Lizzo performed a medley of ‘Still Bad’ and ‘Love in Real Life’ on Saturday Night Live yesterday (April 12) – watch footage below.
- READ MORE: Lizzo – ‘Special’ review: joyful superstar uplifts with self-assured, self-empowering bops
Last month, Lizzo revealed that her fifth studio album ‘Love In Real Life’ was “finished”, having previewed the follow-up to 2022’s ‘Special’ with the title track and the unapologetic single ‘Still Bad’, which was one of three tracks from the upcoming record she performed as last night’s musical guest.
Introduced by Mad Men star Jon Hamm, she combined it with ‘Love in Real Life’, beginning the performance by playing the guitar before being joined by backing dancers for the second part of the medley.
Sporting a top that read “TARRIFIED”, she joined the rest of the cast in making fun of the Trump administration after they imposed tariffs on imports from a number of countries, the effects of which have already caused live music stocks to crash and inflicted “damage” on the instrument market.
Her second performance saw her sing ‘Don’t Make Me Love You’, which is reportedly taken from the upcoming album, which she told fans was partially inspired by The Strokes.
“This time I really feel like I was sonically focused on a sound,” she explained. “The way that we found it, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m one of them now’. I can tell this story. I was so excited to tell you this story seven months ago when we were finding this sound.”
Ahead of the performance, she made an appearance on the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast, with the singer reflecting on taking a “gap year” from music in 2024, ahead of kicking off the ‘Love In Real Life’ era in February.
“I don’t feel like I’ve expressed myself fully in the last two years, like how I want to. I feel like I’ve been kind of holding my tongue and like staying to myself, but I think that it’s for the best because you know, running your mouth these days,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s just unnecessary and sometimes it can get you into some stuff you wasn’t even trying to get into because people will misinterpret it and run with it. I found when I was like, ‘I’m taking a gap year, I’m protecting my peace’. But like, people were like, ‘Wait, so what’s that supposed to mean?’”
Elsewhere, Lizzo celebrated reaching her “weight release” goals earlier this year, telling her followers: “Let this be a reminder you can do anything you put your mind to.”
The month before, she also broke her silence on the sexual harassment lawsuit filed against her in 2023, claiming that she “did nothing wrong”.
She had been sued by three former dancers who claimed to have been subject to sexual harassment and a hostile workplace environment while on tour. She denied the claims and said the situation had left her contemplating quitting the music industry.
