Top 10 Reasons You Should Know Who Lizzo Is
#10: She's Toured with Sleater-Kinney & Others
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People were pumped back in 2015 when Sleater-Kinney announced they were going on a reunion tour. The feminist rock band, featuring Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, and Janet Weiss picked Lizzo as their opener just as she was beginning to really make a name for herself in her adopted city of Minneapolis. She’d already gotten the attention of Prince (more on that later) and André 3000. In May of 2018, it was announced that she was one of the many acts that would be joining Florence and the Machine on their next tour.
#9: She's Been Featured on a LOT of Soundtracks
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Hard work pays off. Lizzo’s songs are incredibly catchy, always positive, and crazy fun to sing along to. The launch of the “Cuz I Love You” album in April of 2019 propelled her into superstardom, and seeing as it’s already her third studio record, media producers looking for something fresh and fun to insert into a show, movie, or trailer have quite a bit to choose from. If you think you’ve recognized her vocal skills in a late-2010s soundtrack, you’re probably right. Her music’s been found in the films “Blockers,” “Happy Death Day 2U,” “A Bad Moms Christmas,” and “I Feel Pretty,” not to mention her tv and trailer work.
#8: She's Going to Be in 'Hustlers' with JLo & Cardi B
On top of being a talented singer, Lizzo will be making her on-screen acting debut when she joins musical heavy-hitters Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B in the film “Hustlers.” While not much is known yet about her role, the plot of the film is based off of the 2015 article in New York Media’s The Cut that examined how savvy ex-strippers worked together to get more money off their high-power Wall Street clients. Whether she’ll be playing herself or a named character, one thing is for certain: from albums to hit singles to Coachella, Lizzo has absolutely slayed 2019.
#7: She Was a Guest Judge on “RuPaul's Drag Race”
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While she is making her on-screen film debut in 2019, Lizzo has already graced the small screens in a number of ways, spreading her message of and being an ambassador for body positivity. So, where better to guest-star than on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a show that reminds contestants and viewers daily that ‘If you don't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?’ On the tenth episode of season ten, she sat amongst the panel of judges as the ladies strutted their stuff down the runway. When the decisions were made, the bottom two lip-synched-for-their-life to her absolute bop “Good as Hell.”
#6: She Has Voice Acting Experience
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You didn’t think we were finished with her multi-media talents yet, did you?! While she might only be making her on-screen film debut in September of 2019, she’s already provided voice over for television and film. In 2016, she was in four episodes of the short-lived “Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio” on Adult Swim. XREF She also voiced Lydia in the animated musical comedy “UglyDolls,” co-starring alongside big names like Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Pitbull, and Wanda Sykes in May 2019. With all this and the other aforementioned performances, you know we can expect to hear more from her in the near future!
#5: She Is a Founding Member of Several Indie Hip Hop Groups
Undoubtedly one of the hardest working artists out there, Lizzo has been on the scene for years, collaborating and helping to create not just her own name and sound, but also working with others, too. At the young age of 14, she and some of her friends formed the Cornrow Clique. After moving to Minneapolis, she was in the duo Lizzo & the Larva Ink before helping to form the R&B group The Chalice, followed by Grrrl Prty and many more. These early successes and collaborations helped to bring her to the attention of many established artists.
#4: She's an Accomplished Flute Player
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For some reason, there was a rumor going around that Lizzo could NOT play the flute. But she’ll be the first one to tell you – and then prove to you – that she is the real thing. Playing in marching bands since she was in grade 8 she was later in the marching band at the University of Houston where she was attending college for classical flute. She is so accomplished at this very difficult wind instrument that she can (and often will!) dance and twerk while she’s playing. If that’s not the best party trick out there, we don’t know what is.
#3: She's Collaborated with Prince
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Even before she was filling everyone’s headphones and speakers with her upbeat music, she was catching the attention of the big players in the music world. In 2012, she was co-signed by Prince and he asked her to come to Paisley Park. Working with Chalice members Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune, Lizzo was featured on the song “BoyTrouble” on the album “Plectrumelectrum” by 3rdEyeGirl, Prince’s backing band. Lizzo now credits the late musical legend as a real career boost when she was trying to find her place, saying, “To be embraced by Prince and co-signed, I am eternally grateful for that. I can’t complain about not getting a co-sign anymore. I got the ultimate co-sign.”
#2: She's Been in the Business for Awhile
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In case you haven’t been paying attention, it’s pretty clear that Lizzo has been working and twerking her butt off for years, slowly gaining her dedicated following and establishing her unique sound, brand, and message. From a flutist with big dreams, to her successes in various hip hop groups, to her voice-over work and guest appearances over the years, she has been non-stop. XREF At age 31 in 2019, she shows no signs of slowing down, with her popularity only increasing with the likes of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Daily Show” broadcasting her talents to even greater and wider audiences.
#1: She’s a Strong Advocate for Body Positivity
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With discussions around body positivity ever increasing, the movement has found a powerful voice and representative in Lizzo. Not just talking the talk, she walks the walk with her radical, all around self-love. Unlike other celebrities who preach self-love and then slide posts on social media about dieting or appearance-focused concerns, Lizzo reassures all her listeners with her authenticity. She didn’t just ‘wake up like this’ honey, she was ‘born like this’ and didn’t even have to try. An advocate and a role model, she helps give women and men struggling with self-love a level of confidence to aspire to. In 2018, graduate student Grace Insogna’s designs marked the first time a plus-sized look was ever incorporated onto the Fashion Institute of Technology runway via FIT’s Future of Fashion show. That same year, Lizzo wore the student’s plus-size designs during her performance at New York’s Pride celebration.
