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WARNING: This article contains strong language.
- Lizzo issued a statement after receiving backlash for her new song, Grrrls.
- Multiple fans and disability advocates criticised the song for using an ableist slur in the opening verse.
- "Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language," she wrote in a statement on social media.
Lizzo has issued a statement after receiving backlash for her new song, Grrrls.
What was supposed to be an empowering anthem, released on Friday, turned into a controversy after fans called Lizzo out for using harmful words in the lyrics of her new song.
Per Rolling Stone, multiple fans and disability advocates criticised the song for using an ableist slur in the opening verse.
"Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language," she wrote in a statement on social media. "As a fat Black woman in America, I've had many hurtful words used against me, so I overstand the power words can have (whether intentionally or, in my case, unintentionally)."
The hitmaker added that she is "proud to say" that there is a new version of the song with necessary lyric changes.
"This is the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist, I'm dedicated to being part of the change I've been waiting to see in the world," she concluded.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE:
The new version's lyrics now begin with "Hold my bag, bitch/Hold my bag/Do you see this shit?/Hold me back," she sings instead of the original opening lyrics, which had used the word at the end of those lines.
LISTEN TO THE TRACK HERE:
