NEWSLizzo Insists She Wasn't 'Hiding' or 'Silenced' After Dancers Filed Harassment Lawsuit: 'I Was Just in the Middle of a Gap Year'
Lizzo explained why she wasn't in the media much after her former backup dancers accused the star of creating a toxic workplace.
After Lizzo was accused by her former backup dancers of creating a toxic work environment and harassment, she denied the accusations in a statement but didn't continue to talk about the scandal in the coming months.
While some people assumed the singer was hiding from the spotlight amid the drama, she revealed during an episode of the "On Purpose With Jay Shetty" podcast that she "was in the middle" of a "gap year" when the news broke.
Lizzo got vulnerable on her lawsuit scandal during an appearance on Jay Shetty's podcast.
"I think people were like, oh, she's about to take a whole year off. I'm like, no. I was just in the middle of it," the "Truth Hurts" crooner, 36, said of why she stayed away from the media at the time.
"To be honest with you, I don't feel like I've expressed myself fully in the last two years, like how I want to. I feel like I've been kind of holding my tongue and like staying to myself, but I think that it's for the best because you know, running your mouth these days..." Lizzo explained.
"Sometimes it's just unnecessary and sometimes it can get you into some stuff you wasn't even trying to get into because people will misinterpret it and run with it," she shared. "Maybe I should've stayed quiet."
The singer said she was 'in the middle' of a 'gap year' when her former dancers filed the lawsuit — which is why she didn't give interviews about the drama.
The pop star explained that music artists like herself "are either on cycle or off cycle for an album," which is what dictates how public she is at the time.
"I had planned on being off cycle. That means you're not in the media, you're not doing interviews," Lizzo said of why she was staying silent. "Your album cycle is done. Like you're not gonna be played on the radio as much because people aren't working your records. You're not gonna be promoting anything because you're working on the next album."
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Lizzo said she's been in the press again recently since her album is done.
"I make studio albums, I put them out, I promote them, I tour them," she said. "I do it because I'm really good at music and I really want to help people with music because I know that music has saved my life. So I know it can save someone else's life."
The star denied her former colleagues' allegations, which included body-shaming accusations.
However, she feels this current cycle is "loaded," since last time, she had her "huge scandal" break at the "exact same time" she was embarking on a vacation to Japan.
"I think that it looked like I was shut down or silenced or hiding when really it was like ... it's just the end of my album cycle. And this was planned," the Grammy winner spilled. "So I think this album cycle, I'm gonna have to do a lot of work that I'm cool with expressing that and explaining that, because I don't think people knew or know the difference between me being like, oh, I'm off cycle."
The Grammy winner said she wasn't trying to 'hide' amid the legal drama.
"So I'm aware of that," the vocalist concluded. "I'm cognizant of it and I'm up for the challenge of explaining this to the people who care about me 'cause they deserve to know, honestly."
