We’re days away from receiving Lizzo’s fourth studio album and her fans are ready to hear what she’s been working on. Lizzo hasn’t had much free time as she has been jet-setting around the world performing, promoting her Yitty brand, and readying her forthcoming album, Special. We haven’t received an LP from the singer-rapper since her 2019 release Cuz I Love You, and in a recent sit-down with Zane Lowe for Apple 1, Lizzo talked about her new record at length.
“I love this album. Come on. I’m very good at music, man,” she said. “I would just say that. I studied music in college. I’ve written songs my whole life. I’m proud. I think taking my… I wanted to rush it so many times. There were some points….woo! But in this process, I was like, ‘I got the album, okay? Let’s put it out. The singles are done.’ And those songs didn’t even make the album.”
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“I’m just proud of how patient I was with myself and with my art. And I took the time to write the songs that need to come out, the stories that I wanted to share, that people should hear,” she continued. “I mean, everything I make is good, it just doesn’t mean that it’s the right song for the album. So, I got bars, and I got some hot bars off, and I got bangers, and I got some moody songs, I got some really dark songs, too, that didn’t make it. But these are the songs that were supposed to happen.
After also explaining that “love is the heart of this album,” Lizzo also talked about the hate she’s received after becoming famous.
“Once people knew who I was and it became kind of solidified, they became more comfortable with using me as some sort of punchline or joke, or immediately they want to criticize whatever I’m doing because there’s levels to me that they don’t accept,” she stated. “I’ve found that I’m always going to receive some sort of backlash or criticism whenever I put myself in a public space, just because of who I am and the way I choose to exist. … It’s absolutely bait now.”
“People use negativity as clout and attention, and it makes them feel good to get that kind of attention, which is… It’s very addictive. It is like an adrenaline, it’s drug-like. And I don’t know, I’m trying to distance myself from even looking at those people and reading those comments. It’s been very difficult because I just feel I can’t escape it.”
Watch her interview below. Special arrives this Friday, July 15.