She chanted Erykah Badu’s name instead
During her performance at the Boston stop of her “Renaissance World Tour” on Tuesday night (tickets available here), Beyoncé seemed to intentionally omit Lizzo’s name from her “Break My Soul” remix. This adjustment to the lyrics occurred just hours after the news broke that Lizzo is facing a lawsuit from her former backup dancers, who have accused her of sexual harassment and fostering a hostile work environment.
In the third verse of Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix),” which features Madonna, she originally pays homage to Lizzo along with other iconic women in music, such as Nina Simone, Lauryn Hill, and Janet Jackson. However, during her live performance of the song at Gillette Stadium, Beyoncé chanted Erykah Badu’s name four times, effectively replacing both Lizzo and former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland.
Despite this change, the names of Lizzo and Kelly Rowland remained visible on the screen behind the stage, as captured in fan-recorded footage available below.
According to the lawsuit, three women who previously danced backup for Lizzo claim that she coerced them into attending a sex show in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, where they were pressured to interact with the performers inappropriately. Following the lawsuit’s disclosure, other former dancers for Lizzo corroborated these claims, with some sharing via their Instagram Stories that the allegations resonated with their own experiences working with the singer.
It’s worth considering whether Beyoncé’s decision to highlight Badu’s name was a subtle response to recent social media shade from Badu herself. Badu has insinuated that a large, metallic wide-brim hat Beyoncé has been wearing during her tour closely resembles one she wore previously. “I guess I’m everybody’s stylist,” Badu quipped in her Instagram Story.
However, as fans in the Beyhive were quick to emphasize, Beyoncé has been donning large hats for years, notably during her “Formation World Tour” in 2016.
The “Renaissance World Tour” is set to continue, with its next performances scheduled at FedEx Field in Washington, D.C., for a two-night engagement.