Lizzo's "sad songs" on her new album were about a private "friendship break-up".

The Good as Hell hitmaker has insisted critics are wrong to go looking for references to her legal dispute with three former dancers - who have accused her of subjecting them to sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, religious and racial discrimination and fat-shaming - in all the songs on her latest record Bitch because she had a much more personal situation that inspired the record.

She told The Guardian newspaper: "What people don't know is that most of the sad songs on this album are about a friendship breakup that was not public at all."

Of the song Like a Crime, which is addressed to someone who "Broke my heart and stole my life", she added: "That song is about a friend who I was very close with and I employed them and believed in them and they were extremely abusive and lied about me.

"It was one of the hardest friendship breakups I've ever had. I really loved this person, and they secretly hated me and I don't know why."

The 38-year-old singer - whose real name is Melissa Jefferson - has been left "so confused" by her former friend's behaviour.

She said: "The last time we spoke it was, like, 'I'm thinking about you, I love you, I hope everything's OK', and I was, like, 'Oh, I love you too.' Then a year later they were on the internet talking about how horrible a person I am, and I was so confused because I was, like, 'I thought we were good.'

"That was the most hurtful thing I've experienced in a long time."

Asked if it was one of the dancers who made the allegations about her, she replied: "No. This person has no legal claims; they just joined a hate train."

Lizzo acknowledged the tone of her latest record - which has been a critical and commercial flop, failing to chart in both the US and UK - is different to her previous efforts.

She said: "It's, like, I've got my heart broken, but in the chorus I save myself every time. It's, like, 'Don't worry, girl, because you're still feeling good as hell.'

"On this album, there's no resolve. There's no soft 'But I'll be OK', because sometimes that's not the reality. Sometimes you're not OK for a long time."

Meanwhile, the About Damn Time hitmaker admitted there has become a "huge difference" between her private and public personas.

She said: "There is now. There's a huge difference now. Lizzo was my nickname since I was 14 and I was Lizzo to everybody. But now I put Lizzo in the front to protect Melissa...

"[They are] not that different, it's just the stakes are higher. Melissa needs to be protected. Lizzo can go out there and do interviews with sharpshooters like you and can perform on stage and can go on Twitter and be a troll.

"Melissa needs to be protected. The girl who wants everyone to be happy, the girl who wants to just help, the girl with the pure heart and pure intentions, she needs to be protected."