American singer Lizzo claimed that she “spent years being ashamed” when discussing the effort it required for her to “feel worthy of being in this situation”.

The 34-year-old Grammy Award winner’s eagerly awaited fourth studio album Special was released on July 15. The cover star of the September issue of Elle UK, she stated that she wanted to create a record that people could use as a “soundtrack to survive” after they were released from confinement.

She told the magazine: “I spent years being ashamed. It took a lot of work for me to feel worthy of being in this place. To feel worthy of being a force to be reckoned with.”

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She said of recording the album during the 2020 lockdown: “It was hard for me to find meaning, being an entertainer, while people were dying at a high rate.

“I had to remember, when we come out of lockdown, people are going to be coming out of a depression. And the end of lockdown does not signify the end of their mental health struggles.

“So I wanted to make music that people can use as a soundtrack to survive. That was the driver for this album.

“All of these incredible songs are giving people the language to express themselves and to have a release after everything they’ve experienced.”