During her performance in Atlanta on August 14 night, Beyoncé called out the artist by name and professed her love for her. In a video from her performance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium that has been making the rounds on social media, Beyoncé can be heard singing her smash single Break My Soul (The Queen’s Remix) , during which she mentions legendary female performers by name, “Lizzo. I love you, Lizzo!”
Beyoncé’s love and support for Lizzo come in the wake of several claims made against her in a lawsuit brought by three former dancers, reports The Hollywood Reporter . The lawsuit asserts that Lizzo and her business hostilely treated the dancers at work and that there were allegations of sexual harassment in connection with events that allegedly occurred between 2021 and 2023.
The case was brought by the ex-backup dancers Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez, and Crystal Williams. Lizzo reportedly forced her dancers to go to a strip club and touch nudists during a performance. Davis also alleges that Lizzo ridiculed her for gaining weight from stress eating brought on by her mental health issues, which Davis believes the Grammy winner was aware of.
While Beyoncé performed in Massachusetts on August 1, she left Lizzo’s name off the song in the immediate wake of the accusations laid against her. This caused concern among fans and speculation that Beyonce had indirectly taken a stand against Lizzo in the wake of this lawsuit. However, the Alien Superstar singer sang Erykah Badu’s name four times. The Lizzo reference was then brought up again by Beyoncé on August 7 during a performance in Maryland.
The claims stated in the complaint have been refuted by Lizzo. The singer claimed in an Instagram post on August 3 that she was “hurt” by the allegations and that they were “sensationalized,” adding that she was “not the villain.” In a lengthy statement on Instagram, the singer wrote, “I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” she added. “There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world.”
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The plaintiffs later responded to Lizzo’s statement. In a message shared with Harper’s Bazaar , their attorney said, “Lizzo has failed her own brand and has let down her fans. Her denial of this reprehensible behavior only adds to our client’s emotional distress. The dismissive comments and utter lack of empathy are quite telling about her character and only serve to minimize the trauma she has caused the plaintiffs and other employees who have now come forward to share their own negative experiences. While Lizzo notes it was never her intention ‘to make anyone feel uncomfortable,’ That is exactly what she did to the point of demoralizing her dancers and flagrantly violating the law.”
Beyoncé seemingly skips over Lizzo’s name during the Queens Remix performance of ‘Break My Soul’ tonight at the Renaissance World Tour. She instead repeats Erykah Badu’s name four times. pic.twitter.com/KhCC3TBbLF
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 2, 2023
References:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/lizzo-beyonce-support-atlanta-show-1235566756/
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a44817951/beyonce-lizzo-shout-out-concert/