Lizzo

April 27, 2024

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Melissa Viviane Jefferson, popularly known as Lizzo, was born on April 27, 1988, in Detroit Michigan. She is an American singer, rapper, classic flutist, and songwriter who has shaken the charts with her music since 2014. She is most famously known for her 2019 hip-hop album “Cuz, I Love You” with songs including ‘Juice,’ ‘Rumors(feat. Cardi B),’ and ‘Tempo’ with Missy Elliot. Lizzo’s music includes themes concerning body positivity and promoting a sense of self-love in all her work. Lizzo has also won many awards for her music including the ‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’ at the” Apple Music Awards” in 2019, as well as multiple Grammy awards in 2020.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Melissa Viviane Jefferson

Nickname:

Lizzo

Birth date:

April 27, 1988

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Taurus

Height:

5' 10"

Relationship Status:

Single

Net Worth:

$10 million

Background

Lizzo was born April 27, 1988, in Detroit, Michigan to Shari Johnson Jefferson and Michael Jefferson. When she was a young girl, her family moved to Houston, Texas, where she was classically trained as a flutist at the age of 10. She graduated high school in Houston at the Alief Elsik High School in 2006.

At the age of 14, she acquired the nickname ‘Lizzo’ after forming a small musical group called Conrow Clique with her friends. Lizzo studied classical flute at the University of Houston and at the age of 21, her father died. Following his death, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she lived out of her car for a year while trying to make it in the music industry. She performed with many different groups and duos throughout the years, forming an electro soul-pop duo called Lizzo and the Larva Ink, she also assisted in forming an all-female rap and R&B group, The Chalice. In 2012, The Chalice released their first album, which became locally popular.

After the release of the album, Lizzo focused on her solo hip hop debut album, “Lizzobangers,” which was released in 2013. Lizzo toured the U.S. and U.K. in the fall of 2013 and went on to produce many more albums, including her most well-known album, “Cuz, I Love You.” She has received a total of 14 awards for her performances and songwriting abilities.

Career timeline

2014

Lizzo Releases Her First Solo Album

She releases her R&B-focused album called “Lizzobangers,” which elevates her music career.

2015

She Releases Another Album

Lizzo releases another album called “Big GRRRL Small World,” which centers on body positivity and her growth as a person.

2019

Lizzo Releases “Cuz, I Love You”

Lizzo’s third album shakes the charts in April and includes her hit singles ‘Juice,’ ‘Truth Hurts,’ and ‘Good as Hell.’

2019

‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’

Lizzo is nominated for and wins the award for ‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’ at the Apple Music Awards.

2020

The BMI Pop Awards

The talented singer wins the BMI Pop Award for ‘Award-Winning Songs’ for her song ‘Truth Hurts.’

2020

She Wins Multiple Grammy Awards

Lizzo attends the Grammy Awards and wins the ‘Best Urban Contemporary Album’ for “Cuz, I Love You,” ‘Best Solo Pop Performance’ for ‘Truth Hurts,’ and ‘Best Traditional R&B Performance’ for her song ‘Jerome.’

Why We Love Lizzo

She’s an L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ ally
In an interview with “Teen Vogue,” Lizzo discussed her views about sexuality in the media; “When it comes to sexuality or gender, I personally don’t ascribe to just one thing. I cannot sit here right now and tell you I’m just one thing,” she said. “That’s why the colors for LGBTQ+ are a rainbow. Because it’s a spectrum, and right now we try to keep it black and white. That’s just not working for me.”
She promotes body positivity
Lizzo notes how body positivity, self-love, queerness, feminism, and blackness are all extremely crucial aspects of her work. The artist has a beautiful commitment to owning her body and celebrating it, which has ultimately begun to revolutionize the way female and black bodies are being represented in the media.
She writes the best lyrics
Lizzo is incredibly talented when it comes to writing good song lyrics. The best line so far is; “I just took a DNA test, turns out I'm 100% that b**ch,” from her song ‘Truth Hurts.’

5 Surprising Facts

She’s a classically trained flute player
Lizzo has been playing the flute ever since she was a young child by playing along to the radio, she also often plays the flute in her live shows.
Lizzo collaborated with Prince
In 2014, Prince released a new album called “Plectrumelectrum” and Lizzo collaborated with him on the song ‘BoyTrouble’— she is not, however, credited.
Lizzo and Missy Elliot released a song
One of the artist's most recognizable songs, ‘Tempo,’ was performed and recorded with Missy Elliot.
She was a judge on “RuPaul's Drag Race”
Lizzo appeared as a guest judge on “RuPaul's Drag Race” season 14, episode one, and the two queens of the episode had to lip-sync to her song ‘Water Me.’
She almost quit music after ‘Truth Hurts’
Lizzo released ‘Truth Hurts,’ which she considered the best song she’s ever written, but the relative failure of the song release made her question her career in music.

Lizzo FAQs

How did Lizzo get discovered?

Not able to come up with music for herself, she started listening to several different local albums in the hope of finding inspiration. It was “LAVA Bangers,” a 20-track instrumental mixtape by Doomtree producer and Minneapolis music vet, Lazerbeak, which ultimately caught her attention

Does Lizzo have a husband?

There were rumors that Lizzo was dating Chris Evans after the two exchanged a few words on Instagram, but despite her crush, Lizzo is not currently dating Evans. Publicly, Lizzo is single.