This is why Lizzo has quit music.

Emmy and Grammy award-winning performer Lizzo has announced she is abandoning her career as a rapper, singer and artist with a post on her Instagram that ended with: "I QUIT."

"I'm getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet," the singer and flautist wrote. "All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I'm starting to feel like the world doesn't want me in it.

"I'm constantly up against lies being told about me for clout and views... being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look," she continued.

"My character being picked apart by people who don't know me and disrespecting my name. I didn't sign up for this s**t."

Her post, which was published and shared on March 30, was met with thousands of supportive comments, including from famous fans such as Paris Hilton, who wrote: "We love you Queen."

One Tree Hill actor Sophia Bush encouraged the singer and rapper to "protect" herself, writing: "All of this. The internet isn't real life. Protect you. We love you."

Watch: Lizzo talk about body positivity and body negativity. Post continues after video.

Lizzo, whose legal name is Melissa Jefferson, is one of the world's most recognised female artists, with four Grammys under her belt, a chart-topping album and an Emmy for her reality TV show, Watch Out For The Big Grrrls.

This isn't the first time Lizzo has spoken about quitting the music industry.

Her rise to fame has long been detailed as a labour of love, punctuated by a lot of life lessons and a tremendous amount of self-doubt. The performer got her big break from singer Prince, who co-signed her music, and she even performed on his 2014 song, 'Boy Trouble'.

Lizzo at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020. Image: Getty.

"Prince was the first person to really make me feel validated as an artist when I heard that track," the singer told NPR. "And I got paid! My first big cheque ever."

It wasn't until 2017 that Lizzo would reach global success when she released 'Truth Hurts', which was the first single from her 2019 album, Cuz I Love You. However, at the time of its release, the artist contemplated walking away from the music scene altogether.

"I just felt like I was throwing music into the world and not even making a splash," she told Elle. "A tree was falling in the forest and not making a sound, you know? I was crying in my room all day."

In 2020, Lizzo was nominated for eight Grammy Awards, and walked away with three: Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best New Artist and Best Traditional R&B Performance. In 2023, she also won a golden gramophone for Record Of The Year, for 'About Damn Time'.

Lizzo at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Image: Getty.

In 2023, Lizzo was accused of and sued for sexual harassment, racial discrimination and fostering a hostile work environment by her dancers. In September 2023, a former clothing stylist filed a similar lawsuit, in which she alleged that she was subjected to bullying and sexual and racial harassment in an "unsafe, sexually charged workplace culture".

While Lizzo asked to dismiss the lawsuits, in February, a judge denied her motion in the case filed by the former dancers.

Following the controversy, Lizzo chose not to walk the red carpet at the 2024 Grammy Awards and has remained relatively quiet about upcoming projects — except on March 18, when she talked about writing new music and thanked her fans for their patience. However, she also hinted at some potential personal struggles in her caption.

"I'm writing some of the best music and I'm so excited for y'all to hear. I'm almost ready to be a normal human again… to be outside... to love and trust people... to try and make new friends… to go on live… to sing and talk about my pain and joy… just give me a lil more time," she wrote exactly 12 days before her quitting announcement.

"Thank u for the patience and to the ones who unfollowed thank u too cus now I know where we stand."

The muso also referenced depression in a post on March 9, writing, "I was d*pressed like 20 mins ago but i just cried it out…"

There are also hints in her post that people commenting on her appearance may have helped fuelled her desire to leave the music industry. 

As a fierce advocate for body positivity, Lizzo has often found her body at the centre of public discourse. But with some fans commenting that she appeared to have lost weight, and others suggesting the star has used weight-loss drugs, it could be the continued conversations online about her body have also contributed to her stepping away from the spotlight.

Only a day before her announcement, Lizzo promoted the launch of her label Yitty's shaping swimwear on Instagram. And in January, the singer modelled some of her activewear designs, writing, "we're putting ourselves first this year, you guys. You don't have to wait to feel like the best version of yourself."

She has addressed the conversation previously, saying in 2023 she never set out to lose weight in a now-viral TikTok clip.

Lizzo stitched a video on TikTok from a creator who said, "Weight loss comes with the territory, but I'm not trying to escape fatness."

@michaelfinch We don't Boil, we roast!!! The best Potato Salad! - 1.5-2kg Potato - 200g pancetta or guanciale - 1 1/2 cup sour cream - 1/2 cup mayonnaise - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar - 1 tsp dijon mustard - 1 cup freshly grated parmesan - 1tsp garlic powder - 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs - 6 eggs, hard boiled - 1/4cup fresh chives - S&P to taste Cook potato in oven on 200°C for 25-30mins or until golden brown and crispy! u get the rest 😂 #potatosalad #potatosaladrecipe #michaelfinch ♬ original sound - Michael Finch

Lizzo agreed with the statement, saying, "Heavy on the 'not trying to escape fatness.' Heavy f**king on it."

"I have a very high-performance job," she continued. "For 90 minutes a night, I have to do choreography, I have to sing, I have to dance, I have to rap, and I have to play the flute. And I have to emote and hype a crowd in very tight clothes, sometimes clothes where it restricts my breathing.

"It's fun. I love my job. It takes a lot of physical endurance to do what I do, and I used to be very rockstar lifestyle, used to throw myself around on the stage," she added. "As I got more professional in my career, I started to take the physical part more seriously. I've always loved moving my body, I've always loved working out."

She added that despite caring about her health, she has never wanted to be thin.

"I'm not trying to be thin, I don't ever want to be thin," Lizzo said. "Will my body fluctuate from this size? Will I get a little smaller depending on some of the choices I make, or a little bigger depending on some of the choices I make in my life? Yes. I'm used to fluctuating."

Feature Image: Getty.