercial peak.
- The single "Sexy Ladies," crafted with the late producer Tay Keith — who died last week at 29 — is flagged as the album's most likely hit, described as an ode to summer in the South with potential for global reach.
Why it matters: Lizzo's case crystallizes a structural risk for radio-viral pop stars: without a core fanbase, an unresolved lawsuit can fracture the audience trust her brand depends on. A label that's already moved on won't rescue her — the veteran exec bluntly says, 'if you fall off, you're literally like nothing to your labels.'
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