For Lizzo, success and fame were not handed down to her. It has been a long winding road for the 34-year-old phenomenon, who was named Time’s Entertainer of the Year following her meteoric rise and flurry of chart-busters that found the perfect groove across age groups. Lizzo has been a statement in herself, fusing elements of pop, soul and R&B with sassy retro funk, bounce and powerful lyrics in her music.
Vocally expressive on issues surrounding body positivity, self-image, mental health and LGBTQIA+ rights, Lizzo has been blessed with a tag of powerful force voicing the marginalised with her music. Recently, with the release of the explosive leading single About Damn Time, and Grrrls, Lizzo announced her new album Special, set to release on July 15. Lizzbians across the globe have been upping the anticipation surrounding the album, which is almost but certain to live up to the hype.
Lizzo is here to do her thing and we are here for it, clapbacks and all.
Truth Hurts at BET Awards 2019
Perched atop a huge wedding cake, in bridal white, Lizzo blessed energy down on the stage, as she asked the audience: “Do you want some cake?” Surrounded by dancers in white holding wedding bouquets, Lizzo dropped the performance of the night with her 2017 sleeper hit Grammy-winning number Truth Hurts, that eventually went on to sit on the top of Billboards 100 for a record seven weeks when it was included as a bonus track on her 2019 album, Cuz I Love You. Earning her a Guinness World Record for the same, we could see why Lizzo adorned the performance with such inexplicable energy. Dancing in unison, rapping and playing around with melody, Lizzo player her signature flute solo, as the entire audience rose to vibe to the song, including Rihanna who was awed by the energy. With Lizzo delivering it in signature shades, very few opening lines can be as iconic as “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that b**ch.”
Juice ft. Harry Styles at Fillmore Miami Beach
Lizzo brought the house down with an outrageous cocktail of soul, funk, pop and hip-hop in her 75-minute set, but the highlight of the night was most certainly when Lizzo brought out Harry Styles to join her on her hit anthem Juice from her third album. Hailed for its lyrics and musical bravado, the track stood out, as Lizzo dropped numerous electrifying performances of the song. Capturing a range of emotions, it is a track that defines energy, vibe and statement brimming with self-love and crafty innuendoes. The crowd in Miami went ballistic as Harry skipped on to the stage in his signature charm to join her, as the entire crowd danced to the beats. To have the creative and performative forces of Lizzo and Styles fuse on stage was absolutely otherworldly, as they belted out the track in delicious energy, especially playing around with the retro-funk elements on the bridge.
Good as Hell at Glastonbury 2019
In her signature lavender leotard, Lizzo shone brighter than ever with her setlist at Glastonbury 2019. Dubbed as the one ‘who won Glastonbury’ after her performance of Good as Hell, Lizzo dominated headlines across the globe. Initiating the performance with a defiant, “Your transgressions can become your greatest blessings”, she dropped one of her finest and most delightfully packed performances of the hit number Good as Hell. With the entire arena swaying and grooving to the pumped rhythm, Lizzo closed the performance with a shot straight from the bottle. And we say cheers to that.
Cuz I Love You ft. RTO Ehrenfeld at Neo Magazin
A soulful number, considered to be bearing traces of Darlene Love, Lizzo performed the eponymous track from her third album, at the Neo Magazin Royale, a satirical German late-night TV show hosted by Jan Bohmermann. Beginning the song from behind the curtains, Lizzo registered the high notes to absolute perfection with incredible jazzy gravitas, backed by a heavy brass and percussion section. The moving rendition showcasing her impressive vocal range, was elevated by the production quality and the delicious musical inputs of the super-talented German orchestra group, RTO Ehrenfeld.
Boys/Phone at Glastonbury 2019
An ode to Lizzo’s dating pool (yes, you read that right), Boys was released in 2018 and was described as funky fun retro-inspired track that hit the right spots. Doubling up on the sass and the energy, Lizzo belted out the bouncy track at the Glastonbury Festival. The whole arena going bonkers as soon as the beats fell, Lizzo got all the boxes ticked with a rendition of the song high on queen energy. The entire arena roared with her, hands hoisted in the air, as she sang “I like big boys, itty bitty boys/ Mississippi boys, inner city boys.” Fusing it with Phone — the second single from her 2018 album, Coconut Oil, Lizzo wrapped up the number on an adrenaline high with the catchy rhythm of Phone. Everything that Lizzo touched at Glastonbury that year, was royal gold. Bizarrely phenomenal, as they called it.