“Even that is backhanded in itself, to name it after” an “extremely talented incredible pillar in the Black community,” Lizzo said of the term.

Lizzo slams ‘Khia Asylum’ meme for ‘flopping’ pop stars: ‘Weapon that targets only women’

"Even that is backhanded in itself, to name it after" an "extremely talented incredible pillar in the Black community," Lizzo said of the term.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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June 29, 2026 11:04 a.m. ET

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Lizzo and Khia. Credit:

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Khia/YouTube

- Pop star Lizzo has spoken out against the term "Khia Asylum," often used to describe "flopping" pop stars.

- The Grammy winner called the term "backhanded in itself" because titular rapper Khia is an "incredible pillar in the Black community and in Black music."

- Lizzo responded to a question about the term amid the underperformance of her own album, *Bitch*.

Following news that her own new album *Bitch* drastically underperformed on the charts upon its recent release, Grammy-winning pop star Lizzo has spoken out against the "Khia Asylum" meme often used on social media to describe "flopping" female musicians.

In a new interview with social media personality Zachary Hourihane (also known as the Swiftologist), the 38-year-old "Truth Hurts" performer responded to a question about the state of her career and the "obsessive focus on them flopping that women get" when new releases don't reach the success of past output.

“Even that is backhanded in itself, to name it after this extremely phenomenal… this extremely talented incredible pillar in the Black community and in Black rap music," Lizzo said as part of her lengthy answer on the topic, referencing the titular Khia Asylum artist, Khia, whose 2002 hit "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" remains an iconic anthem in pop culture.

Lizzo called the term a "weapon that targets only women, and a lot of Black women. Let’s be real," before labeling it "a little strange" when people take the phrase too seriously outside of its comical meme origins.

Lizzo performs at the Wiltern in Los Angeles.

Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

"I think it’s just funny for people, and I think it should remain funny, it should remain a meme," Lizzo explained. "Now it’s evolved to a thing where somebody could be the most successful artist last year, and now they’re back in the Khia Asylum?"

She described it as a "nebulous" descriptor, and criticized it as "a tool to bully artists and have power over them" that has devolved into "nonsense" through overuse.**

She added that she "can’t be in the Khia Asylum" because she has "Grammys and world-record music," including her newly awarded Diamond record "Truth Hurts," which hit No. 1 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and was recently certified 10-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

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"I am a successful artist," Lizzo stressed, calling herself "impervious" to being in the Khia Asylum at all, later quipping, "Save that for the one-hit wonders. No shade!"

Still, she admitted that she's "in the weeds" in terms of her current career, which saw her latest album, *Bitch*, fail to chart on the *Billboard* 200 upon moving 3,000 total units in its first week of release, and drop to a mere 650 units across the following frame, data tracking service Luminate previously confirmed to **.

Other artists have embraced the internet putting them into the Khia Asylum. Pop star Bebe Rexha shared a meme in January depicting a Grim Reaper-style figure coming to set her free from the institution, after other artists broke out of the Khia Asylum thanks to newfound success (including Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, and Zara Larsson).

"Guys please help me. It’s so lonely in here," Rexha joked, months before her new album, *Dirty Blonde*, hit No. 43 on the *Billboard* 200 albums chart.

In a *New York Times* interview last month, Lizzo previously addressed her standing with the public after a controversy saw backup dancers file a lawsuit against her (which was eventually partially dismissed) over alleged abuse and toxic workplace behavior (which Lizzo has strongly denied).

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"Everything that I have shown the world is me. And I think that always puts someone in a vulnerable position. I think pop stars have built a sort of protection of themselves, and they put the pop star character in the front. And then the real them gets to sit in the back. I never did that because I came from the indie world," she told the publication. "This is who I am. I don’t have anything to hide. I love myself. And the world loved me back for it. I think that the beauty of everything is that I get to evolve as a person, and I get to have more depth as a person, because it isn’t always happy-go-lucky. And I feel like moving forward — it’s kind of hard to talk about."

Watch Lizzo's interview with Zachary Hourihane in the video above.**

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