Last week, the singer caused a stir among her loyal social media followers after she posted a statement to her Instagram page in which she said she was “tired” of the criticism often directed her way “by everyone in my life and on the internet.” She ended saying, “I quit.”
The post spurred speculation that Lizzo was done with her music career, but the “About Damn Time” singer now says her statement was misinterpreted.
“When I say ‘I quit,’ I mean I quit giving any negative energy attention,” she said in a video posted to her Instagram page on Tuesday. “What I am not going to quit is the joy of my life, which is making music, which is connecting to people because I know I’m not alone.”
Lizzo continued to say that she knows she’s not the only person who “is experiencing that negative voice that seems to be louder than the positive” and that she hopes to empower others to “stand up for themselves and say they quit letting negative people win, negative comments win.”
She has spoken out in the past about cruel comments she’s received online.
In June, the singer spoke out about the body shaming she faces on social media in a series of Tweets posted to her X page, and in 2020, she quit X altogether writing that she’s encountered “too many trolls.”
For now, Lizzo said in her most recent video, “I’m going to keep moving forward.”
“I am going to keep being me,” she said in the video. “And once again, I just want to say thank you. The love that I’ve received means more than you know.”
Lizzo’s recent comments come as the singer is in an ongoing legal battle with three former dancers, who claimed in a lawsuit filed in August 2023 that they were subjected to a hostile work environment and harassment while they were members of the Grammy-winner’s dance team.
In a statement at the time, Lizzo denied the allegations and said, in part, “I am not the villain that people in the media have portrayed me to be these last few days.”
“As an artist, I have always been very passionate about what I do. I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day, I only want to put out the best art that represents me and my fans.” she wrote.
