Lizzo returns today with her fourth album, Special, the long-awaited follow-up to her 2019 major label debut, Cuz I Love You. The perennially positive and empowering singer and rapper claims to have written 200 songs for Special before narrowing the tracklist down to 12 selections, including the singles “Grrrls” and “About Damn Time.”
The major theme on Special is love—a topic Lizzo aims to examine “from every direction.” “I hope that I can turn a little bit of the fear that’s been running rampant in this world, energetically into love,” Lizzo told Zane Lowe. “That’s the point. I had a lot of fear, and I had to do the work on myself, and this music is some of that work in turning that fear into love. I hope that when people listen to this album, it makes their day just a little bit better, a little bit more filled with love.”
Lizzo’s collaborators on Special include Mark Ronson and Swedish hit-making superhero Max Martin, who co-produced several songs, including the title track. While fans were hoping for a guest appearance by Lizzo’s pal Harry Styles, the One Directioner does not turn up on the LP.
