Lizzo Tour Overview
Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, flutist, and actress. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas, with her family when she was ten years old. After college she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she began her recording career in hip hop music. Prior to signing with Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records, Lizzo released two studio albums, Lizzobangers (2013) and Big Grrrl Small World (2015). Lizzo's first major-label EP, Coconut Oil, was released in 2016.
Lizzo attained mainstream success with the release of her third studio album, Cuz I Love You (2019), which peaked at number four on the US Billboard 200. The album spawned the singles "Juice" and "Tempo". The deluxe version of the album included Lizzo's 2017 single "Truth Hurts" which became a viral sleeper hit two years after its initial release. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100, and became the longest-leading solo song by a female rapper. Around this time, her 2016 single "Good as Hell" also climbed the charts, reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Lizzo received eight nominations at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the most for any artist that year, including nominations for each of the "Big Four" categories; and eventually won the awards for Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Pop Solo Performance for "Truth Hurts", and Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Jerome".
About Lizzo
Melissa Viviane Jefferson was born in Detroit, Michigan. When she was ten, her family relocated to Houston, Texas. She was classically trained as a flutist by Claudia Momen for eight years, from the age of ten until she graduated Alief Elsik High School in Alief in 2006, where she had started rapping. At the age of 14, she formed a musical group called Cornrow Clique with her friends. At this time she acquired the nickname "Lizzo", a variant of "Lissa" inspired by Jay-Z's "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)". In college, she studied classical music concentrating on flute at the University of Houston. At the age of 21, after the death of her father, she lived out of her car for a year as she tried to break into the music industry. She dropped out of college and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2011.
While living in Minneapolis, Lizzo performed with groups including the electro soul-pop duo, Lizzo & the Larva Ink. During this time she helped form a three-piece all-female rap/R&B group: the Chalice. In 2012, the Chalice released their first album, We Are the Chalice, which was locally successful. In 2013, Lizzo was one of five artists to form the hip-hop group Grrrl Prty, which released two EPs before playing their final show at Rock the Garden and disbanding in 2016.
Lizzo's hip-hop-focused debut album, Lizzobangers, produced by Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson, was released on October 15, 2013. Killian Fox of The Guardian gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying: "At times joyfully nonsensical, Lizzo's stream-of-consciousness rhymes can also be lethally pointed." The album topped Star Tribune's "Twin Cities Critics Tally 2013" list. Music videos were created for the songs "Batches & Cookies", "Faded", "Bus Passes and Happy Meals", and "Paris".
Lizzo Facts
- Lizzo’s real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson. Although her first nickname was Lissa, when she was in middle school, she changed it to Lizzo after hearing the song “Izzo” by Jay-Z. This was the name she went with when she formed a rap group called Cornrow Clique with a couple of her friends.
- As if this needs to be said, Lizzo is an incredible flutist.Lizzo started playing the flute when she joined the band in elementary school. She has always been obsessed with becoming the very best. Starting with classical masterpieces like “The Carnival of Venice,” Lizzo had once thought flute would become her career.
- Justin Timberlake once revealed in an interview that he has been in the studio with Lizzo working on some new songs. Timberlake has hopes that they will be as successful as her solo work.
- In addition to promoting her philosophy of self-love, she has also been very outspoken about body positivity and the rights of the LGBTQ+, Trans, and Black Lives Matter communities. During various performances, she has taken the time to speak out in honor and support of these various communities.
