Lizzo released her fifth studio album, “B-TCH,” in June 2026. Leading up to its release, the Grammy-winning songstress called out her label, Atlantic Records, for failing to promote her new music. Now, the album is out, but it failed to chart on the Billboard charts, and Lizzo has been silent since, addressing only the success of her past music.
This has led many on social media to believe that she not only wants to move on from the failure but also to deflect.
Lizzo released “B-TCH” to decent reviews on June 5. She promoted the project with social media content, album signings, and television interviews. However, despite what would be considered a similar marketing campaign to other high-profile pop stars, the album failed to connect with listeners.
According to Stereo Gum, the album missed the coveted Billboard top 200, which comprises the highest-selling albums on any given week. By most estimates, “B-TCH” sold fewer than 6,000 units in its first week, a figure far lower than her major record label peer.
For comparison, her most recent studio album, 2021’s “Special,” sold 69,000 album equivalent units, including 39,000 traditional albums being sold.
Lizzo Has Stopped Encouraging Fans To Listen To The Album
Since the release of “B-TCH,” Lizzo has made multiple social media posts. One came on June 15, which coincided with when many fans learned the album was in danger of missing the Billboard Top 200. She posted on X, “I’m bored.. Let’s stream ‘About Damn Time’ so it can hit a billion.”
The same day, she took to social media to highlight that her song, “Truth Hurts,” was certified diamond, meaning it has sold 10 million or more equivalent units. On TikTok, she posted two videos of herself lip-syncing to the hit song.
Fans Question Why The Change In Focus
First-week album sales are important for any artist, as it’s typically when a new project performs the best. However, a performer with a social media following like Lizzo’s can always find creative ways to introduce it to fans. Because of this, many are questioning why she’s seemingly ignoring the project in recent days.
In response to her post about being “bored,” one person on X said, “Why not tell people to stream your new album?” Another social media user stated, “Already gave up on that flop album after you saw the numbers, huh? Someone else wrote, “So that whole new project of yours is trash now, huh?”
After that, a different person questioned, “Bored?? with a whole new album out??? Why are you ignoring it now, Lizzie?” Then, a different fan responded, “You’re over your new album? What do you mean you’re bored? All that clout chasing for 16 sales?”
In replying to her announcement that “Truth Hurts” was certified diamond, someone said, “Keeping those numbers real close to your chest, are you?”
Lastly, in support of Lizzo, one person wrote on X, “Nothing wrong with this. Not a fan of her music, but I acknowledge success. Plus, I respect her for working her a-s off to become healthier. She did it the right way.”
Lizzo Previously Opened Up About Calling Her Album ‘B-TCH’
Many have questioned Lizzo’s decision to give her album a title that many publications choose to censor, arguing that it could lead to fewer people gravitating toward it. In many interviews, she’s stated that she picked the title because “b-tch” is her favorite word. However, she recently shed more light.
When addressing the album itself with USA Today, she stated, “I don’t think I have to redefine myself. I think this is about reclaiming who I am. A lot of my identity has been manipulated by people outside of me, so this album is me taking that back — showing the Lizzo everybody knows and loves, letting her tell her side of the story, and just letting her play again.”
Regarding where the title came from, Lizzo revealed, “There’s this Katt Williams joke he made about me where he was like, ‘They’ll come for anybody. They came after Lizzo, and she’s unproblematic, but that just goes to show, you could be fat, you could be Black, but you can’t be no fat, Black b-tch.’ And I was like, ‘Whoa, that is the realest.’”
She went on, “Like, God forbid, you’re having a bad day, or God forbid you weren’t rainbows and sunshine one day. You will get crucified, especially as a Black woman in this industry and in society.”
Lizzo Recently Responded To Nicki Minaj
The night of her album’s release, Lizzo took to social media to address Nicki Minaj. According to Complex, she did so by reposting a Tweet from the rapper that stated, “Fat Lizzo lost 300 lbs just to sell 300 albums. So now she has loose skin AND a flop album, AND a weird charge. Sheesh.”
The singer captioned the post, “Since I’m blocked…” and also included a video of a new version of her song, “B-TCH,” in which she addressed the “Super Bass” rapper. In one line from the remix, Lizzo can be heard saying, “Used to be the biggest fan, and I lost weight / Wait, wait. Let me fixate.”
This has caused many of Minaj’s fans to celebrate the album’s failure, claiming she only made the post to drum up excitement.
