Rapper and singer Lizzo told fans she was “taking a gap year" and protecting her peace in a viral Instagram post that featured a video of her embracing the rain out on the balcony of an exotic resort.
The 36-year-old "About Damn Time" singer has been laying low in recent months following a lawsuit in 2023 filed by clothing designer Asha Daniels that alleged "racial and sexual harassment" and a toxic work environment.
Three of Lizzo's former dancers also filed a lawsuit against the singer and Shirlene Quigley, the captain of the singer's dance team, alleging sexual harassment and racial and religious discrimination, as well as fat-shaming one of the dancers.
Lizzo addressed the accusations in a statement saying she was "hurt" by the claims, calling them "false," "unbelievable" and "outrageous." Her representative also said that one of the lawsuits was "bogus" and part of an " absurd publicity stunt."
On Sunday, Lizzo, who is known for being an advocate for body positivity, posted a video of her walking out onto a hotel balcony in a black swimsuit and calmly raising her arms up and facing the rainy sky.
She wrote in the caption:
"I’m taking a gap year & protecting my peace🙏🏾"
Fans showed up for her in the comments.
@lizzobeeating/Instagram
@lizzobeeating/Instagram
@lizzobeeating/Instagram
@lizzobeeating/Instagram
@lizzobeeating/Instagram
@lizzobeeating/Instagram
@lizzobeeating/Instagram
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Lizzo has updated fans on her mental health and depression before.
She wrote in a May Instagram post:
“I’m the happiest I’ve been in 10 months. The strange thing about depression is you don’t know you’re in it until you’re out of it. I’m definitely not all the way as carefree as I used to be."
"But the dark cloud that followed me every day is finally clearing up. My smile reaches my eyes again and that’s a win. I thought my album was finished.. but I gotta get some of these good vibes off in a banger real quick. Thanks for your patience.”
Her respite in the ongoing pursuit of preserving her mental wellness has not distracted the singer from maintaining her fitness regimen either.
She posted a sped-up montage of her workout routine during her vacation. “Let’s jump rope in Bali,” she said, adding:
“I keep beating my ass…I’m whooping my ass."
Lizzo explained her commitment to fitness in another video, saying:
"Weight loss comes with the territory, but I'm not trying to escape fatness. Heavy on the 'not trying to escape fatness.' Heavy f---ing on it."
"I have a very high-performance job," she said. "For 90 minutes a night, I have to do choreography, I have to sing, I have to dance, I have to rap and I have to play the flute. And I have to emote, and hype a crowd in very tight clothes, sometimes clothes where it restricts my breathing."
The singer continued:
"It's fun. I love my job. It takes a lot of physical endurance to do what I do, and I used to be very rockstar lifestyle, used to throw myself around on the stage."
She added:
"As I got more professional in my career, I started to take the physical part more seriously."
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