Lizzo has released a surprise 13-track rap mixtape titled “My Face Hurts From Smiling,” a project she says was written and recorded in about two weeks. The four-time Grammy winner told Rolling Stone the process, powered by producers Zaytoven and Tay Keith, restored her creative freedom. The tape includes the single “Still Can’t Fuh,” featuring a fast-turnaround guest verse from Doja Cat, and leans heavily on the Houston native’s freestyle roots. The new music arrives after a turbulent period for the performer. In a Women’s Health interview published 1 July, Lizzo said she fell into a deep depression following an August 2023 lawsuit in which three former dancers accused her of sexual harassment and a toxic work environment—claims she denies. “I got very paranoid and isolated… I could die,” she recalled, adding that attending Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour helped her realise “life is worth living.” Several allegations in the suit were dismissed in 2024, but others were allowed to proceed; Lizzo appealed the ruling in May 2025, arguing the case threatens her First Amendment rights as a performer. With the appeal pending, she is preparing a new studio album, “Love in Real Life,” and says the mixtape marks both a creative and personal reset: “I feel like a brand-new bitch.”