Lizzo

Lizzo (born April 27, 1988, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and flutist whose messages of positivity and empowerment resonated with audiences and brought her global success in the early 21st century. Her music—a blend of R&B, rap, and pop—typically features catchy, uplifting lyrics about self-love, especially as it relates to body image. As she once told The New York Times about her determinedly self-affirming message, “I’m going to go down in history as being me. And that’s incredible, because can’t nobody stand next to that.”

Early life and education

She was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, the youngest of three children. Her parents worked in the mortgage industry. At age 10 she moved with her family from Detroit to Houston, where she developed a passion for music. It was there that she was first exposed to freestyle rap, which would feature prominently in her later work. While in the fifth grade, Jefferson attended a Destiny’s Child concert and that experience reportedly made her determined to become a performing artist. Encouraged by her father, she began playing the flute in the sixth grade. At age 14 Jefferson formed the female rap group Cornrow Clique. It was during this time that she earned the nickname “Lizzo,” an amalgam of her byname, Lissa, and the 2001 song “Izzo (H.O.V. A.)” by JAY-Z.

After graduating from high school, Lizzo attended the University of Houston on a music scholarship. She continued to study the flute, hoping to eventually join a professional orchestra. However, she left school after her sophomore year. Her decision was motivated, in part, by the pressure to choose between rap and classical music and by her father’s failing health. After he died in 2009, the 21-year-old Lizzo struggled with depression—due, in part, to a poor body image—and a lack of purpose. For a time she lived out of her car.

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Music career and solo success

Lizzo stated that her life turned around after she stopped comparing herself to others and embraced who she was. She began singing, and in 2011 she moved to Minneapolis. There she performed with various groups, including Lizzo & The Larva Ink. She also cofounded the Chalice, a female rap and R&B group that released the album We Are the Chalice (2012). In 2013 Lizzo helped form Grrrl Prty, which described itself as “a celebration of femininity and unsheathed swagger.” The group released two EPs before disbanding in 2015. During this time she also performed on Prince’s album Plectrumelectrum (2014).

As she began to garner attention for her collaborations, Lizzo also worked on solo material, which she has described as “feel-good music.” Backed by an upbeat sound, her songs often feature positive—and occasionally humorous—lyrics that touch on such issues as race, body confidence, and low self-esteem. Her flute playing also featured prominently in her music, and she named the instrument Sasha, after Beyoncé’s 2008 album I Am…Sasha Fierce. In 2013 Lizzo released her debut solo album, Lizzobangers. It received largely positive reviews, and she subsequently went on tour. Her second solo album, Big Grrrl Small World, appeared two years later. Infused with gospel and R&B music, it featured “My Skin,” a soulful, body-positive track that Lizzo later described as a breakthrough in her songwriting. In 2026 she recalled to The New York Times, “It was the first time I had ever written a song that I guess you would call a self-love song. I saw how people connected to that particular song. People were crying. I saw an opportunity to help people.” Big Grrrl Small World also earned critical praise, and Lizzo landed a contract with Atlantic. The six-track EP The Coconut Oil (2016) was her first release on the label.

As Lizzo prepared material for her third full-length album, she drew inspiration from the question “What if Aretha Franklin made a rap album in 2019?” The answer was Cuz I Love You, which was released that year. Showcasing Lizzo’s vocal range, it featured such hits as “Juice,” “Jerome,” and “Tempo,” the latter of which was a collaboration with rapper Missy Elliott. The album’s deluxe edition also contained the bonus track “Truth Hurts” (which was first released in 2017), and it became her first single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also won a Grammy Award for best pop solo performance. In addition, Cuz I Love You won the Grammy for best urban contemporary album, and “Jerome” was named best traditional R&B performance.

Lizzo’s success continued with Special (2022), which became her first recording to reach number one on Billboard’s album chart. Its hit singles included “About Damn Time,” which also went to number one and won two Grammys, including record of the year.

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In 2025 Lizzo released the rap mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling, which featured Doja Cat and SZA. The following year she dropped her fifth studio album, Bitch, which was named for the 1997 hit song by Meredith Brooks.

Acting, fashion statements, and other activities

Part of Lizzo’s success was attributed to her candidness about her own struggles. She was extremely active on social media, often engaging with fans as she promoted her message of empowerment. In 2020 she signed a TV deal with Amazon. Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls debuted on the streaming service two years later and won an Emmy Award for outstanding competition program. The reality series chronicles Lizzo’s search for plus-size dancers to join her tour. Also in 2022 she produced the TV special Lizzo: Live in Concert and debuted Yitty, a line of affordable shapewear.

Lizzo also made a name for herself as a fashion icon. She frequently appeared in showstopping ensembles at awards shows and other high-profile events such as the Met Gala. At the latter event in 2022 she played her flute on the red carpet, and the following year she performed at the gala with fellow flutist James Galway, one of her childhood musical idols. Lizzo also made headlines in 2022 when she was invited to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and played a 200-year-old crystal flute that had belonged to Pres. James Madison.

In addition, Lizzo dabbled in acting. In 2019 she made her film debut, lending her voice to the animated comedy UglyDolls and appearing in Hustlers. The latter was a drama about strippers starring Jennifer Lopez. The documentary Love, Lizzo appeared in 2022. Lizzo also contributed to the soundtracks of several films, including the song “Pink” for the 2023 blockbuster Barbie.

Controversy

Despite Lizzo’s positive message, her career was not without controversy. In 2023 three of her backup dancers and her wardrobe assistant alleged that she had created a hostile environment during her concert tour that year. They filed lawsuits that accused Lizzo or other members of her staff of sexual harassment, weight-shaming, and “racist and sexualized” bullying. The singer denied the allegations, calling them “sensationalized stories” by former employees who had exhibited unprofessional behavior on the tour.

Later Lizzo was dropped from the wardrobe assistant’s suit (although her touring company remained as a defendant), and some of the allegations in the dancers’ case were dismissed by a judge. The case involving sexual harassment was allowed to continue, however, despite efforts by Lizzo to have it dropped. In 2026 Lizzo told Gayle King on CBS Mornings that she refused to settle with her ex-employees: “I think it is an easy out, but I’m fighting the case because I know that it’s not true.”