Lizzo on ableist lyric accusations: “I never heard it used as a slur against disabled people”
Lizzo has opened up about the use of an ableist slur in one of her songs, explaining that she’d never heard it used in an offensive context before.The singer was criticised after her song ‘Grrrls’ – featured on her latest album ‘Special’ – included a slang abbreviation of ‘spastic’, a word use primarily to describe cerebral palsy, with derogatory connotations going at least as far back as the 1980s in the UK.The original line reads: “Hold my bag, bitch, hold my bag / Do you see this shit? I’ma sp*z.” Lizzo later changed the line in question to “Do you see this shit? / Hold me back,” following online criticism, and apologised to fans.Speaking to Vanity Fair in a new interview, the singer said: “I’d never heard it used as a slur against disabled people, never ever. The music I make is in the business of feeling good and being authentic to me.