Lizzo blasts ‘really hurtful’ claims that her music is ‘for white people’

Lizzo has defended herself against claims that her music is “only for white people”.

The 34-year-old singer, who has a large white female fanbase, has spoken out about the criticism that her songs are steered towards a white audience.

The Feeling Good As Hell star said that her music is “literally for everybody” and similar to what was made “for black people in the 70s”.

She added about the claims: “I am a black woman and I feel like it really challenges my identity and who I am, and diminishes that, which I think is really hurtful.

“And then on the other hand it’s like, I am making funky, soulful, feelgood music that is so similar to a lot of black music that was made for black people in the 70s and 80s.”

Speaking on Howard Stern’s radio show, she added: “On top of that, my message is literally for everybody and anybody and I don’t try to gate-keep my message from people.

“So all three of those things for me, I’m just like, ‘You don’t even get me at all’. And I feel like a lot of people, truthfully, don’t get me.”

Lizzo made similar comments in an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month.

She said: “Race music was their way of segregating black artists from being mainstream, because they didn’t want their kids listening to music created by black and Brown people because they said it was demonic and yada, yada, yada.”

“So then there were these genres created almost like code words: R&B, and then of course eventually hip-hop and rap was born from that.”