Why Lizzo Changed Lyrics to Her Song “GRRRLS” Amid Controversy

Lizzo is telling us exactly how she feels about the lyric change.

Earlier this summer, the singer changed the words to her song "GRRRLs" after getting backlash over an ableist slur in the original lyrics. Now, she's reflecting on her decision to change the lyric after being told the word she used in the song was offensive.

"I'd never heard it used as a slur against disabled people, never ever," Lizzo explained to Vanity Fair Oct. 11. "The music I make is in the business of feeling good and being authentic to me. Using a slur is unauthentic to me, but I did not know it was a slur."

While the singer changed the lyric in question, "Hold my bag / Imma sp-z," to "Do you see this shit / hold me back," she also noted why she used the lyric in the first place. She shared, "It's a word I've heard a lot, especially in rap songs, and with my Black friends and in my Black circles: It means to go off, turn up. I used it as a verb, not as a noun or adjective."

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The "About Damn Time" singer also revealed that after the word's ableist meaning was brought to her attention she thought about her peers that have been in similar situations and she decided to be an example and make the change.

"The internet brought it to my attention, but that wouldn't have been enough to make me change something," Lizzo confessed. "Nina Simone changed lyrics—is she not an artist? Language changes generationally; Nina Simone said you cannot be an artist and not reflect the times."

She added, "So am I not being an artist and reflecting the times and learning, listening to people, and making a conscious change in the way we treat language, and help people in the way we treat people in the future?"

In June, the "Truth Hurts" singer announced she was adjusting the lyrics to "GRRRLS" in an Instagram post that acknowledged the backlash.

"It's been brought to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song 'GRRRLS,'" she wrote on June 13, in part. "Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language."

Lizzo continued, "As an influential artist I'm dedicated to being part of the change I've been waiting to see in the world."

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