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Biography
Lizzo — real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson—was born in Detroit, Michigan. She relocated to Houston, Texas, at age 10, and graduated high school with eight years of classical flute training and nearly as many years of rapping under her belt. Her talent for the flute took her to the University of Houston to study classical music. At age 21, her father died, and she began earnest attempts to break into the music industry, dropping out of college and living out of her car for a year.
In 2011, Lizzo moved to the Twin Cities and formed several groups including the electro-soul band Lizzo & the Larva Ink, which became popular in the Minneapolis area. However, it was her debut hip-hop album that showcased her unique style. Called Lizzobangers, this album received immediate critical acclaim and was heralded for its “joyfully nonsensical” “stream-of-consciousness rhymes.”
In 2013, just two years after moving to Minneapolis, Lizzo toured the UK and the US opening for Har Mar Superstar and was selected for the “Picked to Click” award for Best New Artist in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul). Her debut album was re-released by Virgin Records, and Lizzo rounded the year off by performing with St. Paul and the Broken Bones.
Lizzo made quick work in taking over Minneapolis, but a more global audience was awaiting her. She took part in StyleLikeU’s “What’s Underneath” project in 2014, taking off articles of clothing and discussing body image. That experience partly inspired her forthcoming second album Big Grrrl Small World, and was the subject of her song “My Skin.”
Big Grrrl Small World came out December 11, 2015, and was named one of the 50 best hip-hop albums of the year by Spin magazine. Coconut Oil, Lizzo’s first major-label EP, came out October 2016. Led by the chart-topping single “Good as Hell,” this EP focused on self-love and body positivity how-to’s. It was a huge critical success, called “essential for healthy living” by Nylon. It even made Rolling Stone’s “20 Best Pop Albums of 2016” list and was her first release to reach the charts.
Lizzo rode the wave into 2017 with the Good as Hell tour, and in early 2018, she toured with Florence and the Machine and Haim. Though she was quickly becoming the face of body positivity in music, she made a point of promoting diverse body types, races, sexuality, and more. The Big Grrrls backup dancers were all plus-size.
Lizzo’s third studio album, Cuz I Love You, was preceded by the release of her single “Juice.” The album dropped on April 19, 2019, and marked a breakthrough moment in her career. She performed at Coachella and reached number four on the Billboard 200 chart. Her single “Truth Hurts” was a sleeper hit, slowly rising to #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. This made her the first Black solo female R&B singer to hit the number-one spot since 2012.
In the time since, Lizzo has live-performed flute at the BET Awards, at pride festivals in Sacramento and Indianapolis, at the Glastonbury Festival, in Somerset, UK, on Saturday Night Live, at the Australian FOMO Festival, and in other big spots around the world. She’s won three Grammys and has been nominated numerous times at the BET Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and more.
2021 saw the release of the song “Rumors,” followed by the 2022 release of “About Damn Time.” Lizzo said her fourth album, Special, was going to be “one of the most musically badass, daring, and sophisticated bodies of work I’ve done to date.” It came out on July 15, 2022, and was everything she promised it to be: diverse, genre-bending, and inspirational, just like her.
Live reviews
Lizzo's opener was her DJ Sophia Eris (whom I missed) and Empress Of, who is an alternative pop artist who I am a huge fan of and saw earlier at a smaller venue in San Diego. Her stage setup was quite minimal and it was unfortunate that the audience was still filtering in and not giving her and her band-mate (both were playing percussion and synth!) the attention that they deserved! It was super fun and I hope they at least got some new fans from opening for Lizzo. Unfortunately the sound quality was not the best- the bass was boosted so much and it drowned out the vocals for a while. I think the sound people were able to fix it halfway through. Empress Of is wonderful and everyone should see her solo show!
As expected, Lizzo was very high energy and the mix of her songs were great (Mix of Coconut Oil EP, Cuz I Love You, loosies like Boys). I love how her backup dancers were of different shapes and sizes. The songs flowed really well and she incorporated a lot of fun, interactive audience call + responses. Funniest part of the night is that she couldn't seem to remember which university the venue was at...she thought it was UCSD, and then was mouthed SDSU by the members in the front row...but misread and kept on calling it SCSU. It was pretty funny and she was self aware that she kept on goofing. Of course, the wonderful flute came out (I believe she played the theme of Anchorman and then transitioned to Juice for the encore). Obviously worth seeing, a Lizzo show will give you the seratonin boost you need.
natalie-zhang
Let me start off by saying that going into this show, I was not really a big fan of Lizzo's music. It's not to say that I didn't like it, it's just not my go to type of music. My wife, she wasn't what I would really call a big fan either. After hearing a couple songs, and getting the scoop I decided to buy the tickets. This is one of the best shows I have ever been too. You should go see her as soon as you can. My wife is now a superfan and is planning on downloading every song. While she will not be on my ipod, she will be someone who I will see any chance I can. The show had great music. Lizzo is a master at getting the crowd involved, hyped and dancing.
iguerro
Great show! Lizzo and her all-female crew of dancers and producers put on a fantastic, high-energy show full of positivity and joy. The smallish venue (the latest incarnation of Antone's, with capacity for 700) was packed, but there was nothing but love all around. I loved how Lizzo brought up one of the fans on stage to dance with her and took requests from the crowd for what to play for the 2 encore songs. I only wish she could have performed longer and showed off more of her impressive rapid-fire rap skills from her earlier tracks. The local opening act, Magna Carda, also put on a strong show with a fierce female lead MC and a full rock band backing her up.
leftymama
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!
Lizzo is absolutely 100% that bitch, and I love her for it. I am often disappointed by concerts because Beyonce was actually one of the first concerts I ever attended and no one can ever even come close. So far Lizzo is the only one match the performance and heart of a Beyonce show! Lizzo is her own Beyonce and she knows it. There's a singer and then there's a performer. Lizzo clearly knows how to connect with every single one of her fans and make you feel loved. It was probably the most love filled shows I've ever attended. I cannot wait to see her again!!!!
kennedy-johannsen
That. Was. A. Show.
Lizzo offered herself as the next Prime Minister, but on reflection thought she wanted to be POTUS.
That's a brilliant idea.
Sexy, sweet and silly, funny, funky, intelligent and cool in equal measure, with the noisiest audience I can remember - ever - screaming, chanting and singing along. "The Big Girls" were relentless too; non-stop, action-packed, sexy and fearless.
The parts that could have been cheesy were charming, affecting and life-affirming because, for all the flippancy, she means it. She's real.
We loved it.
MatthewBaxter
Lizzo is fantastic and amazing. A very energetic performer who is funny and entertaining, and Hella talented.
However the Palladium in Köln...Is a HORRIBLE venue. Don't even bother buying tickets to shows there, the sound is horrible and if you're average height, you'll probably end up staring at the back of some head and assuming the performer is actually on stage. For the glimpses I caught of Lizzo... She was as I stated above.
ashley.g.ohman
The show was pretty amazing! The opener, Brooke Candy, was 30 minutes late and only performed for 20 minutes. Her performance, even though short, was awesome! Lizzo was also late, about 20 minutes, but she performed the full hour. She had great back-up dancers, a cool "dj", and the whole concert was a celebration of self love. You leave feeling good about yourself and the world. Would definitely see her again if I got the chance!
rachel-pomeroy
Lizzo was amazing!! Her show was full of energy, was original and her vocals were unbelievable!
Lizzo has great communication and audience participation throughout her shows, she spoke about her experiences in Australia and seg water into her next song with ease! She was truely amazing! Her singing, dancing and stage presence was that of a super star! Move over Queen B, there’s a new queen in town!
lucillepolglase
Lizzo was unreal! Vocals, lighting, staging were all amazing! The venue however, was severely overcrowded which totally ruined the evening. Even towards the back of the room there was no space at all and as a group of 4 we were continually being pushed and shoved by surrounding people. I was really disappointed by the event because of this reason!
geejackson9
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