59 Fun Facts About Lizzo

What is Lizzo's birth name?

Melissa Jefferson went by 'Lissa' as a teenager, and that byname was later twisted into the stage name Lizzo.

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 made her live-action film debut alongside Jennifer Lopez in which 2019 crime drama?

Hustlers gives Lizzo a small part as Liz, a dancer at the club, and finds room for her signature instrument: she plays the flute on screen.

What name has Lizzo given the flute she plays on stage?

Sasha, in full Sasha Flute, is named after Beyoncé's album I Am... Sasha Fierce, and the instrument has an Instagram account of its own.

Lizzo's stage name is usually traced to her nickname 'Lissa' and a 2001 hit by which rapper?

Jay-Z's 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)' was on the radio when her school friends, who liked to shorten names and add an 'o', turned Lissa into Lizzo.

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

University of Houston gave her a music scholarship to study flute, but she dropped out, torn between classical music and rap, and for a time slept in her car.

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

Cornrow Clique gave her more than a first stage: it was among these classmates that 'Lissa' picked up the nickname Lizzo.

In 2011 Lizzo moved to which Midwestern city, where her recording career began?

Minneapolis embraced her quickly: within months she had co-founded several local groups, and two years later her debut album was out.

Which British star brought Lizzo out as a surprise guest during his Coachella headline set in April 2022?

Harry Styles and Lizzo sang 'I Will Survive' in matching feathered coats, two years after he had joined her on stage in Miami to perform 'Juice'.

Which music legend featured Lizzo on 'BoyTrouble', a track from his 2014 album Plectrumelectrum?

Prince became a fan of her group, asked them to record 'BoyTrouble' for the album he made with his band 3rdeyegirl, and invited them to play at Paisley Park.

Which singer-rapper does Lizzo credit with showing her she could both rap and sing?

Lauryn Hill sang her own hooks and rapped her own verses, and Lizzo has said her debut album was an attempt to do the same: rapping, singing and being political.

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

Lizzobangers grew out of producer Lazerbeak's beat collection Lava Bangers: stuck in her writing, Lizzo heard it and went on to rap over several of its instrumentals.

Which Anchorman star, in character, accepted Lizzo's challenge to a flute battle in 2019?

Will Ferrell, as Ron Burgundy, accepted her #FluteAndShoot challenge, and Lizzo answered with a near shot-for-shot remake of Anchorman's jazz flute scene.

Lizzo features on 'Blame It on Your Love', a 2019 single by which British pop star?

Charli XCX announced the collaboration by calling Lizzo 'the Queen of everything'; its hook reworks a demo her fans already knew as 'Track 10'.

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

Justin Vernon of Bon Iver owns April Base, where recording felt to Lizzo like 'hanging out at camp'; the album made there persuaded Atlantic Records to sign her.

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

Coconut Oil followed the independent album that had persuaded Atlantic to sign her, and it introduced 'Good as Hell' three years before that song became a hit.

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

Barbershop: The Next Cut carried 'Good as Hell' on its soundtrack, and the first video was set in a hair salon to match; the song then took three years to become a hit.

'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's remix arrived in late October 2019, and within two weeks the song had jumped into the UK top ten for the first time, peaking at number seven.

Which rapper's 'Highest in the Room' knocked Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' off number one for a week in October 2019?

Travis Scott debuted at number one after her six straight weeks on top, but 'Truth Hurts' climbed straight back the following week for a seventh.

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

Someone Great premiered on Netflix in April 2019, and within weeks the song, by then almost two years old, made its first appearance on the Hot 100.

Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' tied which rapper's 2014 record for a woman's longest-running number-one rap single?

Iggy Azalea's 'Fancy' led the Hot 100 for seven weeks in 2014; 'Truth Hurts' matched it in October 2019 by returning to the top after a week at number two.

Mina Lioness earned a writing credit on Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' because its 'DNA test' line echoed her 2017 what?

Tweet: Lioness posted the 'DNA test' joke in February 2017, and in October 2019 Lizzo made her a co-writer, saying the tweet's creator was the person she would share her success with.

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

Best Pop Solo Performance went to 'Truth Hurts', one of three Grammys Lizzo won that night after opening the show with a medley and a flute solo.

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.

A track on Lizzo's album Special, about singing to a lover under the stars, is named after which British band?

Coldplay inspired the song after Lizzo found herself singing 'Yellow' on a starlit holiday; the band's singer later surprised her mid-interview to give his approval.

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

Missy Elliott raps on 'Tempo'; Lizzo has said that watching Missy win Grammys as a writer, producer and performer gave her the belief that she could do it too.

Lizzo's Cuz I Love You was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Grammys but lost to which artist's debut?

Billie Eilish swept the four top prizes that night, but the deluxe Cuz I Love You still won Best Urban Contemporary Album, one of three Grammys for Lizzo.

Which Lizzo song won the 2020 Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance?

Jerome, a ballad addressed to an ex, won at the pre-show ceremony, so Lizzo was already a Grammy winner when she walked out to open the telecast.

Opening the 2020 Grammys, Lizzo dedicated the night to which star?

Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash hours earlier, and the ceremony was held in Staples Center, his Lakers' home arena; Lizzo began with the words 'Tonight is for Kobe'.

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

Gucci Mane makes his entrance with an ad-lib of his own name, answering a line in which Lizzo calls her feelings 'Gucci'.

What title did Time magazine give Lizzo in 2019?

Entertainer of the Year came six years after Time first noticed her: in 2013 it tipped the then little-known rapper as one of 14 acts to watch in 2014.

Which late-night host performed the viral 'About Damn Time' dance with Lizzo in June 2022?

James Corden handed Lizzo a flute to play mid-drive during their Carpool Karaoke, which ended with the pair joining a troupe of dancers for the routine.

Lizzo voiced Lydia, her first film role, in which 2019 animated musical?

UglyDolls filled its cast with pop singers, yet Lizzo barely sings in it: the musical numbers went mostly to co-stars such as Kelly Clarkson and Nick Jonas.

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

Cardi B joins Lizzo on 'Rumors', a playful answer to online gossip that both had weathered; it was Lizzo's first new song in two years.

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.

On which daytime talk show did Lizzo give 'Juice' its first television performance in early 2019?

The Ellen DeGeneres Show performance featured a solo from her flute, which gained an Instagram account of its own that winter and promptly drew 40,000 followers.

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

Record of the Year went to 'About Damn Time', the last song written for Special: the team thought the album was finished when they were asked to try for one more.

What name did Lizzo give her fans when one asked her on Twitter in 2019?

Lizzbians was her one-word reply to a fan who asked what her followers should be called; she has long had a strong LGBTQ+ following.

Whose album kept Lizzo's Special from debuting at number one in July 2022?

Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti was in its sixth week at number one, so Special's 69,000 units made it Lizzo's highest-charting album without taking the top spot.

'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 two months after releasing SOS, an album on which Lizzo had helped write the rock track 'F2F' after dropping by the studio.

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

Max Martin co-produced the single and also reworked the hook of 'Special', which led Lizzo to rename the album from In Case Nobody Told You.

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

Prime Video carried the series, the first project from a deal Lizzo signed with Amazon in 2020, in which she searched for plus-size dancers to join her tour.

Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls won the 2022 Emmy for competition program, ending which show's four-year winning streak?

RuPaul's Drag Race had won every year from 2018 to 2021, and Lizzo had sat on its judging panel herself in 2018 before her own show beat it.

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

Fabletics, the activewear brand long fronted by Kate Hudson, launched Yitty with Lizzo in April 2022, about two weeks after she announced it on Instagram as a dream five years in the making.

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 was sent the crystal flute by French maker Claude Laurent for his second inauguration in 1813, and Dolley Madison is credited with saving it when the British took Washington.

Which Washington institution let Lizzo play its 200-year-old crystal flute on stage in 2022?

Library of Congress chief Carla Hayden wrote to Lizzo on Twitter inviting her to try its flute collection, the largest in the world, and she arrived three days later.

Lizzo sings the opening song on the soundtrack of which 2023 film?

Barbie opens with Lizzo's 'Pink', which she finished by watching the scene and simply narrating what was on screen; a darker reprise plays during Barbie's existential crisis.

Which concert promoter matched Lizzo's $500,000 pledge to Planned Parenthood after the 2022 Dobbs ruling?

Live Nation agreed to match the money, taking the total to $1 million; Lizzo's half was to come from the proceeds of her upcoming tour.

Lizzo appeared on the October 2020 cover of which magazine?

Vogue timed the cover for the weeks before the 2020 election: the story, written by the poet Claudia Rankine and shot by Hype Williams, was headed 'Hope, Justice, and the Election'.

Which superstar was caught on camera giving Lizzo a standing ovation at the 2019 BET Awards?

Rihanna rose to applaud after Lizzo, performing 'Truth Hurts' atop a giant wedding cake, broke into a flute solo.

Which rock-influenced single did Lizzo release in February 2025, her first solo release in over a year?

Love in Real Life was announced as the title track of her next album, but both the album's title and its lead single were later changed.

Who hosted Saturday Night Live in December 2019 when Lizzo made her debut as musical guest?

Eddie Murphy was hosting for the first time since 1984; Lizzo came back in April 2022 to do double duty as both host and musical guest.

Lizzo guest-starred as a duchess married to Jack Black's character in which Star Wars series in 2023?

The Mandalorian cast Lizzo and Jack Black as the rulers of the planet Plazir-15, who send the heroes to stop their malfunctioning droids.

Which mixtape did Lizzo release in June 2025?

My Face Hurts from Smiling arrived as a surprise, announced only three days before its release, to tide fans over while they waited for her next album.

Lizzo joined the marching band of which Louisiana HBCU in the 2019 video for 'Good as Hell'?

Southern University's band and dancers star in the clip, made at the Baton Rouge campus three years after the song's release, when it had finally reached the top three.

Lizzo voiced both herself and a talking elf doll in the 2023 season finale of which animated series?

The Simpsons' producers offered her the part after hearing she was a fan; her doll comes to life as Homer's spirit guide when he crashes his car.