Lizzo has been in a "state of depression" lately.
The 36-year-old rapper - whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson - admitted as she gears up to launch her new album that she went through a phase of believing that she is "hated" by the world after a string of lawsuits were launched against her.
Speaking on the 'On Purpose' podcast, she told host Jay Shetty: "I knew I was going to have to do my biggest [album].
“I had this feeling that everybody hates me for something that isn’t true. But at the end of the day, because of the position I’m in, everybody hates me.
"I’ve been in a state of depression because I didn’t know how to fix it. I was dark and I was scared of people. I was like, you can’t trust anyone, you can’t love anyone, I don’t want to talk to nobody."
The 'About Damn Time' hitmaker - whose new record 'Love in Real Life' will be released later this year - added that she has had to go to some "dark" places on the upcoming album.
She said: "I have some songs that are very dark."
Lizzo was hit with multiple suits in 2023, with several of her former background dancers alleging that the singer subjected them to sexual harassment.
She recently opened up about the impact they had on her mental health to fans during a performance at the Wiltern Theater, with the singer caught on camera by a concertgoer giving her update.
In footage shared by a fan on X, she said the lawsuits left her so “deeply hurt” she “didn’t want to live anymore”.
She added: “I named (my album ‘Love in Real Life’) because about a year and a half ago – it’s so hard for me to talk about – I was in such a dark, deep depression.
“I was so heartbroken by the world and so deeply hurt that I didn’t want to live anymore, and I was so deeply afraid of people that I didn’t want to be seen. “Eventually, I got over that fear."
The singer said she shared her story in the hope of reaching anyone dealing with “depression, or darkness, or felt so betrayed by someone they trusted or was lied on and hated on for those lies”.
Lizzo denied the dancers’ claims against her – calling them “outrageous” and “unbelievable”.
After the initial legal filings, six more dancers came forward with similar allegations – and in September, Asha Daniels, a former stylist for Lizzo’s ‘Big Grrrl Big Tour’, filed another lawsuit alleging racial and sexual harassment.
In December 2024, it was reported that Asha’s lawsuit had been dropped.
