It started with a tweet and a set of music streaming statistics. On May 22, a post on X placed Lizzo’s streaming numbers alongside figures from several other tracks, framing the comparison in a way that suggested a clear winner and a clear loser. The implication was loaded, and it did not take long for the internet to run with it in the worst possible direction.
Lizzo, 38, saw the post and responded with a simple question, asking what it meant. That single reply opened a door that certain corners of the internet rushed through. Someone responded with a bold assertion that her numbers were suffering because of things she had allegedly said about Taylor Swift, claiming the consequences had finally caught up with her.
There was just one problem. None of it was true.
Lizzo sets the record straight
By May 23, Lizzo had seen enough. She responded publicly and without hesitation, making clear that she had never spoken negatively about Taylor Swift or any other artist in the music industry. She pushed back on the assumption that mentioning another artist by name automatically constitutes criticism, urging people to grow up and think more carefully before drawing conclusions.
Her response was direct but not aggressive. It was the kind of reply that comes from someone who has been through enough public scrutiny to know exactly how to shut a false narrative down without adding fuel to the fire.
A history of mutual respect
What makes the manufactured drama particularly absurd is the actual history between the two artists. Lizzo has been openly complimentary about Swift for years. During a 2022 appearance on a popular radio program, she jokingly referred to herself as the Black Taylor Swift, drawing a comparison rooted in the way both women channel personal experience into their music. The remark was warm and self-aware, not competitive.
Earlier this month, Lizzo appeared on the Genius Verified podcast where she revealed that her new single draws on a classic 1990s track in a way she lovingly labeled with a nod to Swift’s ongoing re-recording project. The playful reference was a tribute, not a dig.
Swift herself has shown genuine enthusiasm for Lizzo’s work in public settings, having been spotted dancing and singing along to her performances at both the 2022 VMAs and the 2023 Grammy Awards.
The rivalry that refuses to die
This is not the first time the public has tried to manufacture a conflict between the two artists. In June 2023, a comment Lizzo made during an Instagram Live session about musical greatness was immediately interpreted by some fans as a subtle attack on Swift. The assumption spread quickly and loudly before Lizzo addressed it in the most disarming way possible.
At the opening night of her Special Tour stop in Perth, Australia, she spotted an audience member holding a sign that said they had chosen her show over a Taylor Swift concert. Rather than play into any sense of rivalry, she praised Swift warmly to the entire arena, offered to buy the fan alternative tickets, signed the sign and declared her love for Swift in front of thousands of cheering people. The moment went viral and was widely celebrated as a masterclass in grace.
Two artists, no competition
The pattern here is consistent. Every time someone tries to place Lizzo and Taylor Swift on opposite sides of an imaginary rivalry, one or both of them make it abundantly clear that no such rivalry exists. The fans who invest energy in pitting successful women against each other are working from a script that neither artist has agreed to follow.
Lizzo said it plainly and Swift has shown it repeatedly. There is no beef. There never was.
