Singer Lizzo should be at the peak of her career at age 38. But instead, she fell off hard.
Lizzo’s fifth studio album, Bitch, sold less than 3,000 copies in its first week in early June. The former A-list pop singer promoted the album heavily on social media.
MY ALBUM BITCH OUT NOW! AHHHHHHHH #BITCHOUTJUNE5TH https://t.co/BhZNvalmWq pic.twitter.com/DyM7D4UbZ7
— LIZZO (@lizzo) June 5, 2026
Lizzo blamed social media algorithms for making it difficult for her fans to see her promotions.
“The algorithm-based way that social media functions now is destroying the music industry,” she said in a TikTok posted on May 12. “If your algorithm is super serving you things out of order of when they’re happening, then the general public has no idea when music is actually coming out.”
The 4-time Grammy winner became an overnight success in 2019 with hit songs such as “Truth Hurts,” “Good As Hell,” and “About Damn Time.” Her music focused on body positivity and self-love.
Lizzo was an immediate favorite with plus-sized women who saw themselves in the superstar singer.
Her breakout hit, “Truth Hurts,” was originally released as a single in 2017 by Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records. But the song failed to chart.
“Truth Hurts” was featured in the Netflix movie Someone Great and it trended on TikTok. Atlantic Records re-released “Truth Hurts in 2019 as a radio single – 2 years after its original release.
It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Lizzo achieved crossover pop status. “Truth Hurts” was included as a bonus track on the deluxe version of Lizzo’s third studio album Cuz I Love You (2019).
“Truth Hurts” sold 10 million copies and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Lizzo’s song “Good as Hell” was originally released in 2016, but it also failed to chart.
Three years later, Lizzo performed “Good as Hell” at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 3.
A remix featuring pop star Ariana Grande was released on October 25, 2019. “Good As Hell” sold 5 million copies and was certified 5x platinum.
Then Lizzo began taking Ozempic and she lost weight, which alienated her plus-sized fans.
“What’s complicated about Lizzo is Lizzo did make her body size part of her brand,” said Tigress Osborn, executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA).
“If you want your fans to relate to you as a person, then you have to be a person, not a brand,” Osborn added. “If you want your fans to relate to you as a brand, then brand loyalty ends when the brand changes.”