The response to Lizzo’s new song “Grrrls,” which she debuted on Friday (June 10), hasn’t been what she presumably expected.
Fans criticized the artist over the weekend for using the word “spaz” in the first stanza, interpreting it as a pejorative term, on social media. (“Hold my bag, b—h/ Hold my bag/ Do you see this s–t?/ I’m a spaz/ I’m going to knock someone out/ Yo, where my best friend?/ I’m a spaz/ I’m about to knock someone out. Over a Beastie Boys’ “Girls” sample, she sings, “She the only one I know to talk me off the deep end.
Hello, @lizzo my impairment Given that the medical term for cerebral palsy is “spastic diplegia,” which refers to the unceasing, excruciating tightness in my legs, your new song makes me feel both sad and enraged. Spáz is not a synonym for insane or freaked out. It is an ableist epithet. It’s 2022. Do better,” a disgruntled audience member urged.
Even if Lizzo was aware of the ableist overtones associated with the word “sp*z,” another user tweeted, “It is still terrible. This song will be sung by a huge number of individuals, who will incorporate the word into everyday speech.
Others have specifically asked Lizzo to take the phrase out of the song. One person replied, “From a dissatisfied fan,” writing, “Hey @lizzo pls delete the word’spaz’ from your new song because it’s a slur and really hurtful to the disabled population.
Lizzo has been contacted by Billboard for comment.
“Grrrls” is the second single from Lizzo’s upcoming studio album Special, which will be released on July 15 via Nice Life Recording Company/Atlantic Records. It follows the Top 10 hit “About Damn Time” and its popular TikTok dance.
Below, you can read additional responses to the lyrics to “Grrrls.”