Lizzo Says Critics Used Her as a 'Punchline' Because There Are 'Levels to Me They Don't Accept'

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Lizzo is getting real about criticism and the implications that come with living under the spotlight.

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On Wednesday, PEOPLE is exclusively premiering a clip from Lizzo's interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1

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where she opens up about her upcoming album Special — and the backlash she received when she first found fame.

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"I've noticed that once people knew who I was, because before it was discovery, it was like, 'Who is this? Who is that?'

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And then once people knew who I was and it became kind of solidified, they became more comfortable with using me as some sort of punchline or joke,

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the "About Damn Time" singer, 34, says in the opening of the clip.

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"Or immediately they want to criticize whatever I'm doing because there's levels to me that they don't accept.

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She continues, "So I've found that I'm always going to receive some sort of backlash or criticism wheneve

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I put myself in a public space, just because of who I am and the way I choose to exist."

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