Lizzo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lizzo
Born	Melissa Viviane Jefferson (1988-04-27) April 27, 1988 (age 37) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Education	University of Houston
Occupation	Singer rapper songwriter actress
Years active	2011–present
Works	Discography
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Hip-hop soul R&B funk-pop
Instruments	Vocals flute guitar
Labels	TGNP Atlantic Nice Life BGSW

Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. She was born in Detroit, Michigan. When she was ten, her family moved to Houston, Texas. After college, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she started her music career in hip-hop.

Before signing with major record labels, Lizzo released two albums: Lizzobangers (2013) and Big Grrrl Small World (2015). Her first major release was an extended play (EP) called Coconut Oil in 2016.

Lizzo became very famous with her third album, Cuz I Love You (2019). This album reached number four on the US Billboard 200 chart. It included popular songs like "Juice" and "Tempo". A special version of the album featured her 2017 song "Truth Hurts". This song became a huge hit two years after it first came out. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became the longest-running solo song by a female rapper at the top.

Around the same time, her 2016 song "Good as Hell" also became very popular. It reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Lizzo received eight nominations at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. This was the most for any artist that year. She won three Grammy Awards, including Best Urban Contemporary Album for Cuz I Love You.

In 2021, Lizzo released the song "Rumors" with Cardi B. It quickly reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. Her fourth album, Special (2022), featured the hit song "About ... Time". This song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Lizzo became the first black female singer since Whitney Houston in 1994 to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Besides music, Lizzo has also acted. She voiced a character in the animated movie UglyDolls (2019). Lizzo hosts the Amazon Prime Video reality show Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. For this show, she won an Emmy Award. In 2019, Time magazine named Lizzo "Entertainer of the Year". She has won many awards, including four Grammy Awards, a Billboard Music Award, a BET Award, and two Soul Train Music Awards.

Early Life and Education

Melissa Viviane Jefferson was born on April 27, 1988, in Detroit, Michigan. When she was ten, her family moved to Houston, Texas. She learned to play the flute for eight years, starting at age ten. She graduated from Alief Elsik High School in 2006, where she also began rapping.

At 14, she formed a music group called Cornrow Clique with her friends. Around this time, she got the nickname "Lizzo". This name came from "Lissa" and was inspired by Jay-Z's song "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)". In college, she studied classical music at the University of Houston, focusing on the flute.

When she was 21, after her father passed away, she lived in her car for a year. She was trying to start her music career. In 2009 and 2010, she sang and played flute in a jazz/prog rock band called Ellypseas. She left college and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2011.

Music Career

Early Music Projects (2011–2013)

In Minneapolis, Lizzo performed with different groups. One was an electro soul-pop duo called Lizzo & the Larva Ink. She also helped create an all-female rap/R&B group called the Chalice. In 2012, the Chalice released their first album, We Are the Chalice, which was popular locally.

In 2013, Lizzo joined four other artists to form the hip-hop group Grrrl Prty. This group released two EPs before breaking up in 2016. Lizzo's first solo album, Lizzobangers, came out on October 15, 2013. Critics liked the album, with one saying Lizzo's rhymes were "joyfully nonsensical" and "lethally pointed."

The album was named the best new artist album in the Twin Cities in 2013. Music videos were made for songs like "Batches & Cookies" and "Faded". Lizzo toured the US and UK in late 2013. She also opened for Har Mar Superstar. In October 2013, Lizzo won an award for best new artist in the Twin Cities. The next month, Time magazine named her one of 14 music artists to watch in 2014. The album was later re-released by Virgin Records.

New Albums and Body Positivity (2014–2018)

After her first album, Lizzo started working on new music right away. In 2014, she took part in a project where she talked about her body image. This experience inspired her to write "My Skin," a song she called the main idea for her next album. She said that waking up in your own skin is something that connects everyone.

In September 2014, Lizzo was featured on the song "BoyTrouble" from Prince's album Plectrumelectrum. Working with Prince was a "surreal" and "fairytale" experience for her. On October 7, 2014, Lizzo performed on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Lizzo's second album, Big Grrrl Small World, was released on December 11, 2015. Spin magazine listed it as one of the best hip-hop albums of 2015. Critics praised Lizzo's strong rapping and singing. Her song "Let 'Em Say" was featured in the TV show Broad City.

Lizzo hosted MTV's live music show Wonderland in 2016. After signing with Atlantic Records that year, she released her first major EP, Coconut Oil, on October 7, 2016. "Good as Hell" was the main song from Coconut Oil. It was also part of the soundtrack for the 2016 movie Barbershop: The Next Cut. Lizzo helped write every song on the EP. The songs on Coconut Oil focused on themes of body positivity, self-love, and accepting yourself.

Coconut Oil received good reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone magazine placed it on their list of the "20 Best Pop Albums of 2016". The EP reached number 44 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. This was Lizzo's first release to appear on a music chart. To promote the EP, Lizzo went on the Good as Hell Tour in 2017. She also appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. In early 2018, Lizzo toured with both Haim and Florence and the Machine.

Lizzo became a strong supporter of body positivity and self-love. She made diversity a key part of her music, celebrating different body types and races. Her backup dancers, called the Big Grrrls, are all plus-size dancers. Lizzo appeared in a campaign for ModCloth in 2018, promoting body acceptance. She was also featured in Teen Vogue magazine's Music Issue in June 2018.

Breakthrough Success (2019–2020)

Lizzo performing at the Brixton Academy in November 2019

In 2019, Lizzo started acting. She voiced a character in the animated movie UglyDolls. "Juice" was the first song released from her third album. It came out on January 4, 2019. The album, Cuz I Love You, was released on April 19, 2019. After the album came out, she performed at the Coachella Music Festival for the first time.

Cuz I Love You was a big moment for Lizzo. It helped her gain more mainstream attention. The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 chart and later reached number four.

Lizzo's 2017 song "Truth Hurts" became very popular after being featured in a Netflix movie and inspiring an internet meme on TikTok. This song was then added to the special version of Cuz I Love You. "Truth Hurts" became Lizzo's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Lizzo was the third female rapper to top the Hot 100 without another artist featured. She was also the first black solo female R&B singer to reach number one since Rihanna in 2012.

A week later, on September 9, 2019, Cuz I Love You was certified gold. This meant it had sold over 500,000 copies. "Truth Hurts" stayed at number one on the Hot 100 for seven weeks. The music video for the song, where Lizzo "marries herself," has been watched over 220 million times on YouTube. Lizzo later shared that the initial lack of success for "Truth Hurts" made her think about quitting music.

Lizzo is also known for playing the flute. She started playing as a child and has continued to improve. She often performs with her flute, which she named Sasha Flute. She played it during her performance of "Truth Hurts" at the 2019 BET Awards. This performance earned her a standing ovation from the audience, including Rihanna. Throughout the summer of 2019, Lizzo performed at many events, including the Glastonbury Festival and several pride festivals.

On July 23, 2019, Lizzo was nominated for awards at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. She performed a mix of "Truth Hurts" and "Good as Hell" at the awards show, which was highly praised. Around this time, her 2016 song "Good as Hell" also became a hit worldwide. It reached the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten on the UK Singles Chart.

Lizzo made her Saturday Night Live debut on December 21, 2019. In January 2020, Lizzo performed at the FOMO Festival in Australia and New Zealand. She also had a sold-out show at the Sydney Opera House. She opened the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards with a medley of her songs. She won three awards at the ceremony. She received eleven nominations at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, winning one for Top Song Sales Artist. At the 2020 BET Awards, she was the first artist to be nominated in both the R&B/pop and hip-hop artist categories in the same year. In August 2020, Lizzo signed a deal with Amazon Studios to create new projects. Her first project was a reality competition series called Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, which premiered on March 24, 2022.

Special Album and Recent Work (2021–Present)

Lizzo at the 2022 South by Southwest festival

On August 2, 2021, Lizzo announced a "new era" with her song "Rumors", released on August 13. On March 23, 2022, Lizzo announced the single "About ... Time", which came out on April 14. After the song's release, Lizzo revealed her fourth album's title, Special, and its release date of July 15.

She returned to Saturday Night Live as both host and musical guest on April 16, 2022. On June 10, 2022, Lizzo released "Grrrls", a song from Special. Some lyrics in the song caused discussion. Lizzo later changed the lyrics, saying that as a black woman, she understood the power of words.

On July 15, 2022, Lizzo released her fourth album, Special. It received praise from music critics. After Special was released, "About ... Time" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for two weeks. In February 2023, "About ... Time" won "Record of the Year" at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. This was Lizzo's first win in a major Grammy category.

Lizzo helped write and produce on SZA's album SOS, co-writing the song "F2F". Lizzo also worked with SZA on a remix of her song "Special". On December 17, 2022, Lizzo made her third appearance on Saturday Night Live as a musical guest. In autumn 2022, she began The Special Tour across North America, Europe, and Oceania.

The 2023 movie Barbie featured an original song by Lizzo called "Pink". It was released on Barbie the Album on July 21, 2023. A second version, "Pink (Bad Day)", was used in the film and released on July 29, 2023.

On February 15, 2025, Lizzo started teasing a new project called "LIRL". On February 28, 2025, she released the first song from her upcoming fifth album, "Love in Real Life". On June 24, 2025, she shared details for her third mixtape, My Face Hurts from Smiling, which was released on June 27, 2025. Her fifth album, Love in Real Life, was completed by March 2025 and is expected to be released in 2025.

Personal Life

Lizzo plays a crystal flute from US President James Madison at the Library of Congress in 2022

Lizzo has often spoken about her mental health and how it affects her career. She grew up attending the Church of God in Christ. In 2022, Lizzo was linked to comedian Myke Wright.

Lizzo has been a strong supporter of body positivity and self-confidence. She believes that social media and the internet have helped change how people view different body sizes. In March 2025, Lizzo shared a video showing that she had lost weight gradually. She has been doing daily fitness routines since January 2024, while still promoting body positivity.

Music Style

Lizzo's music mainly combines hip-hop with elements of soul, R&B, and funk-pop. She has been influenced by artists like Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, and Beyoncé. Lizzo started as a rapper but added singing to her first album. She said that after hearing Lauryn Hill, she felt she could do both. She has also mentioned Diana Ross as a fashion inspiration.

In 2019, a writer for The Guardian said Lizzo was bringing the flute back into popular music.

Albums

• Lizzobangers (2013)
• Big Grrrl Small World (2015)
• Cuz I Love You (2019)
• Special (2022)
• My Face Hurts from Smiling (2025)
• Love in Real Life (2025)

Film and Television (selected)

Concert Tours

Headlining Tours

• Good as Hell Tour (2017)
• Cuz I Love You Tour (2019)
• Cuz I Love You Too Tour (2019–2020)
• The Special Tour (2022–2023)

Supporting Tours

• Haim – Sister Sister Sister Tour (2018)
• Florence and the Machine – High as Hope Tour (2018)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lizzo para niños

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States