Lizzo Is Living Her Best Life ‘With Love’ From Japan in First Post Since Statement on Harassment Lawsuit
Lizzo appears to be going about her business as usual in the aftermath of the harassment lawsuit filed against her by former dancers, allegations she denied in a statement earlier this month. In her first Instagram post since then, the 35-year-old hitmaker sings, dances and poses her way through the streets of Japan, showing off her glam outfit and unbothered attitude.
“Shabooya, sha, sha, shabooya roll call,” she sings at the beginning of the clip posted Friday (Aug. 18), a play on the area she appears to be exploring in Japan: Shibuya, located in Tokyo. Wearing a spiky blue-green-yellow dress with her hair done in space buns, Lizzo flashes peace signs and poses with a pair of shades in a series of photos that cycle through following the first clip, set to “Shabooya” by Hitkidd, Gloss Up & K Carbon, Slimeroni and Aleza.
“From Shibuya, with Love 💖” she captioned the post.
The update marks the “About Damn Time” singer’s first post on social media since she addressed the allegations of sexual harassment and hostile work conditions levied against her in a lawsuit by former dancers, taking to social media two days after it was filed to issue a response. In her Aug. 3 statement, she said the dancers’ complaints were as “unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”
“These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional,” she added.
Lizzo didn’t detail or address any specifics of the accusations in her statement, which plaintiffs Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez called “disheartening” and “incredibly frustrating” in an interview with CNN This Morning later that day. On the show, the three women rehashed and doubled down on their allegations that Lizzo had pressured them to inappropriately touch nude dancers at a sex show in Amsterdam, overworked them in an “excruciating” hours-long re-audition process, “called attention” to a dancer’s weight gain and more.
In the weeks since, the dancers’ legal team has said that six more people have come forward with similarly disparaging stories about Lizzo. The Grammy winner’s Big Grrrls dance team also shared a group statement on Thursday (Aug. 17) in support of their boss.
“We had the time of our lives on The Special Tour,” read the statement on the Big Grrrls’ Instagram account. “The commitment to character and culture taking precedence over every movement and moment has been one of the Greatest lessons and Blessings that we could possibly could ask for.”
Hannah Dailey
Billboard