Lizzo Clarifies Her ‘Gap Year’ Comment: ‘You May Not See Me, But I’ve Been Working’
Lizzo‘s break didn’t last long. While participating in a panel at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit Monday (Oct. 14), the star shared that she’s not really taking a gap year as she works hard on her Yitty business and new music.
“‘Gap year’? Girl, who said ‘gap year’?” Lizzo began, laughing. (Spoiler alert: She did!) “I launched my company Yitty in 2022 at the same time as my album, Special … As soon as I stepped down home from tour — I may not be as public-facing — but I went straight to Yitty headquarters, and I’ve just been working, working, working. You may not see me, but I’ve been working.”
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“It ain’t a gap year, it’s a grind year,” the “About Damn Time” musician noted.
The panel comes less than two months after Lizzo shared footage of her trip to Bali and wrote, “I’m taking a gap year & protecting my peace.” The Grammy winner has been open about how her mental health has suffered in the aftermath of her ex-dancers filing a lawsuit against her over claims of sexual misconduct and hostile work conditions, all of which Lizzo has emphatically denied. While speaking at the Fortune event, she declined to speak on the matter twice: “This isn’t the space for it, we’re celebrating CEOs and powerful women.”
Lizzo has also been open about how she’s taken refuge in making music and working out, both of which she touched on during the summit. Of the former, she teased that she’s “very close” to being done with her fifth studio album — “I’m really really proud of the music I’ve written,” Lizzo added — and of the latter, explained that she’s leaning into body neutrality instead of body positivity.
“One inevitability we all have to face is that our bodies will change … it’s a beautiful thing,” she said of her recent fitness journey. “My body is nobody’s business, other than me, my doctor, my trainer and my man.”
Plus, the businesswoman joined numerous other artists in praising one of 2024’s biggest breakout stars: Chappell Roan. “I see a lot of parallels … we had the same kind of rise, and it was so quick,” Lizzo said of the “Good Luck, Babe!” musician. “I watch how she handles her relationship to public and fame. If I had one thing to say to her: Call your therapist. I wore my therapist out when I was becoming famous. I respect her a lot for how she handles herself.”
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