Lizzo has some explaining to do. The music star sparked some backlash after calling Justin Bieber the “prince of pop” over the weekend.
As music is constantly changing with the times, pop royalty titles are often redistributed as the art form shifts and evolves. These honorific nicknames, while at times silly, are ways music fans can celebrate their artists, lifting them up among the greatest to ever do it.
Lizzo, a successful musician herself, took to social media to detail who she feels deserves these royal titles in pop.
Over the weekend, Lizzo tweeted out that Usher is the King of R&B, writing, “Thank you Usher”. Shortly after that post, she quoted her own tweet and included her own pop music rankings. From Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson, to Rihanna and Justin Bieber, the “Truth Hurts” singer shared her pop music “dynasty” in the now-viral tweet.
She wrote to her fans and followers, “King of Pop- Michael Jackson Queen of Pop- Janet Jackson Prince of pop- Bieber Princess of Pop- Britney Spears The Pop princess- Rihanna Queen of music- Beyonce.” With such a declarative statement, of course Lizzo gained intense reactions all over Twitter, with fans debating her selections for the pop music “royal family.”
The singer tweeted out a screenshot of the trending topics shortly after her tweet, with “Bieber” and “Queen of Pop” immediately joining the list. Some fans didn’t seem to agree with Lizzo’s assessment.
One user wrote in a tweet, “Wait, Lizzo said Justin Bieber was the Prince of Pop??….Well atleast she is talented and beautiful.” Other fans seem to put other names in the ring for the prince of Pop, including Bruno Mars. One user replied, “Bruno Mars is the true Prince of Pop.”
While of course rankings in these categories are ultimately subjective, the conversation also pivoted towards the Queen of Pop category, with some agreeing with Lizzo that Janet deserved the crown, while others insisting it should be Madonna. One tweet that gained traction referencing Lizzo’s tweet, reads, “in what universe is Janet Jackson the queen of pop while Madonna exists?”
Pop culture writer Brittny Pierre wrote in a tweet, “This universe! Madonna is successful in her own right but Janet’s influence is deep in pop music landscape. All the greats can be directed back to Janet.”
One user, Imani Gandy, tweeted about how the “pop royalty” discourse brought the internet together, writing, “Look at least we’re arguing about Madonna and Janet rather critical race theory or covid deniers or whatever tf so carry on my wayward sons. fight the power.” Gandy added in a tweet, “madonna and janet are both queens. the end.”
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