Melissa Jefferson, known professionally as Lizzo gained the attention of the world in 2019 after seven years of being a solo artist and years of performing in different groups. Born on April 27, 1988, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S, Lizzo developed a love for music at a young age and has lived her entire life doing what she loves the most.
Sojourn To Music
Lizzo, 31, was first introduced to gospel music as a child listening to the likes of Fred Hammond and The Winans. She started writing music at the age of 11 after stumbling on a Destiny’s Child performance at a Walmart in Houston, Texas.
Her love and dedication to the flute eventually paid off when she landed a full music scholarship to study classical flute performance at the University of Houston. At the age of 21, she lost her dad, became broke and had to live in her car for a year. The experience led her to the next phase of her career. She moved to Minneapolis and became a member of the rap/R&B group, The Chalice. They released one locally popular album, which she wrote within two months.
First Album
She collaborated with Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson to produce her debut solo album titled, “LIZZOBANGERS” in 2013. She had been inspired to write the album after listening to a 20-track instrumental mixtape, “Lava Bangers”. The album made Time add her to their ‘14 music artists to watch in 2014’ list.
In 2014, she got an opportunity to collaborate with Prince on his song, “Boy Trouble”. The song was featured on his “Plectrumelectrum” album. Lizzo talked about the importance of her collaboration with Prince in an interview with Rolling Stone. “To be embraced by Prince and co-signed, I am eternally grateful for that. I can’t complain about not getting a co-sign anymore. I got the ultimate co-sign.”
Second Album
In December 2015, she released her second album, “Big Girl Small World” which received critical acclaim. She had teamed up Lazerbeak, Sam Spiegel and Stefon “Bionik” Taylor to produce the album. The album led her to her first record label deal with Atlantic Records.
First EP
Third Album
In April 2019, Lizzo released her most successful album yet, “Cuz I Love You” to critical acclaim and mainstream acceptance. It peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and helped bring “Coconut Oil” out of retirement. Soon, her 2016 song, “Good as Hell” and her 2017 hit, “Truth Hurts” had made it to the top of the charts. “Truth Hurts” was then added to the deluxe version of the “Cuz I Love You” album.
She performed in all the major music festivals after the release of her album. “Cuz I Love You” received over 40 nominations across all the major award shows. In January 2020, she performed a medley of her songs at the Grammys after dedicating her performance to the late Kobe Bryant. She also won three Grammys that night for ‘Pop Solo Performance’, ‘Urban Contemporary Album’ and ‘Traditional R&B Performance’.
Body Positivity and LGBTQ+ Activism
Asides from her diversity as an artiste – singing, rapping and playing the flute; Lizzo is loved for her larger than life personality and her advocacy for body positivity and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community.
Having struggled with her weight and perception of herself and body for years, Lizzo finally embraced who she was. Her songs are littered with messages about self-love, inclusivity and body positivity. She told NPR, “For a long time I felt like there were things about myself I would change, and I wished that I was somebody else. Like, because of my mind and how fantastical it can be, I fantasized a lot, and I would write a lot of fantasy novels. I would always wish that I was like the characters I would write. And they would be completely different people. It wasn’t like, “Oh man, my thighs are so fat.” It was my whole me: “What if I could just escape and be somebody else?”
Lizzo tried for many years to break into the mainstream consciousness but only started gaining popularity after years of releasing music and two albums. Her life tells the story of perseverance, dedication and true love of the craft. She is only just beginning to achieve all that she is capable of and will continue to do more.
How Lizzo Became One Of The Biggest Pop Stars in The World
