Lizzo’s Journey to Stardom and Body Positivity

As a fifth grader, Lizzo had such a good time playing the flute in school, she thought she was going to play the instrument professionally when she grew up. Lizzo did not become a professional flutist as she expected, although she did play the flute on one of her rap albums.

Lizzo was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson in 1988. The successful rapper, songwriter, and singer has three successful albums under her belt. The first was Lizzobangers which she came out with in 2013. The second was Big Grrrl Small World released in 2015. Finally in 2019, she came out with Cuz I Love You, her most daring project yet.

The younger Lizzo was a nerd who but could effortlessly freestyle with the best rappers in her neighborhood. Which is probably why she sees no contradiction in playing the flute on her rap video.

Lizzo did end up in the music scene however. Despite was trained in classical music theory and performance. She grew up to become part of the local music scene in Minneapolis, rapping freestyle and creating R&B and Soul music. Lizzoeven worked with Prince on the song Boy Trouble which appeared on the album Plectrumelectrum featuring Prince and 3rdEyeGirl. This was in 2014. 2014 was also the year when Time magazine named her as one of 14 music artists to watch that year.

To Lizzo, the experience was fairytale like. She could not believe her good fortune. At that time, she was in a band called Chalice along with two other women; Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune. The song they appeared on was BoyTrouble.

She did not have an album out yet when she started touring. The crowd loved Lizzo’s energetic performances. She feels at ease on stage. And it shows. Some of her uplifting performances are reminiscent of her childhood when she grew up listening to uplifting gospel.

Lizzo Loves her Skin, and Shows it Off!!

Lizzo is not afraid to make herself vulnerable. She sings about her journey towards being happy with who she is as a plus size girl in her third album Cuz I Love You which was released by Atlantic Records. Body positivity helped her to be happy with herself. She has been working on loving her body for 10 years; moving from not being able to find something that she liked about her body to loving herself.

The artists first song on body positivity was My Skin. For Lizzo, self love started with loving her skin and moved on to loving the rest of her body. Her skin was also the part of her body that exposed her to racism and colorism. Lizzo’sdecision to pose naked on her album cover was a natural expression of her self love.

Lizzo’s training as a professional musician only added to her naturally musical ear. She was part of the production team for Cuz I Love You.

Even though many rap producers used the flute in their arrangements, Lizzo is the first artiste to appear in a video playing the flute.  

Lizzo the Unlikely Feminist

Traditional Feminists may not see it the same way, but dressing sexy is Lizzo’s way of making a feminist statement. It is her way of rebelling against the Beauty Myth, by placing a plus size woman as a model and a role model, by using her body for something other than the male gaze.

Lizzo believes that she is part of a different wave of feminism. One that is asking for something different than what the previous generation of feminists fought for. Today’s feminism may not involve burning bras, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is not true to feminism. She sees it as a response to where today’s generation of women is.

Neither does she see being a feminist rapper as a contradiction. On the contrary, sometimes she will stage a show lining up an entirely women cast. She uses music to celebrate women, self love, and women’s autonomy over their bodies and lives. Her songs are addressed to women and from a female point of view. Maybe women can reclaim rap and make it empowering, after all.

Her debut album Coconut Oil celebrates black women. Even though she did not get into music hoping to be a role model, she has embraced it. People caught on to her self love journey and found it relatable.

Lizzo was heavily influenced by legends like Missy Elliot. She was inspired when she saw the award winning songwriter Missy on TV. She has always been inspired by women.

Her music has earned her recognition across the entertainment industry. Broadway shows like Girls and Broad City used her music. And movies like Barbershop: The Next Cut. She will be a guest judge in RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10, too.

At 30 years of age, Lizzo is coming into her own. Her music is at once fun, empowering, upbeat, daring, inclusive, and inspiring. For a plus size, dark skinned black woman to be taking up space in the hip hop industry is in itself a revolutionary act. She goes to an extra step by  hiring plus size dancers to appear in her videos.

Key Moments in Lizzo’s Career

In 2013, Lizzo was awarded Best New Twin Artist on the City Pages’ Picked to Click.

In June of the same year, Lizzo released her debut album Lizzobangers. The producers were Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson. The album was a hit.

In 2014, Lizzo performed A Change Is Gonna Come together with St. Paul and The Broken Bones.

In 2014, she was performed on the Late Night Show with David Letterman.

Also in 2014, Lizzo was called one of 14 artists to watch by Time magazine.

Two years later in 2016, Lizzo came out with Coconut Oil with Atlanta Records.

This year in 2019, Lizzo was making her first performance at the Coachella Music Festival. She also released her most successful album Cuz I Love You, in 2019. Just recently Lizzo graced the stage at the BET Awards with an Iconic Performance. You can catch her on tour this year in a city near you.