Lizzo: Everything you need to know about the singer
Baby how you feelin'?
Lizzo has provided us with so many great songs, with bangers like 'Good As Hell', 'Juice' and 'Truth Hurts' still constantly in earshot pretty much wherever you go. Her bop '2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)' stormed its way up the charts and she also brought her 'The Special Tour' to the UK in 2023.
Here, we've taken a good long look at Lizzo's career, life and everything else about her to educate ourselves on one of the most relatable songwriters out there.
Who is Lizzo?
Lizzo is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, flautist best known for her songs 'Juice' and 'Good As Hell'.
What is Lizzo's real name?
It's Melissa Viviane Jefferson. She earned the nickname Lizzo at the age of 14, a variant of Lissa which is short for Melissa and was also inspired by Jay-Z's song 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)'.
Has Lizzo quit music?
At the end of March 2024, she posted a statement on social media telling her fans that she 'quit', writing: 'I'm getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet. 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... 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. I QUIT'. (sic)
With many fans thinking she meant she'd quit music, a few days later on 2nd April, Lizzo cleared up confusion in a video on social media.
She said: "What I'm not going to quit is the joy of my life, which is making music, which is connecting the people.
"If I can just give one person the inspiration or motivation to stand up for themselves, and say they quit letting negative people win, negative comments win, then I've done even more than I could've hoped for.
"With that being said, I'm going to keep moving forward, I'm going to keep being me."
When is her birthday?
She's a Taurus baby! Lizzo's birthday is 27th April 1988, making her current age 35-years-old.
To celebrate her 34th birthday, the singer organised an extravagant photoshoot complete with a pink wig, confetti and giant cake for her to pop out of!
Posting a video and photos to Instagram, she said: 'ITS MY BDAY!!!! And this year I wanna give YOU a gift. Pre-save my album ‘Special’ and you’ve got a 2 day head-start on getting tickets for my tour! I love you ALL❤️.
'Here’s to another incredible year! Taurus season has officially begun!'
Where is Lizzo from?
She was born in Detroit, Michigan in the US, and moved to Houston Texas at the age of 10. She moved again to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2011.
WATCH: Lizzo on a future SECOND collaboration with Ariana Grande 😍
Lizzo's career so far: How did she get famous?
Lizzo's career journey has been incredible so far - here's a quick look through her timeline so far...
Early life and studying
After studying classical music at the University of Houston, Lizzo lived out of her car for a year following her father's death to break into the music industry. She moved to Minneapolis in 2011, performing with various indie bands including Lizzo & the Larva Ink.
2012: Chalice
Lizzo also performed as part of a three-piece band the Chalice, releasing an album in 2012. She released her solo debut album, 'Lizzobangers', in 2013, and it was re-released on Virgin Records a year later.
2013: Supporting Har Mar Superstar
She toured as a support act for Har Mar Superstar in 2013, and also sang with his band. Lizzo worked on a body positivity campaign What's Underneath for StyleLikeU in 2014, writing the song 'My Skin' after being inspired by the project.
2014: Working with Prince
Collaborating with pop icon Prince in 2014 on his album Plectrumelectrum, Lizzo called it "surreal... almost like a fairytale" and that it was "something I will never actually get over." Her second studio album 'Big Grrrl Small World' was released in 2015, and she briefly became a host for MTV.
2016: Signing with Atlantic Records
Lizzo signed with Atlantic Records in 2016, and put out EP 'Coconut Oil' that same year, which featured 'Good As Hell', and received huge critical acclaim - with many praising Lizzo for her inspirational lyrics about self-love and self-acceptance.
2017: 'Good As Hell Tour'
She went on the 'Good As Hell Tour' in 2017, and also appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. The following year, she toured with the likes of Haim and Florence and The Machine.
2018: Body positivity campaigns
2018 was a big year for Lizzo in different ways - she became a hugely influential figure regarding body positivity, featuring in campaigns and on the covers of magazines. She released her third album 'Cuz I Love You' in January 2019, spawning singles 'Juice' and Tempo featuring Missy Elliott. She then performed at Coachella Festival.
2019: Acting in Hustlers
Lizzo starred in Hustlers alongside the likes of JLo, Cardi B, Julia Stiles and Keke Palmer in 2019, which was based on a 2015 article in New York magazine by Jessica Pressler called 'The Hustlers at Scores'. She also lent her voice to animated film UglyDolls with Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas and Pitbull among others.
2019: Glastonbury slot
In 2019, she performed at Glastonbury Festival, and released a remix of 'Good As Hell' featuring Ariana Grande.
2020: BET Awards
Lizzo was nominated in a whopping four categories at the 2020 BET Awards! She was in the running for Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Album of the Year for 'Cuz I Love You', the BET HER Award for her song 'Tempo' featuring Missy Elliott and Best Female R&B/Pop Artist - which she won at the ceremony on 28th June 2020.
2020: BRIT Awards
Lizzo gave an incredible medley performance at the BRIT Awards 2020, singing three of her biggest hits so far - 'Truth Hurts', before sliding into a wonderful rendition of 'Good As Hell' and finishing off with the fan-favourite 'Juice'.
2021: 'Rumors'
Lizzo took to Instagram in August 2021 to announce that she was set to release a brand new single 'Rumors' on 13th August! Obviously, fans went wild for the new pic, commenting with excitement in their droves.
2022: Lizzo releases a series on Amazon Prime
Lizzo's new TV series on Amazon Prime was released in 2022. The series called Lizzo's Watch Out For The Big Grrrls follows the singer in a search for the next Big Grrrl dancers as she heads on her 2022 tour.
2022: Lizzo releases 'Special'
Lizzo released her album 'Special' in July 2022. Lizzo told James Corden the album took "three freaking years" to finish, but "I feel amazing."
2022: Lizzo releases 'Special'
Lizzo released her album 'Special' in July 2022. Lizzo told James Corden the album took "three freaking years" to finish, but "I feel amazing." The record contains huge hits like 'About Damn Time', 'Grrrls' and '2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)'.
2022: Lizzo wins her first Emmy Award
In September, Lizzo picked up her first Emmy Award for her Prime Video show Watch Out For The Big Grrrls. In her acceptance speech she touched on the representation in her show and said: "When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media."
2022: Lizzo announces UK tour dates for 'The Special Tour'
Lizzo announced in October 2022 that she would be bringing her 'The Special Tour' over to the UK, performing in cities Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London.
2022: Lizzo wins the People's Champion award
Lizzo gave an empowering speech as she collected a People's Choice Award for the People's Champion. The singer brought out 17 activists with her on stage saying: "To be an icon isn't about how long you've had your platform, being an icon is about what you DO with that platform."
2023: Record of the Year at the Grammys 2023
It really was 'About Damn Time'! Lizzo took home Record of the Year at the 2023 Grammys for the track which has no doubt been on pretty much everyone's party playlist all year. Winning over her icons Adele and Beyoncé, Lizzo mentioned them both in her acceptance speech, gushing over how Bey had actually inspired her to become a performer. N'aww!
2023: BRIT Awards 2023 performance
Although Lizzo didn't win either of the two categories she was nominated for at the BRIT Awards 2023 - missing out to Beyoncé both times - she gave a powerhouse performance! Doing a medley of 'Special', '2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)' and 'About Damn Time', she absolutely SLAYED the stage! Watch it on YouTube.
2023: Lizzo announced to appear in The Simpsons
Lizzo will appear in the season 34 finale of The Simpsons. The singer, and her infamous flute will appear in the episode called Homer's Adventure Through the Windshield Glass.
2023: Lizzo performs at Glastonbury
In June 2023, Lizzo performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, wowing the crowd with a set packed with her biggest hits.
2024: Lizzo clears up confusion after 'I quit' statement
At the end of March 2024, Lizzo shared a statement on Instagram telling her fans that she 'quits', however it wasn't clear at the time if she meant quitting the music industry, or social media.
Just a few days later, Lizzo shared a video of herself on social media, confirming she is NOT quitting music, but 'negative energy'.
'Pink'
Lizzo's track 'Pink' opens the Barbie movie, which was released in July 2023. The song featured on 'Barbie The Album'. You can take a listen to the official audio below!
When was Lizzo's fourth album 'Special' released?
Lizzo's album 'Special' was released on 15th July 2022, with her announcing the all-important news back in April 2022 with a tweet and the artwork.
To celebrate the announcement of the release date, Lizzo also released her song 'About Damn Time' along with an epic music video on 14th April 2022. It's fair to say the song was a hit, even taking over the world of TikTok at the time.
Watch 'About Damn Time' by Lizzo:
'Grrrls' by Lizzo
While we were still all eagerly awaiting 'Special', she treated us to upbeat track 'Grrrls'. After teasing a clip of the song the day before, she released the full track on 10th June.
Be warned though - there is a fair bit of swearing in there!
Lizzo's 'The Special Tour'
Lizzo announced UK tour dates for 'The Special Tour' and we were buzzing! The singer/rapper performed shows in support of her fourth album in March 2023.
Has Lizzo performed at Glastonbury?
She sure has! In June 2023, Lizzo took to Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage to deliver an EPIC set which the audience loved. Lizzo gave us powerful vocals, energetic choreography and incredible flute playing during her performance, which included big tracks such as 'Special', '2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) and 'Juice.'
Lizzo also performed at Glastonbury back in 2019.
Has Lizzo been nominated for a BRIT Award?
In January 2023 it was announced that Lizzo had been nominated for TWO BRIT Awards, one for International Artist of The Year, the other is for 'About Damn Time' in the International Song of The Year category.
Although she missed out in both categories to Beyoncé - we're pretty sure she won't mind - she gave an incredible performance on the night, singing a medley of 'Special', '2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)' and 'About Damn Time'.
WATCH: Lizzo's performance at the BRIT Awards 2023
Has she been on Saturday Night Live?
She sure has! Lizzo hosted and performed on Saturday Night Live on 16th April 2022, and was previously on the show to perform 'Truth Hurts' and 'Good As Hell' in 2019.
Lizzo's 'Rumors' with Cardi B
Lizzo announced in August 2021 that she was releasing a single 'Rumors' on 13th August. Days after, Lizzo enlisted the help of Cardi B (who she collaborated with on the track) to release it to the world.
🚨 WARNING: The below post contains some strong language you wouldn't use around your parents! 🚨
Taking to Instagram in August, she a hilarious video of herself on FaceTime with Cardi B, who looked slightly caught off guard when she answered.
Cardi says: “Why you call me so early? It’s nine o’clock in the morning."
Lizzo captioned the vid with the words: 'GRAND RISING MUTHAF----SSSS…. GUESS WHOS HOPPIN ON ‘RUMORS’ W/ ME?!? 🤫🔥🤫🔥🤫🥺🤫🔥'. (sic)
WATCH: Lizzo shares a SHOCKING confession about former One Direction star Niall Horan 😮 - LIAR LIAR
Is there a music video for '2 Be Loved'?
'2 Be Loved' was released back in July 2022, but despite gifting us all with the new track, the music video wasn't released until the following month.
After Lizzo teased a music video for '2 Be Loved', sharing a couple of short videos with her wearing a wedding dress, the incredible wedding-themed official video was released on 15th August.
WATCH: Lizzo '2 Be Loved' official music video:
Lizzo: Awards and nominations
In 2019, Lizzo was nominated for three American Music Awards: New Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Artist - Soul/R&B and Favorite Song - Soul/R&B for 'Juice'.
She had three nods at the MTV Europe Music Awards; Best New Act, Best Push Act and Best US Act, as well as four MTV Video Music Awards, being nominated for Best New Artist, Push Artist of the Year, Best Power Anthem for 'Tempo' and Song of Summer for 'Truth Hurts'.
But in 2020, Lizzo was nominated for no less than EIGHT Grammy awards, picking up three for Best Traditional R&B Performance of 'Jerome', Best Pop Solo Performance for 'Truth Hurts' and Best Urban Contemporary Album for 'Cuz I Love You'.
The other nominations were Best New Artist, Album of the Year for 'Cuz I Love You', Record of the Year and Song of the Year for 'Truth Hurts' and Best R&B Performance for 'Exactly How I Feel'.
At the 2020 BRIT Awards, Lizzo was up for International Female Solo Artist - but sadly lost out to Billie Eilish, who gave a seriously moving acceptance speech. Lizzo arrived at the BRITs red carpet dressed as a Hershey's chocolate bar, and gave a powerhouse medley performance of 'Truth Hurts', 'Good As Hell' and finishing off with 'Juice'.
Lizzo was also nominated at the 2020 BET Awards for four awards.
In September 2022, she picked up her first Emmy Award for her Prime Video show Watch Out For The Big Grrrls. In her speech she thanked all of the dancers from the show, saying: "The trophy is nice, but my emotion is for these people who are on the stage with me.
"The stories that they shared, they’re not that unique. They just don’t get told. Let’s just tell more stories."
Then in December 2022, Lizzo was awarded a People's Choice Award for People's Champion. The singer was presented the award by her mum, and gave an empowering speech, bringing 17 activists on stage with her.
In February 2023, Lizzo won Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards! Taking the gong for 'About Damn Time', Lizzo tearfully thanked Beyoncé, who she has always strongly cited as a musical influence.
She said: "In the fifth grade I skipped school to see you perform. My sister, she got me out of school. It was literature. I'm good!
"You changed my life. You sang that gospel medley. And the way you made me feel, I was like, I want to make people feel this way with my music. So thank you so much. You clearly are the artist of our lives!"
Which films has Lizzo been in?
Lizzo dipped her toe in the acting world twice in 2019, performing a voice role in UglyDolls as Lydia, and portraying Liz in Jennifer Lopez's film Hustlers.
Is Lizzo in The Simpsons?
Lizzo appeared in the season 34 finale of the iconic animated series, The Simpsons. The singer shared a photo of her character on her socials and sent her fans into overdrive, telling her fans: 'SEE YOU IN SPRINGFIELD, B-TCH🫶'.
Lizzo's Watch Out For The Big Grrrls
Lizzo launched her own TV show on Prime Video called Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, where contestants competed to join her crew of dancers and models for her 2022 tour.
The show was such a success that it even won Outstanding Competition Prize at the 2022 Emmy Awards.
Lizzo and Beyoncé: What's the story?
Aside from the fact that Lizzo's name is basically inspired by Bey's husband Jay-Z, Lizzo dropped by KISS HQ in November 2019 to discuss THAT moment Lizzo realised that he and Beyoncé were fans of hers.
She told us, "Yes! Side stage, they watched the whole thing," she gushed. "What's wrong with me! I mean, that was cool. I'll tell you what, two years prior, I played the same festival - it's Jay-Z's festival, it's Made In America, and I remember I was on right before Cardi B.
"She was right after me, and I remember I performed and I was like, 'What if Beyoncé's there?' and I finished and then I was turning to walk off stage and literally as I was walking off, Beyoncé was coming to watch Cardi B, and it was such a moment."
WATCH: Lizzo rants about how much she hates Wasps! 🤣
You can hear Lizzo's biggest hits on the KISS playlist.
Now read:
A timeline of Lizzo's iconic career so far ✨
11 'Good As Hell' facts about Lizzo 🎶
Lizzo rocks up to the BRITs 2020 dressed as an actual Hershey's chocolate bar 🍫 🔥