Lizzo Announces 'Bitch' Album Release Amid Dancers' Lawsuit

Lizzo discussed her upcoming album and a yearslong legal fight with former backup dancers, explaining why she shelved a previous project last year.

The singer's new album arrives June 5. She aims for it to empower women through its title. "The album is called 'Bitch,'" Lizzo said. "After the song … I always have a title track."

The title track samples Meredith Brooks' feminist anthem of the same name and Missy Elliott's "She's a Bitch." "I feel like what both of those women did was they pushed that word forward in a way that empowered it, instead of taking the power away. Like that's a word that used to get hurled at women," Lizzo told CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King in an exclusive interview. "It's my favorite word."

Her new music arrives amid legal trouble. In 2023, three former backup dancers sued Lizzo, claiming a hostile work environment and sexual harassment on her world tour. One dancer also alleged weight shaming.

The court dismissed the weight shaming claim. Some sexual harassment allegations remain, including claims that Lizzo pressured dancers to interact with nude performers at an Amsterdam burlesque club.

Lizzo is appealing the ruling and refuses to settle. "I'm fighting the case because I know that it's not true," she said. "Just like the fat shaming one is not true."

If the case reaches trial, Lizzo plans to testify. "The truth will come out, and that's why I'm not afraid of it," she said. "The truth is less salacious than the headlines."

Because the case continues, Lizzo cannot discuss details. She added, "I cannot wait for it to be dismissed."

Last year, Lizzo planned to release another album, Love in Real Life. Two singles failed to chart on Billboard, and she then put the project on indefinite hold by choice. "I didn't delay anything," she said. "I think that I have been working on an album and I put a lot of pressure on me for a long time, and I think what I learned last year was like, I'm here to make music. I'm here to give music to my fans."

Lizzo also addressed her recent weight loss. "I released the anxiety I was going through. I released depression and I also released some weight on my body."

She described herself as "not a skinny person" and not seeking to become one. "I mean if I came out today as a brand new artist with this body, I would still get the same criticisms I got back in 2019."

Lizzo rejected rumors of weight loss drugs, saying she achieved results through "a calorie deficit, cardio and protein." She tried a GLP-1 drug years earlier but quit. "I'm scared of needles and it just did not work out for me," she said. "So when I decided to do the weight release journey in 2023, which was years after, I was like, 'I'm gonna have to do it the old fashioned way.'"

Looking ahead, the four-time Grammy winner anticipates touring again. "I know the music is good and I know my heart is good," she said. "So if I know that, I have nothing to worry about. People are gonna say what they wanna say. They're gonna think what they are going to think."

She hopes to inspire others by trusting her heart and craft.