Lizzo is opening up about her album sales.
Speaking on the “Swiftologist” podcast, Lizzo broke her silence about the reception of her latest album B*tch .
“It dropped, and I was like, ‘Oh, OK, this isn’t what I thought it would be,’” she said. “And I didn’t think it would be crazy, but I also didn’t think it would be this. There was, like, 24 hours of my life where I based my success and my worth on a number. And I think that was soul-crushing.”
Lizzo said she “meditated” and “prayed” about the launch of the album. She said that her success is not solely based on the “ impact on numbers.”
“I had to reframe and be like, ‘But aren’t you proud of yourself?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I actually am proud of myself.’ Aren’t you excited to sing these songs?” she asked. “ Aren’t you glad they’re out?’ Yeah.”
Because she was proud of the LP, the low album sales left her “stressed.’
“I was really stressed, and I was really sad for a few days. Because I just was like, ‘Wait a minute. This is some of my best stuff,” Lizzio said. “I want people to find it,’”
Lizzio also said she had to “come to terms with the fact” that her “connection, musically, with the world is different” than before.
Since the album’s release, B*tch has sold only 2,649 pure copies and generated a mere 2.7 million on-demand streams in its debut week. The steep decline continued into week two, with sales cratering to 650 units. It failed to crack the Billboard 200 entirely.
The underwhelming performance stands in stark contrast to her 2022 hit album Special, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200.
Lizzo claims that the low sales are a result of the “public attack on my career” following a 2023 sexual misconduct lawsuit. Her former backup dancers accused her of creating a hostile work environment,
Lizzo has denied the allegations and is fighting the lawsuit in court.