Lizzo has explained her decision to call her new album B****.
The 38-year-old pop star is preparing to make a return to the charts with her latest record B****, which is due for release in June, and she’s now opened up about why she chose such a controversial name for it – declaring she is “reclaiming the word” and “turning it into a declaration of confidence, and unapologetic self-love.”
In a press release announcing the new album, Lizzo explained: “Reclaiming the word B**** is power – it’s taking a label once used to diminish women and turning it into a declaration of confidence, and unapologetic self-love.”
She went on to share her inspiration for the name came from singer Meredith Brooks – who had a huge hit with her 1997 song B****, and hip-hop star Missy Elliott, who released her song She’s a B**** in 1999, while Lizzo also makes a nod to her her 2019 single Truth Hurts which features the line: “I’m 100 per cent that b****”.
Lizzo added: “So many incredible women in music have used the word for positivity like Meredith Brooks and Missy Elliot. It was only fitting to name my album B**** because it has become my favourite word when using it on my own terms and because I am 100 per cent that b****!”
B**** will be Lizzo’s first album since 2022’s Special and it’s due to drop on June 5. The record’s title track is set to be unveiled on May 1.
Lizzo has previously admitted she worries about releasing new music because the industry is a “shambles” and her last mixtape My Face Hurts From Smiling didn’t seem to reach her fanbase.
In a post on TikTok, she explained: “The music industry is in complete shambles right now, and you can use that to your advantage … Back in the day, the music industry was very algorithmic, as any other industry was, but that industry was controlled to a certain extent. “Now that we are in the digital streaming age, there is no control over the algorithm, and it is stressing people the f*** out. Myself included …
“Every major artist besides Beyonce has dropped music this year, or is planning to drop music this year.
“I just dropped the deluxe to my mixtape today. And yet, there are still people who don’t even know I dropped music.” She went on to add: “Every major artist, from Lady Gaga to Drake, has dropped albums this year, and yet everyone is saying there’s no song of the summer.
“I’m going to be completely honest with you guys. It’s not because the music isn’t incredible. It’s because the way that the algorithm is set up, no one can serve the masses anymore.
“This industry used to be based on serving the masses, basically like servicing your song out to certain channels and certain radio stations.
“The internet space wasn’t so congested. There was a clear channel back in the day for major artists to put their music out and serve the masses.”
Lizzo added that TikTok’s For You page is great news for new artists but she fears more established stars are missing out.