Lizzo Opens Up About Feeling “Heartbroken” Over Her New Album’s Low Sales: “I Was Really Disappointed”

The singer’s latest album failed to make it onto the charts, but she says she has already moved forward and is working on new music while looking ahead to the future.

Lizzo is reflecting on the unexpected performance of her latest album Bitch and how she is learning to move past the disappointment.

The Grammy-winning artist, 38, released Bitch on June 5, marking her first album in four years. Despite the anticipation surrounding the project, the record did not appear on the Billboard 200 chart, a surprising outcome following the success of her previous album, which reached No. 2 in 2022.

During an interview with Zachary Hourihane, also known as the Swiftologist, on YouTube on June 28, Lizzo described the album’s lack of chart success as an emotionally difficult experience.

She explained that she had been excited after reaching her pre-save goal, but once the album was released and the numbers came in, she realized the response was different from what she expected. Lizzo admitted that for a short time, she measured her success and personal value based on the album’s performance, which she described as painful.

According to music data company Luminate, the album earned around 3,000 equivalent units during its first week and dropped to about 650 units in its second week.

Lizzo shared that she began working on the album in September 2023 and believed the songs would connect strongly with listeners. However, when the project did not gain immediate attention, she admitted that she felt disappointed and questioned the response.

The “Truth Hurts” singer said the experience forced her to recognize that both the music industry and her relationship with her audience have changed in recent years. She said she had to accept that shift and allow herself to process those emotions.

Lizzo also credited her friendship with fellow artist SZA for helping her regain perspective. She shared that SZA reached out to check on her, and their conversation helped remind her not to define her worth or impact through statistics and sales figures.

The singer said she spent time reflecting, meditating, and praying, eventually realizing that she should still feel proud of the work she created. She added that she reminds herself regularly that disappointing numbers are not a reflection of her personally, but rather part of larger changes happening in the music business.

Despite the album’s commercial struggles, Lizzo said she is staying focused on the future and has already returned to the studio to work on new music.