Bitch (album)

Bitch
The palm of Lizzo's hand with all her fingers and long fingernails pressed against it other than her middle finger which is extended up but covered with an image of Lizzo in a dress with her hands raised above her head.
Studio album by
Lizzo
ReleasedJune 5, 2026 (2026-06-05)
Genres
Length35:44
Labels
Producers
Lizzo chronology
My Face Hurts from Smiling
(2025)		 Bitch
(2026)
Singles from Bitch
  1. "Don't Make Me Love U"
    Released: March 20, 2026
  2. "Bitch"
    Released: May 1, 2026
  3. "Sexy Ladies"
    Released: June 12, 2026

Bitch (stylized as BITCH) is the fifth studio album by American singer and rapper Lizzo. It was released through Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records on June 5, 2026. Lizzo co-wrote and co-produced the album with long-time collaborator Ricky Reed, as well as Blake Slatkin, Pop Wansel, Cheche Alara, and Nate Mercereau, among others. The album incorporates sounds of R&B, hip-hop, pop, synth-funk, and soul, and lyrically explores Lizzo reclaiming who she is on her own terms, with themes of empowerment, vulnerability, and personal growth.

The album was preceded by the release of two singles; the lead single "Don't Make Me Love U", which was released on March 20, 2026, and the title track, which was released on May 1, 2026. Commercially, the album became Lizzo's first since Big Grrrl Small World (2015) to not chart on the US Billboard 200, moving 5,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Upon release, Bitch was met with mixed reviews from music critics, who criticized a perceived lack of direction on the project and dated lyrical content, while some praise was offered to the production and its retro influences.

Background

In a September 2025 interview with Vulture, Lizzo explained that she began writing songs for the album in 2022, and that the project was initially more "introspective". She described the album as being based on her experience of "feeling like the world has turned their back on you and then finding your way back into the world". The album was originally going to be titled Love in Real Life, with Lizzo releasing the 2025 singles "Love in Real Life" and "Still Bad" from the project, which both commercially underperformed compared to her label's expectations. Lizzo clarified that she later decided to adopt a more "energetic" tone for the project and take more creative control, explaining that she wanted to "subvert [the] expectation of [herself]" and wanted people to "rediscover who [she is] and fall in love with her again". Subsequently, she recorded seventeen songs in five days, which resulted in her mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling (2025).[1]

In April 2026, Lizzo explained in a press statement that she decided to rename the album to Bitch as this "takes a label once used to diminish women and [turns] it into a declaration of confidence, and unapologetic self-love". She also cited works by American rapper Missy Elliott and American singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks as further inspiration behind the title.[2] On May 12, Lizzo posted a TikTok video where she claimed that social media algorithms are "destroying the music industry", blaming the lack of chronology in the way algorithms present information for making promoting her new album more challenging.[3]

In an interview with USA Today in June, Lizzo stated that the album is about "reclaiming who [she is]" as "a lot of [her] identity has been manipulated by people outside of [her]". Expanding on the album's change in direction, she explained that "the world has changed a lot in the last few years" and that right now we are "in a time of conflict" and she is "fighting for herself", which is what the album represents.[4]

Composition

Bitch is primarily a pop, hip-hop and R&B album, with elements of G-funk, soul, synth-funk, rock,[5][6] go-go music, and jazz.[4][7] The album explores themes of empowerment, vulnerability, and personal growth, built around the central idea of Lizzo defining herself on her own terms and reclaiming who she is.[4][7] During an appearance on Today in June 2026, Lizzo explained that the album's lyrical content comes from things she needed to express for herself, describing this as being shift from her earlier albums where she wrote songs mainly to uplift other people. She clarified that she still believes her personal experiences can resonate with and help people.[8]

Promotion

On February 26, 2026, Lizzo appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she sang an acapella version of "Don't Make Me Love U".[9] Lizzo embarked on a three-date residency at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, between February 27 and March 1. During the residency, she performed the album's singles "Don't Make Me Love U" and "Bitch".[10][11] On March 22, she performed "Don't Make Me Love U" on CBS Mornings.[12]

On April 27, her birthday, Lizzo shared the album's title, cover art and release date of June 5, while announcing that the album was available for pre-order.[13] In May, Lizzo appeared on The New York Times' Popcast series, and performed a live stripped-down set of her new material from the album.[14] On the release day of Bitch, Lizzo appeared on Today's Citi Concert series, where she performed the album's title track,[15] "Happy 2 Be",[16] and "Don't Make Me Love U".[17]

Singles

On March 20, 2026, Lizzo released the album's lead single "Don't Make Me Love U", alongside its music video directed by Tanner K. Williams.[18][19] The track was produced by her long-time collaborator Ricky Reed, and Cheche Alara, and is a pop-ballad.[19] It interpolates the keyboard line from Tina Turner's song "The Best" (1989), as well as the bassline from Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" (1986).[20] Lizzo debuted the song for the first time a year prior to its release, on Saturday Night Live in April 2025, where she performed it live.[21] "Don't Make Me Love U" reached the top fifty on airplay charts in Italy,[22] Latvia,[23] and San Marino,[24] while reaching number seventy on the airplay chart in Croatia.[25]

On May 1, the second single from the album, the title track, was released, alongside its music video.[26] The song interpolates Meredith Brooks' 1997 song of the same name.[27] The lyrical content of the song finds Lizzo reclaiming her voice and narrative, with Lizzo herself comparing the song to Taylor Swift's re-recordings of her music.[28] On June 12, "Sexy Ladies" featuring Uncalled 4 Band (UCB) was sent to Italian radio as the album's third single.[29] It samples UCB's go-go song "Sexy Lady" (2004).[30]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?4.6/10[31]
Metacritic49/100[32]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar[33]
The Arts DeskStarStar[34]
Beats per Minute6/10[35]
Financial TimesStarStar[36]
The GuardianStarStar[5]
The IndependentStarStar[37]
MusicOMHStarStarHalf star[38]
PasteC–[39]
Rolling StoneStarStarHalf star[40]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Bitch received "mixed or average reviews" based on a weighted average score of 49 out of 100 from eight critic scores.[32] The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled ten reviews and gave Bitch an average of 4.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[31]

Writing for Rolling Stone, Maura Johnston described Bitch as "tired and flat", unfavorably comparing the album to its predecessor, My Face Hurts from Smiling (2025). Johnston offered some praise to the track "Sexy Ladies" and its UCB interpolation, dubbing it a "triumphant song of the summer candidate", but wrote that the album's other callbacks to the past "fall flat".[40] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described the album as "disjointed" where Lizzo "tries a bit of everything", criticizing the interpolations on the album's singles, "Don't Make Me Love U" and the title track, as "flat" and "affectless". He praised "Whose Hair Is This" as a "great southern soul pastiche" and wrote that the old-school Chicago house bassline on "That Grrrl" had an "energising effect". Petridis concluded that Lizzo had once made music that "perfectly captured a zeitgeist" but had not yet worked out how to respond to the "changed world" we are now living in.[5]

Roisin O'Connor of The Independent called the album "far from 100 percent" and "oddly frantic", writing that its title suggested a defiant tone while the songs were "strangely muted" and full of "cliched platitudes".[37] Sam Shepherd of MusicOMH similarly found a disconnect between the album's title and content, describing Bitch as vulnerable rather than driven. He called "A Toast" "confused" and "self-pitying", but praised "Happy 2 Be" for "[picking] up the pace musically".[38] Erin Lewis of The Arts Desk described the album as "deeply uninspired" and "a hollow repetition of much better songs", though she highlighted Lizzo's flute playing on "Too Nice" and the backing vocals on "Don't Make Me Love U".[34]

Heather Phares of AllMusic highlighted "Don't Make Me Love U", "Sexy Ladies", "Whose Hair Is This" and "Happy 2 Be" as standouts from the album, but felt that the songs did not measure up to Lizzo's earlier hits and suggested that she was "trying to find her footing" on Bitch.[33] Writing for Beats per Minute, Mary Chiney suggested that Bitch is Lizzo "no longer trying to convince the room", but noted that "the record is the sound of someone who has not, quite, decided whether to trust that yet".[35] In a review for Paste, Miranda Wollen described Bitch as being "obsessed with the self-righteous anger Lizzo clearly still carries against her naysayers", with "played-out tropes" and "icky filler invectives". She criticized the sample on the album's title track, and dubbed "Sexy Ladies" as "[recycling] yass-girl sentiments à la Katy Perry's 'Woman's World' over a thumping bass and a series of cringe-y lyrics [sic]". Wollen offered praise to "Whose Hair Is This", "Don't Make Me Love U", and "Little Black Cat", but described them as "just fine" and concluded that Lizzo's work needs to be "more thoughtful" and "more evolved" to be commercially well-received again.[39]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Bitch debuted at number 46 on the Billboard Top Album Sales and number 15 on the Indie Store Album Sales, with 5,000 album-equivalent units earned during its first week.[41][42][43] It became Lizzo's first album since Big Grrrl Small World (2015) to not chart on the Billboard 200.[44] In the United Kingdom, Bitch debuted at number 83 on the UK Album Downloads Chart, but missed the top one-hundred of the UK Albums Chart.[45] Bitch attained its highest chart position in Hungary, where it reached number 15 on the Hungarian Physical Albums chart.[46]

Jude Cramer of Fast Company noted the decrease in commercial success for the album relative to Lizzo's previous albums Special (2022) and Cuz I Love You (2019), suggesting that the singer's "foothold in pop culture seems to have slipped".[47] In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lizzo blamed the underperformance of the album on the changes in the music industry in the "last three years", explaining that "streaming replaced radio, and I was a radio darling. That's how my fan's [sic] discovered my music".[47]

Track listing

Bitch track listing[48]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."A Toast"
2:40
2."Happy 2 Be"
  • Lizzo
  • Reed
  • Alara
2:54
3."Don't Make Me Love U"
  • Lizzo
  • Reed
  • Alara
3:28
4."Bitch"
2:43
5."She Stole My Man"
  • Lizzo
  • Reed
  • Alara
2:47
6."Whose Hair Is This"
  • Lizzo
  • Reed
  • Lemos
3:15
7."Little Black Cat"
  • Jefferson
  • Frederic
  • Wansel
  • Daoud Anthony
3:22
8."Sexy Ladies" (featuring UCB)
2:50
9."That Grrrl"
  • Lizzo
  • Reed
  • Slatkin
  • Mercereau
  • Wiggins
3:10
10."Too Nice"
1:52
11."Like a Crime"
  • Lizzo
  • Reed
  • Lang
  • Pop Wansel
3:25
12."Goodmorning!"
  • Jefferson
  • Frederic
  • Slatkin
  • Thomas
  • Lizzo
  • Reed
  • Slatkin
3:18
Total length:35:44

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Tidal.[49]

Musicians

Technical

  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • Zach Pereyra – mastering
  • Bill Malina – engineering (2–4, 7–9, 11, 12)
  • Ethan Shumaker – engineering (3)
  • Carter Lang – engineering (11)
  • Ricky Reed – vocal engineering (2–4, 7–9, 12)
  • Daniel Escobar – engineering assistance (2–4, 7–9, 11, 12)
  • Jacob Dennis – engineering assistance (2–4, 7–9, 11, 12)
  • Kyle McAulay – engineering assistance (2–4, 7–9, 11, 12)
  • Bella Corich – engineering assistance (4, 9)
  • Holden Woodward – engineering assistance (4, 9)
  • Mark Aguilar – engineering assistance (4, 9)
  • Porter Fratzke – engineering assistance (4, 9)
  • William Maxwell – engineering assistance (4, 9)

Charts

Chart performance
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Croatian International Albums (HDU)[50] 23
Greek Albums (IFPI)[51] 72
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[46] 15
UK Album Downloads (Official Charts)[45]83
US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[42]15
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[41]46

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various June 5, 2026 [48][52][53][54]

References

  1. ↑ P. Davis, Allison (September 8, 2025). "Lizzo Starts Over: The pop star's success once felt radical. Can she capture the Zeitgeist again?". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  2. ↑ Turner-Williams, Jaelani (April 27, 2026). "Lizzo Renames New Album B*tch as Act of Reclamation: 'It Has Become My Favorite Word'". Complex. Archived from the original on June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  3. ↑ Pilley, Max (May 14, 2026). "Lizzo Hits Out at 'Racist and Fatphobic' Algorithms for "Destroying the Music Industry" and her Album Promo". NME. Archived from the original on June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Ruggieri, Melissa (June 5, 2026). "Lizzo Reclaims Her Voice on New Album: 'I Had to Take Back who I am'". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 6, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Petridis, Alex (June 5, 2026). "Lizzo: Bitch Review – A Spirited Star Who Just Can't Rediscover Her Groove". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  6. ↑ DeWald, Mike (June 5, 2026). "Album Review: Lizzo Stirs the Pot and Finds Joy on Bitch". Riff Magazine. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  7. 1 2 TATC Staff (June 8, 2026). "Lizzo is Reclaiming Her Narrative, "Bitch"". Texx and the City. Archived from the original on June 8, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  8. ↑ Today (June 5, 2026). Lizzo Talks New Album, 'I Wrote Songs That I Needed for Myself'. Archived from the original on June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 7, 2026 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (February 26, 2026). "Lizzo Sings A Cappella 'Don't Make Me Love You', Does Epic 'Lady and the Tramp'-Style Cheese Pull With Seth Meyers". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Lizzo | Blue Note New York". Blue Note Jazz Club. Archived from the original on June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  11. ↑ Aswad, Jem (March 2, 2026). "Lizzo's Pitch-Perfect Residency at the Blue Note Jazz Club Launches a Dazzling New Chapter: Concert Review". Variety. Archived from the original on June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  12. ↑ Sam (March 22, 2026). "Lizzo Performs New Single 'Don't Make Me Love U' on CBS Mornings". That Grape Juice. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  13. ↑ Blistein, Jon (April 27, 2026). "Lizzo Celebrates Her Birthday by Announcing New Album Bitch". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ Traff, Thea (May 25, 2026). "Lizzo Addresses the Backlash and Performs Live at The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  15. ↑ "See Lizzo Perform the Title Track to New Album Live on Today". Today. June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Lizzo Performs New Song 'Happy 2 Be' Live on Today". Today. June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  17. ↑ "See Lizzo Perform 'Don't Make Me Love You' on Today". Today. June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  18. ↑ Lindert, Hattie (March 20, 2026). "Lizzo Meets Her Past Self in Video for New Single". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Stickler, Jon (March 20, 2026). "Lizzo Shares New Song 'Don't Make Me Love U'". Stereoboard. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  20. ↑ Breihan, Tom (March 20, 2026). "Lizzo Shares New Single "Dont Make Me Love U"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  21. ↑ Warner Music Australia (April 19, 2025). We're loving @Lizzo's performance of 'Don't Make Me Love You' on @SaturdayNightLive 🤩. Retrieved June 5, 2026 – via YouTube.
  22. ↑ "Don't Make Me Love U - Lizzo". EarOne. Archived from the original on June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Top Radio Hits Latvia Weekly Chart - Apr 30, 2026". TopHit. Archived from the original on June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Top 50 La classifica di Radio San Marino" (in Italian). San Marino RTV. Archived from the original on April 15, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Airplay Radio Chart Top100 – 6. travnja 2026" (in Croatian). Top lista. Archived from the original on June 5, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  26. ↑ Zemler, Emily (May 1, 2026). "Lizzo Celebrates Her 'Independence From the Bullshit' on Feminist Single 'Bitch'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Meredith Brooks Is Thrilled with Lizzo's Interpolation of her '90s Hit". ABC Audio. May 1, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  28. ↑ Dailey, Hannah (May 15, 2026). "Lizzo Explains How New Song 'Bitch' Is Like Taylor Swift's 'Taylor's Version' Releases". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  29. ↑ Lapresa, Cristiana (June 12, 2026). "LIZZO "Sexy Ladies" | (Radio Date: 12/06/2026)". Airplay Control (Press release) (in Italian). Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  30. ↑ Solano, Sophia (June 6, 2026). "Lizzo's 'song of the summer' was born in D.C.". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  31. 1 2 "Bitch by Lizzo Reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  32. 1 2 "BITCH by Lizzo". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  33. 1 2 Phares, Heather (June 5, 2026). "Bitch by Lizzo - Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  34. 1 2 Lewis, Erin (June 5, 2026). "Law of Diminishing Returns Sets In for Lizzo on Bitch". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  35. 1 2 Chiney, Mary (June 10, 2026). "Album Review: Lizzo – Bitch". Beats per Minute. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  36. ↑ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (June 5, 2026). "New Album Bitch is Not the Defiant Comeback Lizzo Needs — Review". Financial Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  37. 1 2 O'Connor, Roisin (June 5, 2026). "Lizzo, Bitch Review: The Poster Girl for Empowerment Sounds Lost on Her New Album". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  38. 1 2 Shepherd, Sam (June 7, 2026). "Lizzo - Bitch". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  39. 1 2 Wollen, Miranda (July 1, 2026). "Lizzo's comeback statement is muddled on BITCH". Paste. Archived from the original on July 2, 2026. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  40. 1 2 Johnston, Maura (June 9, 2026). "Lizzo Returns, But it Doesn't Seem Like Her Heart is In It". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 10, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  41. 1 2 "Lizzo Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  42. 1 2 "Lizzo Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  43. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (June 29, 2026). "Lizzo Talks Disappointment of 'Bitch' Album Failing to Chart: 'I Based My Success and My Worth on a Number'". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Lizzo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  45. 1 2 "Official Album Downloads Chart on 12/6/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  46. 1 2 "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók)" [Album Top 40 Chart (Physical Records)] (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Archived from the original on June 16, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  47. 1 2 Cramer, Jude (June 8, 2026). "Lizzo has a viral explanation for her declining success - and it's dividing social media". Fast Company. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  48. 1 2 "BITCH - Album by Lizzo". Spotify. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Bitch". Lizzo. Tidal. Credits. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Lista prodaje 26. tjedan 2026. (22.06.2026. - 28.06.2026.)" [Sales list Week 26 2026] (in Croatian). HDU. June 28, 2026. Archived from the original on July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts Top-100 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 25/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on July 1, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  52. ↑ "BITCH - Album by Lizzo". Apple Music. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Lizzo - Official Store". Lizzo Website. Archived from the original on June 6, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Lizzo - Music Store". Warner Music Group. Archived from the original on June 6, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.