60 Fun Facts About Lizzo

What is Lizzo's birth name?

She was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson on April 27, 1988. The stage name came later, as a teenage nickname.

In which city was Lizzo born?

Detroit, Michigan, was Lizzo's birthplace in April 1988; her family later moved to Texas, where she went through school.

Lizzo's family relocated to Texas when she was how old?

10 was her age when the family left Michigan for Texas, where she soon took up the flute in a school band.

Lizzo has given her signature instrument a name. What is it?

Sasha Flute has her own Instagram account and regularly comes out mid-set for a solo.

Her stage name is a play on 'Lissa' inspired by a hit by which rapper?

Jay-Z's 2001 hit 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)' inspired the twist that turned the nickname 'Lissa' into Lizzo.

At which college did Lizzo study classical music, concentrating on her instrument?

University of Houston was where she studied classical flute performance before dropping out; after her father's death she spent about a year living out of her car.

What was the name of the musical group Lizzo formed with friends at age 14?

Cornrow Clique was the rap group a 14-year-old Lizzo started with school friends in Texas, years before any record deal.

In what year did Lizzo move to Minneapolis, the city where her career took off?

2011 was the year she moved to Minneapolis; within two years she had a solo debut album out on a local label and spots in two of the city's buzziest groups.

Which three-piece, all-female rap and R&B group did Lizzo help form in Minneapolis?

The Chalice, a trio with Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune, released the album We Are the Chalice in 2012 and caught the ear of the city's purple-clad legend.

In 2014 Lizzo was featured on the track 'BoyTrouble' on which Prince album?

Plectrumelectrum, Prince's 2014 album with the band 3rdeyegirl, features Lizzo and Sophia Eris on the track 'BoyTrouble'.

Which five-artist Minneapolis hip-hop group did Lizzo help form in 2013?

Grrrl Prty united Lizzo with Sophia Eris, Manchita, Quinn Wilson and DJ Shannon Blowtorch, one of several Twin Cities projects she juggled alongside Lizzo & the Larva Ink.

What was the title of Lizzo's 2013 debut album?

Lizzobangers, her 2013 debut, was a hip-hop record produced by Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson and was re-released by Virgin Records the following year.

Lizzo's 2013 debut album was released on which independent label?

Totally Gross National Product, the Minneapolis label co-run by producer Ryan Olson, issued the album in October 2013, some beats lifted from Lazerbeak's 2012 instrumental set Lava Bangers.

What was the title of Lizzo's second studio album, released in December 2015?

Big Grrrl Small World came out on her own BGSW imprint in December 2015, with 'My Skin' and 'Humanize' among its singles.

Lizzo's second album was recorded at April Base Studios in Wisconsin, owned by which musician?

Justin Vernon, the Bon Iver frontman, owns April Base in Fall Creek, Wisconsin, where the sessions took place with BJ Burton handling most of the production.

Which 2016 EP was Lizzo's first release after signing with Atlantic Records?

Coconut Oil, a six-track EP released in October 2016, opens with 'Worship' and closes with its title track.

'Good as Hell' was originally recorded for the soundtrack of which 2016 film?

Barbershop: The Next Cut, the 2016 comedy sequel, carried 'Good as Hell' on its soundtrack; the song took three years to become a hit after a 2019 radio re-release.

'Good as Hell' entered the Hot 100 in 2019 after Lizzo performed it at which 2019 ceremony?

MTV Video Music Awards 2019, where she performed it alongside 'Truth Hurts', sent 'Good as Hell' onto the Hot 100 days later; it eventually climbed to number three.

Which pop star featured on the official 2019 remix of 'Good as Hell'?

Ariana Grande joined the remix released on October 25, 2019, as the original was climbing toward its number-three peak.

In what year was 'Truth Hurts' originally released?

2017 saw 'Truth Hurts' released as a standalone single in September; it sat quietly for almost two years before TikTok and a Netflix rom-com turned it into a number one.

'Truth Hurts' became a viral hit in 2019 partly thanks to its use in which Netflix film?

Someone Great, the April 2019 Netflix rom-com starring Gina Rodriguez, used the song in a key scene that, with a TikTok wave, sent the two-year-old track to number one.

How many weeks did 'Truth Hurts' spend at number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

7 weeks at number one tied Iggy Azalea's 'Fancy' for the longest run atop the Hot 100 by a female rap artist at the time.

The 'DNA test' line in 'Truth Hurts' came from a tweet by which British singer?

Mina Lioness, a British singer, tweeted the 'I just took a DNA test' line months before the song was written and was added to its writing credits in October 2019.

Which Grammy did 'Truth Hurts' win at the 2020 ceremony?

Best Pop Solo Performance went to 'Truth Hurts', one of three Grammys she took home that night after opening the show with a medley.

Which producer worked with Lizzo on 'Truth Hurts', 'Good as Hell' and 'Juice'?

Ricky Reed, the Nice Life label founder who signed her, produced all three and later 'About Damn Time', making him the constant across her biggest hits.

The 'Juice' music video, directed by Quinn Wilson, puts Lizzo in what setting?

1980s workout show and infomercials, plus a spoof dating show, frame the video as a pastiche of retro television; the single came out on January 4, 2019.

What position did Cuz I Love You peak at on the Billboard 200?

4 was the album's Billboard 200 peak, reached in September 2019 after months on the chart as 'Truth Hurts' topped the Hot 100.

Which rapper is featured on 'Tempo' from Cuz I Love You?

Missy Elliott raps the guest verse on 'Tempo', released as a promotional single in March 2019 and described as an ode to curvaceous women.

Which Grammy did the deluxe edition of Cuz I Love You win at the 62nd ceremony?

Best Urban Contemporary Album went to the deluxe Cuz I Love You at the 62nd Grammys; it was also nominated for Album of the Year but lost to Billie Eilish.

Which of Lizzo's songs, dedicated to an ex, won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance?

Jerome, a slow-burning ballad addressed to an unworthy ex, sits on Cuz I Love You and won Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 2020 Grammys.

How many Grammy nominations did Lizzo receive at the 62nd ceremony, the most of any artist?

8 nominations made Lizzo the most-nominated artist at the 62nd Grammys; Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X were next with six each.

Which rapper guests on 'Exactly How I Feel' from Cuz I Love You?

Gucci Mane guests on 'Exactly How I Feel', one of only two rap features on the album, which was Lizzo's major-label debut.

What title did Time magazine give Lizzo in 2019?

Entertainer of the Year was Time's 2019 title for her, in the year 'Truth Hurts' hit number one and she appeared in two films.

What was the name of Lizzo's 2022-23 arena tour?

The Special Tour, named for her fourth studio album, opened in Sunrise, Florida, in September 2022 and reached Europe in spring 2023.

Which character does Lizzo voice in the 2019 animated film UglyDolls?

Lydia is Lizzo's character in UglyDolls (2019), in a voice cast where Kelly Clarkson played Moxy and Janelle Monáe played Mandy.

Which rapper is featured on Lizzo's 2021 single 'Rumors'?

Cardi B delivers the guest verse on 'Rumors', which debuted at number four on the Hot 100 in August 2021.

The 'Rumors' video's golden set and backing singers pay homage to which Disney film?

Hercules (1997) supplied the inspiration: the clip's ancient-Greek set and Lizzo's backing singers nod to the film's singing, narrating Muses.

The chorus of 'About Damn Time' interpolates a piano motif from which 1984 song?

Hey DJ, the 1984 single by the World's Famous Supreme Team, a duo of New York hip-hop radio DJs, is credited for the piano motif, and its writers share the song's credits.

Which award did 'About Damn Time' win at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023?

Record of the Year went to 'About Damn Time' at the 65th Grammys in February 2023; the song had become her second Hot 100 number one in July 2022.

Which TikTok creator choreographed the dance that helped 'About Damn Time' go viral?

Jaeden Gomez created the TikTok dance, later recreated by Lizzo herself, that pushed the single to number one; the official video was directed by Christian Breslauer.

What position did the album Special peak at on the Billboard 200?

2 was the album's Billboard 200 peak: Special debuted there in July 2022 with 69,000 album-equivalent units.

'Grrrls', the first promotional single from Special, samples a song called 'Girls' by which group?

Beastie Boys' 1986 track 'Girls', from Licensed to Ill, is sampled in 'Grrrls'; the lyric was later changed after one line was criticised as an ableist slur.

Which singer features on the 2023 remix of Special's title track?

SZA joined the remix of 'Special', released in February 2023, about a month after the title track had been issued as the album's third single.

'2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)' was produced by which Swedish hitmaker?

Max Martin co-produced the new wave-flavoured single, released in July 2022 as the second single from Special.

Lizzo's reality series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls premiered in 2022 on which service?

Thirteen women competed in the first season, which premiered on Prime Video on March 25, 2022.

Which Primetime Emmy did Watch Out for the Big Grrrls win in 2022?

Outstanding Competition Program went to Watch Out for the Big Grrrls at the 2022 Primetime Emmys, beating RuPaul's Drag Race, the category's four-time defending champion.

Lizzo's shapewear brand Yitty launched in 2022 in partnership with which company?

Fabletics, the activewear company co-founded by Kate Hudson, partnered with Lizzo to launch Yitty in April 2022 with bodysuits, smoothing shorts, tanks and unitards.

Where does the name of Lizzo's brand Yitty come from?

A nickname from her aunt, who called her Yitty as a child, supplied the name; Lizzo described the aunt as a full-figured woman with bold, beautiful energy.

In September 2022 Lizzo played a crystal flute that once belonged to which US president?

James Madison received the crystal flute from French maker Claude Laurent in 1813; the Library of Congress lent it to Lizzo, who played it at the Library and then on stage.

At which Washington, D.C. venue did Lizzo play the 200-year-old presidential crystal flute on stage?

Capital One Arena hosted the September 2022 concert where she played the instrument, which travelled from the Library of Congress in a custom protective case with a security escort.

Lizzo's song 'Pink' is the opening track on the soundtrack of which 2023 film?

Barbie: The Album opens with 'Pink'; an alternate version, 'Pink (Bad Day)', plays in the film when the title character has her existential crisis.

How much did Lizzo personally pledge to Planned Parenthood after the 2022 Dobbs ruling?

$500,000 from her tour proceeds was Lizzo's June 2022 pledge to Planned Parenthood and abortion funds, which Live Nation matched to bring the total to $1 million.

Lizzo appeared on the October 2020 cover of which magazine?

Vogue put Lizzo on its October 2020 cover, photographed by Hype Williams, in an issue where she discussed body positivity and the coming election.

How old was Lizzo when she spent a year living out of her car after her father's death?

21 was her age when her father died in 2009; she spent about a year living out of her car in Texas while trying to break into music.

Which single did Lizzo release on February 28, 2025?

Love in Real Life was her first single of 2025, released on February 28, more than two and a half years after the album Special.

Who hosted the December 21, 2019 episode of Saturday Night Live on which Lizzo made her debut as musical guest?

Eddie Murphy's celebrated return as host on December 21, 2019 had Lizzo as musical guest; she came back as host and musical guest in April 2022, and again that December with Austin Butler hosting.

At the 2020 BET Awards, Lizzo was nominated for hip-hop and which other female artist prize?

R&B/pop was the other category, as she was nominated for both Best Female R&B/Pop Artist and Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the 2020 BET Awards.

Which mixtape did Lizzo release in June 2025?

My Face Hurts from Smiling came out on June 27, 2025, through Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records, billed as a mixtape rather than a studio album.

Lizzo grew up attending which Pentecostal denomination?

Church of God in Christ, the largest Black Pentecostal denomination in the United States, was the church of her childhood; she has cited gospel music as an early influence.

Lizzo started rapping while at which Houston-area school, graduating in 2006?

Alief Elsik High School in southwest Houston was where she formed her first rap crew and marched in the band with her flute before graduating in 2006.