In the midst of abuse allegations from some of her former tour dancers, Lizzo now faces another accusation: Copying ideas from a singer who auditioned for her reality show.
In a pair of TikToks, singer Elle Baez explains that she was a huge fan of Lizzo, seeing her as a role model in the industry. So Baez was thrilled to try out for Lizzo’s Amazon reality show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, where performers compete to join Lizzo’s dance crew.
Baez claims she got through to the finals of the audition process. But she says when she received a contract to appear on the show, lawyers in her family advised her not to sign.
“It basically wanted to own you,” Baez said. “It wanted to have your life story for eternity. It wanted to own the rights of anything that you put out.” Lizzo’s representatives refused to edit the agreement, and Baez decided not to join the show.
@elle_baez My Lizzo Story Part 1
♬ original sound – Elle Baez
However, the story doesn’t end there.
Did Lizzo copy Elle Baez in her ‘About Damn Time’ video?
When Lizzo’s video for “About Damn Time” came out a year later, Baez noticed shocking similarities with one of her own videos, “Better With You.” Both videos begin with the singer in a classroom, and both transform into a 1970s-style disco.
Baez says she submitted this video as part of her application for Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. So while the similarities could be coincidental, it’s certainly possible that Lizzo’s team took inspiration from Baez’s video.
This wasn’t the only time Baez noticed a crossover between her music videos and Lizzo’s work.
@elle_baez My Lizzo Story Part 2
♬ original sound – Elle Baez
During live performances of her song “Naked,” Lizzo wears a nude bodysuit and projects images onto her body. As Elle Baez points out on TikTok, this resembles another video she submitted for Lizzo’s reality show. The two songs also share “very similar concepts and meanings” on the topic of body positivity.
Baez’s story elicited a lot of sympathy on TikTok, with commenters advising her to take Lizzo to court. But regardless of whether Baez takes this any further, it’s a bad look for Lizzo and her team.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lizzo’s representatives and Amazon Studios for comment.
