Key Takeaways
- Lizzo admitted her 2025 music comeback “kind of crumbled” due to legal challenges and shifting industry dynamics.
- Her mixtape, My Face Hurts from Smiling, became a turning point for creative clarity and self-expression.
- She continues to navigate lawsuits and public scrutiny while focusing on artistic growth and personal resilience.
Lizzo is getting real about how rocky her return to music has been.
In a new cover story with New York magazine, the Grammy-winning singer opened up about the pressure she felt while re-entering the music world amid ongoing legal battles and public scrutiny. After dropping two singles and the mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling in June, she admitted her big comeback didn’t go as planned.
“Which is crazy because I had three years to plan this s**t out, and all of my plans kind of crumbled,” she said.
The “Truth Hurts” hitmaker described the shift she’s seen in the industry since releasing her 2022 album Special. “I put out those two singles, and it feels like I had a crash course in what putting music out as a pop artist in 2025 looks like, and it’s … interesting,” Lizzo told the outlet. “The industry and the landscape change every year. What worked last year is not going to work this year.”
Despite that, she shared that the mixtape gave her a moment of creative clarity. “I think I needed to drop those songs so I could subvert that expectation of me,” she said. “Because, in turn, it created this new discovery that I really wanted. I wanted people to rediscover who I am and fall in love with her all over again.”
Legal battles and public scrutiny
Lizzo’s return comes after a series of high-profile lawsuits filed against her in 2023 and 2024. Several former backup dancers accused her of sexual and racial harassment, and fostering a hostile work environment. Lizzo denied the claims, saying, “I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain.”
A separate lawsuit from a former wardrobe assistant also alleged a toxic work culture on tour. Though Lizzo is no longer named in that suit, her touring company still is. Legal proceedings in both cases remain ongoing, with trials and appeals expected to continue.