“I don’t feel like I’ve expressed myself fully in the last two years” — Lizzo addresses taking a break for her mental health ahead of her next album

Lizzo is opening up about her struggles with mental health and what she is doing to take care of herself ahead of the release of her next album, Love in Real Life.

The songstress sat down on Jay Shetty's On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast recently, where she addressed the "gap year" she took in releasing new music.

“I don’t feel like I’ve expressed myself fully in the last two years, like how I want to. I feel like I’ve been kind of holding my tongue and like staying to myself, but I think that it’s for the best because you know, running your mouth these days,” she said.

Lizzo released two songs from her forthcoming album—Still Bad, and the title track, Love in Real Life. Before this, she released Pink for Greta Gerwig’s 2023 Barbie soundtrack, making these her first proper release singles since she dropped Special in 2022. At the time, the album clocked in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, while About Damn Time dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.

Lizzo says she's not going to let the world make her a "villain": Read more

During the podcast, Lizzo told host, Jay Shetty:

“Sometimes it’s just unnecessary and sometimes it can get you into some stuff you wasn’t even trying to get into because people will misinterpret it and run with it. I found when I was like, I’m taking a gap year, I’m protecting my peace. But like, people were like, wait, so what’s that supposed to mean?”

Elsewhere in the segment, Lizzo also addressed the backlash she faced following a harassment lawsuit levied against her by one of her former dancers in August 2023. She noted that the public perception of her was the most difficult for her to deal with:

“I think when it was out of my control and someone else could tell a story about me that wasn’t true and people believed it, it crushed me,” before adding, “I think what I learned about fame is, even if that’s really me, it just becomes kind of like a, a fictional story that you, it’s a character, it’s a brand, it’s a thing that now doesn’t belong to you anymore.”

She continued:

“Whoever Lizzo is to the world is not really even me. And that disconnect is depressing. And I think the only remedy to that is continuing to be myself. That’s the time. I just have to continue to be me and people will see me for who I am.”

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles by dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez. According to Billboard, the trio accused Lizzo and her Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. of several crimes, though the singer has categorically maintained her innocence. In a statement shared on X, she dismisthe claims as “false allegations” and “sensationalized stories.”

The songstress concluded:

“I’m never gonna stop… If anything, I’m more careful now. I can’t just let any author into my life who can make me a villain. I can’t do that anymore. ’cause I’m the author and I. Taking back my narrative by continuing to tell my story from me, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to do that.”

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During a recent show in Los Angeles, Lizzo reflected on the "dark depression" she had been tackling before she bounced back. She told the crowd she was "heartbroken" and "deeply hurt" that she no longer wanted to live—and was so deeply afraid of people that she didn’t want to be seen.

However, she eventually got over her fears.

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