Lizzo is the stage name of Melissa Viviane Jefferson, an American singer, rapper, and flutist born on April 27, 1988. She was born in Detroit, Michigan, and when she was ten years old, her family relocated to Houston, Texas. She relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, after graduating from college, where she started a career as a hip-hop music recorder. Lizzo recorded two studio albums before joining Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records: Lizzobangers (2013) and Big Grrrl Small World (2015). Coconut Oil, Lizzo’s debut EP for a major label, was released in 2016.
With the release of her third studio album, Cuz I Love You (2019), which reached number four on the US Billboard 200, Lizzo achieved mainstream recognition. The singles “Juice” and “Tempo” came from the album. Lizzo’s 2017 track “Truth Hurts,” which became a viral sleeper success two years after its initial release, was featured on the album’s deluxe version. It became the longest-leading solo song by a female rapper and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Around this time, her 2016 single “Good as Hell” also saw success on the charts, peaking in the top ten of both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100.
The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards saw Lizzo receive the most nominations of any artist that year with eight, including one for each of the “Big Four” categories. Lizzo went on to win the Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Pop Solo Performance for “Truth Hurts,” and Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song “Jerome” awards.
Lizzo’s track “Rumors,” which featured Cardi B, was released in 2021 and made its Billboard Hot 100 debut in the top five. Her lead single “About Damn Time,” which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, came out ahead of her fourth studio album Special (2022).
In addition to performing music and rapping, Lizzo has also worked as an actor. She provided the voice for the animated movie UglyDolls (2019) and made an appearance in the drama-comedy Hustlers (2019). She also serves as the host of Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrls on Amazon Prime Video, for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Competition Program. In recognition of her rapid ascent and musical accomplishments, Lizzo was named “Entertainer of the Year” by Time in 2019. She has won two Soul Train Music Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and a BET Award, in addition to her four Grammy Awards.
