Lizzo is feeling good as hell about making music on her own timeline.
The 36-year-old announced that she is taking a year off to focus on herself in an Aug. 25 Instagram video of herself stepping out in the pouring rain while wearing a black swimsuit. She captioned the post, “I’m taking a gap year & protecting my peace.”
The Grammy winner released her fourth studio album, Special, in July 2022 and aside from recording the song “Pink” for the 2023 Barbie movie, she hasn’t released any new music since.
Lizzo’s announcement comes amid a difficult time for the “Good as Hell” singer, who faced a lawsuit last year by three of her former dancers.
In the August 2023 suit, three of her former dancers sued Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, for allegedly creating an “abusive work environment” and weight shaming them. Lizzo later denied these claims in an Instagram statement, calling the dancers’ accusations “sensationalized tales” and adding at the time, “Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team.”