Overview
- Lizzo released Bitch on June 5 and the album did not appear on the Billboard 200, with first‑week totals reported at roughly 5,000 equivalent album units and about 2,600–3,000 in pure sales according to music data firms and press accounts.
- She told the Swiftologist/Proto Pop podcast that seeing the numbers left her “really stressed” and “soul‑crushing” for days before she reframed the outcome and returned to the studio.
- Lizzo pointed to industry shifts that favor streaming algorithms over radio play and to what she described as a “public attack” from the 2023 lawsuit by three former dancers as factors that reduced discoverability for the record.
- The artist said she increased her own promotion by doing press rounds and putting up posters, and she also said friend SZA called to comfort her after the disappointing launch.
- The flop marks a sharp commercial setback after Special in 2022 and raises questions about whether further promotion, touring plans and the unresolved legal case will change the album’s trajectory over the coming months.