In what appears to be a subtle diss at Lizzo amid a controversy over her treatment of dancers, Beyoncé omitted the singer’s name from the “Break My Soul” remix lyrics at her concert Tuesday night in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The remix version of the hit song features a verse in which Beyoncé gives a shoutout to several Black women in the entertainment industry, typically including Lauryn Hill, Kelly Rowland, Erykah Badu and Lizzo.
But Beyoncé skipped over Lizzo’s name at the Gillette Stadium concert and instead repeated Badu’s name four times, even though Lizzo’s name appeared on the screen along with the other musicians named in the song.
Many speculated that Beyoncé purposely dropped Lizzo’s name because of the recent lawsuit that former dancers filed against Lizzo accusing her of weight-shaming; sexual, religious and racial harassment; and creating a toxic work environment.
The lawsuit came as a shock to many fans and supporters of Lizzo, who has frequently preached body positivity in her music and throughout her career. The dancers’ lawyer, Ron Zambrano, said in the statement that the way Lizzo and her management team treats performers “seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly.”
Others speculated that the lyric change was an intentional nod to a recent controversy involving Badu, in which she seemed to accuse Beyoncé of copying her style.
Beyoncé has not publicly confirmed or denied speculations about the lyric change. But her mother, Tina Knowles, did leave a comment on a post about the performance that suggested the speculation was off-base.
“She also didn’t say her own sister’s name [y’all] should really stop,” Knowles said in the comment, referring to how Beyoncé skipped over Kelly Rowland’s name as well. (Beyoncé and Rowland aren’t blood related but have a very close relationship that they have described as sisterhood.)
Beyoncé’s representatives did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.