Lizzo talks ‘dark depression’ at first solo concert since 2023 lawsuit

Lizzo is ready to turn her pain into champagne.

On Wednesday, the Grammy-winning pop star performed her first solo concert in two years — a period that saw her embroiled in controversy, after her former backup dancers  filed a lawsuit against the singer, her production company, and her dance captain for creating a “a toxic work environment.”

While onstage, the “Truth Hurts” singer did not directly address the legal battle, but did reference the tumultuous period of her career by admitting that she’s spent the past few years in “such a dark depression.”

“I was so heartbroken by the world, and so deeply hurt that I didn’t want to live anymore,” the singer says in fan-captured footage of the speech. “And I was so deeply afraid of people that I didn’t want to be seen. Eventually, I got over that fear, I went to a concert, kind of like this… and as I was walking through the crowds and something miraculous happened.”

She explained, “Someone I didn’t know, looked at me and said ‘Lizzo, I love you.’”

She then recounted embracing that fan and many others, and went on to thank fans for “showering me with love and support.”  She credited that “real life” love with inspiring her return to music with her upcoming fifth studio album, Love in Real Life.

“After that I was like ‘Damn, you can’t get this shit on the internet bro. This is the kind of love you only get in real life,'” she said. “I share that story because I know somebody here tonight either is currently going through, or has gone through, depression or darkness or felt so betrayed by someone they trusted or was lied on and hated for those lies. It’s a universal feeling and experience. And I know I sound like a broken record, I say it all the time: reach out.”

Since wrapping up her Special tour in 2023, Lizzo has made few onstage appearances. In 2023, amid her legal troubles, she joined rock band Incubus at the Hollywood Bowl to sing and play the flute. Last year saw her participate in a fundraising event for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign and a performance at Walmart’s annual Associates and Shareholders celebration. She was also slated to play the Made In America Festival — a two-day event in September 2023 that had Lizzo and SZA billed as co-headliners — but it was canceled due to “severe circumstances outside of production control.” 

Now, the singer is celebrating her return. Thursday marked the release of her first single off the new album, “Still Bad,” which purports to be about a bad breakup.

“But after everything, I’m still surviving, and I’m still bad, baby / So b—-, I can’t complain,” she sings on the track. “Plot twist, I’m doing great.”

The singer is also set to perform at two more intimate, theatre-sized shows in New York and Minneapolis in March ahead of her album release.

Lizzo first broke through with her third studio album, Cuz I Love You, which spawned hit singles, “Juice,” “Tempo,” and “Truth Hurts, ” and won her three Grammy awards. Her next album 2022’s Special won the Grammy for Record of the Year. The came August 2023, when three of Lizzo’s former back-up dancers filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, weight-shaming, and racial discrimination.

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Lizzo responded to the suit, saying, “I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain…There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body-shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight. I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this.”

Nearly a year later, the singer took to social media with a cryptic post, declaring “I quit,” before later clarifying that this was not in reference to her music career.