Lizzo had "never heard" the word sp*z used as a slur against disabled people.
Read'Lizzo Is Here to Talk About All of It—That Flute, That Lyric, Her Man, and More by Lisa Robinson in Vanity Fair’s November issue, and on VanityFair.com © Campbell Addy/Vanity Fair
The 34-year-old pop star used the word in the lyrics of her song 'Grrrls' and - although she eventually removed it from the song - explained that it came to her through her own circles and insisted the idea of using a slur would be "unauthentic" to her.
She told Vanity Fair: "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. Using a slur is unauthentic to me, but I did not know it was a slur. It’s a word I’ve heard a lot, especially in rap songs, and with my black friends and in my black circles: It means to go off, turn up. I used [it as a] verb, not as a noun or adjective. I used it in the way that it’s used in the black community. The internet brought it to my attention, but that wouldn’t [have been enough] to make me change something."
The 'Juice' hitmaker eventually changed the lyrics in her song from 'Hold my bag / Imma sp*z" to "Do you see this s*** / hold me back" and explained that in doing so she is merely "reflecting on the times" as an artist.
She said: "Nina Simone changed lyrics–is she not an artist? “Language changes generationally; Nina Simone said you cannot be an artist and not reflect the times. So am I not being an artist and reflecting the times and learning, listening to people, and making a conscious change in the way we treat language, and help people in the way we treat people in the future?"
Meanwhile, Lizzo added that she does not make music "for a white audience" and instead creates her songs from her experience as a black woman.
She said: "That is probably the biggest criticism I’ve received, and it is such a critical conversation when it comes to black artists. The thing is, when a black artist reaches a certain level of popularity, it’s going to be a predominantly white crowd…I am not making music for white people. I am a black woman, I am making music from my black experience, for me to heal myself [from] the experience we call life. We need self-love and self-love anthems more than anybody. So am I making music for that girl right there who looks like me, who grew up in a city where she was underappreciated and picked on and made to feel unbeautiful? Yes. It blows my mind when people say I’m not making music from a black perspective–how could I not do that as a black artist?"
Read 'Lizzo Is Here to Talk About All of It—That Flute, That Lyric, Her Man, and More' by Lisa Robinson in Vanity Fair’s November issue, and on VanityFair.com
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