Truth hurts, but having a chart-topping single sure doesn’t! Melissa Jefferson, known by her childhood nickname “Lizzo,” gained popularity quickly with her album Cuz I Love You that was released earlier this year in April. Though this is Lizzo’s first year in the mainstream spotlight, it certainly is not the beginning of her musical career. Lizzo has been producing singles and EPs since 2016, and Cus I Love Youis actually her third studio album. The artist has been a musician since elementary school, but she hasn’t always been the rapper and vocalist she is now.
Lizzo began her musical journey playing flute in her fifth-grade band. She was admitted to the University of Houston on a music scholarship, where she majored in classical flute. She dropped out of the university when her father fell ill; however, it was not the end of her musical pursuits. Inspired by the support her father always showed her, Lizzo continued performing. Somewhere along the way, she found an unexpected passion for singing and rapping.
Lizzo’s music today combines her powerful voice with her classical flute training. The artists incorporates impressive flute-driven passages into her upbeat, hip-hop songs. And if that’s not exciting enough, she does this while performing full choreography and is often known to play the flute while twerking at the same time. By exposing fans to the flute in this setting, Lizzo is breaking both necks and stereotypes that suggest the flute is reserved for more conservative genres.
Lizzo confirmed this merger of classical and contemporary music is intentional in an interview with NPR when she said “You just wait until this nerd gets into hip-hop. I will make everybody love the flute again.”
I think it’s safe to say Lizzo has combined the two genres pretty well. Not only did her catchy single “Truth Hurts,” score the top ranking position on the Billboard Hot 100, it is now officially the longest-running song to hold the number one title by a solo, female rapper.
What’s interesting about “Truth Hurts” dominating the charts this year is that it was first released as a stand-alone single in 2017. This delayed wave of popularity prompts questions regarding the artist’s eligibility as a new artist in award shows. Lizzo was nominated for best new artist at the MTV awards, but there is debate over whether she will be eligible for a Grammy nomination in the new artist category this year. Technically, Lizzo has already released more songs prior to the eligibility period than the Grammy guidelines allow.
The Grammys’ category description guide reads: “The artist must have released, as a featured performing artist, a minimum of five singles/tracks or one album, but not more than thirty singles/tracks or three albums prior to the current eligibility year.”
Though Lizzo has released three albums and two EP’s within the past four years, her earlier works were on minor record labels, a fact the Grammys sometimes overlooks. Cuz I Love You is Lizzo’s first album with a major recordlabelso it’s possible we may see Lizzo nominated for best new artist this year.
Perhaps my favorite thing about Lizzo is that she embraces her successes confidently. Her music preaches messages of self-empowerment and is a go-to confidence booster. At the forefront of her platform is an emphasis on body-positivity. The artist shared in an interview how she learned to fall in love with her insecurities rather than shame them shame them according to societal standards. She vulnerably discusses how self-love is a process that doesn’t just start once you undergo some wild physical transformation.
I think Lizzo is a role-model for anyone and everyone; who doesn’t need a little extra confidence every now and then? She is a hard-worker and is not modest in sharing accomplishments. Her clever lyrics create self-empowering anthems, and I look forward to hearing more from her.
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