Lizzo Argues ‘Golden Age’ of Music Videos Is Over: ‘Not t…

Lizzo believes it’s time to “make peace” with what she sees as the present-day limitations of the music video format.

In a video recently shared to TikTok, the My Face Still Hurts From Smiling artist, soon to be heard on Cardi B’s Am I the Drama? album, argued “the Golden Age of the music video is over.” In fact, by Lizzo’s estimation, it’s “been over, actually, for a very long time.”

Lizzo went on to break down what she argues are the contributing factors to the music video format’s current status in the industry, first pointing the finger at a lack of “critical mass” in the mainstream.

“There will never be another ‘Thriller,’ ‘Lady Marmalade,’ or ‘Ladies Night’ because critical mass in mainstream culture just doesn’t exist anymore,” Lizzo said. “Time used to literally stand still when the biggest artists in the world would premiere a music video, and now time doesn’t even stand still for some of the most unthinkable tragedies that happen in this country.”

While music videos were once an “extension of an artist’s vision,” Lizzo further argued, they ultimately became something else, with labels pouring millions of dollars into the format in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Lizzo also noted that the arrival of YouTube brought about another major shift, followed by a viewership “boom” related to Vevo. By this point, Lizzo pointed out, music videos had become “obligatory,” meaning even artists who weren’t interested in the format were effectively required to take part.

“Music videos do not move the needle anymore,” Lizzo said, though she later clarified “it’s not the artists’ fault.”

To be fair, there are, of course, plenty of examples of artists still finding creative and exciting ways to put their own stamp on the videos space. Artists outside or bubbling just beneath the mainstream industry infrastructure, particularly, continue to bring fresh perspectives to the medium.

When citing an example of someone she believes achieved music video greatness over the past decade, Lizzo praised SOPHIE’s “Faceshopping,” released in 2018.

ComplexCon returns to Las Vegas on October 25–26, 2025, with over 300 brands and live performances by Young Thug, YEAT & Friends, Peso Pluma, Central Cee, Ken Carson, and more. Get your tickets now.