GRRRLS, the latest track from the musician Special’s upcoming album, was released on Friday. In the original verse, the pop star – who has become known for her lyrics defending acceptance and self-love – used a derogatory term for cerebral palsy, also known as spastic diplegia. The song was criticized almost immediately by fans and supporters of disability, with tweets and TikToks explaining the story and the offensive nature of the term being shared and liked hundreds of thousands of times. Hey @lizzo my disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to endless painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me angry + sad. “Spaz” does not mean freak or crazy. It is a capable insult. It’s 2022. Do your best. – Hannah Diviney (@hannah_diviney) June 12, 2022 I’m disappointed with @lizzo who used the word “sp @ z” in her new song “Grrrls”. There is no excuse for using an offensive song in 2022. As someone who stands up for women, big people and others who are badly treated by society, Lizzo preaches participation and should do better. – Callum Stephen (He / Him) (@AutisticCallum_) June 11, 2022 Hi @lizzo please remove the word “spaz” from your new song because it is offensive and really offensive to the disabled community From a disappointed fan 😔💔 – Shelby 🖤 (@Shelbykinsxo) June 10, 2022 Lizzo issued a written public apology on Monday. “It simply came to my notice then that there was a harmful word in my new GRRRLS song. “Let me clarify one thing: I never want to promote derogatory language,” he wrote. “As a fat black woman in America, I have used a lot of harmful words against myself, so I understand the power that words can have (either intentionally or in my case, unintentionally.) He said he was proud to release a new version of the song with changed lyrics. “This is the result of listening and taking action,” he wrote. “As an influential artist, I’m committed to being part of the change I expected to see in the world.” As the song had not yet been released as a physical purchase, the previous version of GRRRLS has been replaced by streaming services and digital stores with the new “hold me back” lyrics. The Special will be released in July.
