Special (album)

## ***Special***

* Standard
* Target Exclusive

## Singles

1. "About Damn Time"
Released: April 14th 2022
2. "2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)"
Released: July 18th 2022

## Album Chronology

***Special*** (originally titled ***In Case Nobody Told You***) is the fourth studio album, second major-label studio album, and third overall major-label release by American singer-songwriter and rapper Lizzo. It was released on July 15th, 2022, through Nice Life and Atlantic Records and was supported by it's lead single, "About Damn Time", which reached #1 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 Chart and the ton ten in twelve other countries as well.

## Background

On April 19th, 2019, American singer-songwriter and rapper Lizzo released her third studio album and major-label debut studio album *Cuz I Love You*. Upon release, the album was met with critical acclaim from music critics who praised it's production, lyrical content, and Lizzo's vocals. The deluxe edition of the album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards and won Best Urban Contemporary Album. In October 2020, Lizzo announced that her fourth studio album was nearing completion, saying she had "a few more songs to write". On January 18th, 2021, American singer SZA confirmed to have heard new music from Lizzo. She explained that Lizzo played her "the best song I ever heard in my life" and that it made her cry. In August 2021, Lizzo announced "Rumors", her first song after two years, which was released on August 13th. The single features American rapper, singer, and songwriter Cardi B.

During her keynote speech at the South by Southwest festival in March 2022, Lizzo announced that her album was finished, saying "It’s done so it’s coming very very soon…and it’s good. I worked real hard on it, so it better be good." On March 21st, 2022, Lizzo previewed the single "About Damn Time" on The Late Late Show with James Corden, with a release date of April 14th. Shortly after the release of the song and its accompanying music video, Lizzo formally announced "Special", with a release date of July 15th. In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, Lizzo explained that the album was originally titled *In Case Nobody Told You* until Max Martin helped her "restructure" the hook of the song "Special", which she then changed the title of the album to.

On June 7th, 2022, Lizzo posted a TikTok teasing a snippet with lyrics from the song "Grrrls". The next day, Lizzo posted a tweet with the caption "⭐️GRRRLS⭐️GRRRLS⭐️GRRRLS AND @YITTY BITCH". On June 9th, Lizzo posted an Instagram video with the caption "PRE-SAVE SPECIAL TO HEAR THE WHOLE SONG FRIDAYYYYY" The next day on June 10th, "Grrrls" was released as the first official promotional single.

## Theme

Lizzo has stated that this album is going to be about self-love and accepting who you are, and that you're special. Lizzo on the album: “I want the person to hear this to feel special. The way that you feel when you say that word is like… *In Case Nobody Told You* is cool, it has that same kind of dark… Everything now has this special feel to it, and this glow, this sparkle. Ever since that’s the era I’m moving into. It’s out of the darkness and into the light. I feel like the album is an incredible body of music, which was super important to me. I wanted to create good f–king music that actually was cohesive, and meaningful, and rich and lush, and I think people is… It could be a grower, it could be a shower. I don’t care, it’s good. Once people discover it, it’s going to make them feel good and them know what’s up.” Lizzo also stated in an interview with Rolling Stone, “Growing up I never dreamed I’d get to experience all of the things I’ve accomplished in my life, and I’m just getting started,” Lizzo said in a statement. “From ‘*Cuz I Love You* to my dramatic world tour, losing and gaining love, and creating my new album *Special*, y’all get to see the amount of time, patience, blood, sweat and tears that went into this process. It takes ten years to become an ‘overnight success,’ and hopefully I can inspire other young creatives to keep going.”

## Singles

1. **About Damn Time**: Released as the lead single on April 14th, 2022 along with a music video.

### Promotional Singles

1. **Grrrls**: Released as the first promotional single on June 10th, 2022.

About Damn Time
## Tour

*Main article: The Special Tour*

On April 25th, 2022, Lizzo announced that she was going on tour for the fall season. It was later revealed that she would be touring in support of *Special*. Lizzo also announced that Latto would be the opening act for all dates. The tour is set to begin on September 23rd in Sunrise, Florida and end on November 18th in Los Angeles, California with a total of 25 shows in North America. It is currently unknown how many legs the tour will have and if Lizzo will add more tour dates.

## Track listing

* "\*" indicates a song that contains explicit lyrics or themes.

## Gallery

### Album Photoshoot

* Look 1
* Look 2

## Trivia

* Almost 170 songs were written for the album, over the course of three years.
	+ None of them made the final cut, as Lizzo changed the album last-minute.
* This is her second official album release with a major label, and her third release with a major label overall.
* It is unknown if "Rumors" was intended to be the lead single.

## References

1. ↑ www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/lizzo-about-damn-time-single-album-announcement-1235059535/
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/lizzo/status/1534622160475410432
3. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cejk7frFkuN/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link
4. ↑ https://www.justjared.com/2022/04/15/lizzo-announces-new-album-special-explains-meaning-of-the-title/?=morehere
5. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lizzo-beastie-boys-new-song-grrrls-1366096/
6. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/news/lizzo-announces-fall-2022-north-american-tour/
7. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=522667462555694&set=pb.100044373341718.-2207520000..&type=3/
8. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=524037302418710&set=pb.100044373341718.-2207520000..&type=3
9. ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/special/1619161952
10. ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/special/1619161952
11. ↑ Special by Lizzo on Apple Music