Lizzo Changes Lyrics For New Song After Criticizing Ableist Slur

Lizzo changed a lyric in her new song, “Grrrls,” after listeners pointed out it was an ableist slur.

“It has come to my attention that there is a harmful word in my new song,” the Grammy-winning singer wrote on Instagram on Monday. “Let me make one thing clear: I never want to promote derogatory language. As a fat black woman in America, I’ve had a lot of hurtful words used against me, so I understand the power that words can have ( whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally).

She said there was a new version of the song with a change of lyrics.

“It is the result of my listening and my doing. As an influential artist, I am dedicated to being part of the change I have been waiting to see in the world,” she wrote.

In the opening verse of the new single, Lizzo sings, “You see that shit? I am a spaz.

As a number of disability advocates noted after the song’s release on Friday, the slang term, sometimes used colloquially to mean crazy, clumsy or incompetent, is a pejorative word that stems from the terminology used to describe conditions of certain movement disorders and cerebral palsy.

On Monday, Spotify’s version of the song featured a different lyric: “See that shit? Hold me.”

Some of those who initially spoke out applauded Lizzo for how she handled the situation:

The lyrics were also changed to the song on Lizzo’s official YouTube channel. His fourth studio album, “Special”, is due out July 15.