Lizzo’s latest track ‘Grrrls’ was released last week and initially included a derogatory term for cerebral palsy, also known as spastic diplegia. In the first verse, she sings: “Hold my bag, bitch, hold my bag, do you see this shit? I’ma sp*z.”
Fans said they were “shocked” and “disappointed”, and asked her to re-record the song with alternative words. The star took the criticism to heart and has released a new version omitting the “harmful word” on Monday night.
“Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language,” she wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I understand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally),” she added
The newly reworked version of ‘Grrrls’ now includes the lyric “hold me back” in place of the original. Lizzo said the change was “the result of me listening and taking action. As an influential artist I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.”
