Lizzo's framing this as an intentional artistic evolution — not a scrapped project. She's positioning the name change from 'Love in Real Life' to 'Bitch' as a deliberate transformation that reflects her current empowered state, drawing parallels to how changing her own name from Melissa shaped her destiny.
Fans speculated she'd completely abandoned Love in Real Life when she dropped My Face Hurts From Smiling instead last year. Now we know the real story: she was sitting on this album the whole time, just needed to find the right title that matched who she's become. The fact that most of it was written back in 2022 explains why she felt it needed a rebrand.
Lizzo confirmed to Billboard (May 27, 2026) that 'Bitch' drops June 5 and is technically the same album as 'Love in Real Life.' She removed the original title track from the project, prompting the rename. The singer also revealed she's betting on her June mixtape My Face Hurts From Smiling becoming a 'classic' within five years.
Lizzo played us all — but in the best way possible. Keeping the same album and just giving it a title that actually matches where she is artistically? That's growth. Can't wait to hear how 'Bitch' hits compared to what could have been.
Lizzo is finally putting the rumors to rest, and honestly? The truth is way more interesting than what we all assumed. In a new interview with Billboard, the Grammy winner confirmed that her upcoming album Bitch — dropping June 5 — isn't some brand new project she scrambled to create after shelving Love in Real Life.
It's literally the same album. She just changed the name. "I think the biggest misconception about my album is that I shelved Love in Real Life when I didn't," Lizzo said over Zoom. "[Bitch] is technically the same album.
The music is the same." So what prompted the switch? According to Lizzo, she removed what was previously the title track from the tracklist — which meant a new name had to follow. And she's putting some serious weight behind that decision.
"When you change the name of something, it changes its destiny," she explained. "Like, when I went from Melissa to Lizzo, it changed my destiny." She continued: "When this album went from Love in Real Life to Bitch, it changed the trajectory of its past. I do think that I feel like I can express myself the way that I want to express myself right now through Bitch." The vibe shift is real too.
Lizzo described Love in Real Life as "really somber and a little bit more introspective," while positioning Bitch as "empowered and self-actualized and bold." That's basically two different emotional eras wrapped in the same body of work. She previously dropped singles "Love in Real Life" and "Still Bad" in spring 2025 to kick off what was supposed to be that era, but then pivoted to release the mixtape My Face Hurts From Smiling last June instead — confusing fans who thought they'd never hear the album they were promised.
Beyond the music itself, Lizzo's keeping busy with her Chili's partnership, recreating their iconic "Baby Back Ribs" jingle complete with original lyrics and live flute playing. But here's the real tea she's spilling: she believes My Face Hurts From Smiling will be remembered as a classic — just not immediately. Her take?
"Everybody hates everything right now. We're in a nostalgia-based society right now, where nostalgia is the hottest commodity." She's betting that five years from now, people will be scrambling to retroactively crown it legendary. Classic Lizzo move: dropping something ahead of its time and trusting the culture to catch up.
