Everything you want to know about Lizzo

The early life, music, and rise of Lizzo

Lizzo
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Lizzo is among the most well-known female artists in the entire world. She already holds three Grammy awards, a number-one album, and an Emmy for her reality TV show, “Watch Out For The Big Grrrls.” 

Early Life

Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 27, 1988. Her family moved to Houston, Texas, when she was ten years old. 

She graduated from Alief Elsik High School in Alief, Houston, in 2006, where she received classical training in the flute from Claudia Momen, an acclaimed music teacher. It was during this time that she also began rapping. She and her friends started a band called Cornrow Clique when she was 14 years old. 

At this point, she picked up the moniker “Lizzo,” a play on the name “Lissa” that was inspired by Jay-song Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).” She majored in flute while studying classical music at the University of Houston after graduating from high school. In 2011, she relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, after dropping out of college. 

Lizzo accepts the Competition Award for “Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls” on stage during the 74th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022. (Photo by Chris Haston/NBC via Getty Images)

How did Lizzo get her start?    

Lizzo learned to play the flute in her fifth-grade band class and excelled at it throughout her Houston, Texas, upbringing. By the eighth grade, she was a member of the marching band.

In high school, she started working with the Houston Ballet’s principal flutist. She later pursued a scholarship to study music focusing on piccolo performance at the University of Houston. But tragedy struck when she was 21. Her dad passed away during her second year of college.

In addition to losing her father, Lizzo lost her dorm room when she dropped out of school and was consequently pushed into homelessness. Speaking to CBS, she said she spent her darkest days sleeping in her car and sneaking into the neighborhood gym to shower. 

A small ray of hope then appeared in the form of a Craigslist advertisement looking for a lead vocalist. She jumped at the chance, auditioned for the part, and was hired. Even though the band would break up in 2011, Lizzo’s career had just started.

She relocated to Minneapolis in 2011, and in 2014, singer Prince “co-signed” her music and gave her the opportunity to appear on his song “Boy Trouble.” This was her big break.

One of Lizzo’s most well-known songs to date, “Truth Hurts,” was the lead single from her 2019 album, “Cuz I Love You.” However, the artist considered quitting music completely when it was released in 2017 because it didn’t get a warm reception until two years later when the album debuted.

The album reached its highest point on the Billboard Chart one month after its release in May. Lizzo won three Grammy Awards in 2020 after being nominated for eight, including Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best New Artist, and Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Lizzo Age   

Lizzo is 34 years old as of 2022. 

Lizzo Height                                                                                       

Lizzo stands 5 feet 10 inches tall, according to popbuzz.com.

Lizzo
Lizzo attends the 2019 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 24, 2019, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)

Is Lizzo in a relationship?   

As of 2022, Lizzo is in a relationship with Myke Wright. Although it is unclear when the two started dating, Wright has clearly been part of her life for a while. Lizzo and Myke partnered to co-host MTV’s music program, Wonderland, in 2016. 

In 2022, Myke and Lizzo were seen going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles. Since then, she has been spotted with Wright at a few events, such as the FYC celebration for her “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” Amazon Prime Video series and the 2022 MTV VMAs, where she won the Video for Good award. 

Myke is a designer, musician, and comedian with a whole lineup of comedy performances, including “How To Be A Grown-Up,” “Doubting Thomas,” Adam Devine’s “House Party,” and “Laughs.” Myke grew up in Detroit’s West Side and moved to LA in 2012 to continue pursuing standup comedy.

Myke also has a long-standing passion for music that dates back to his time in high school. He disclosed to VoyageLA that he had previously been a member of The Grey Level rock band. He later founded the hip-hop group Phresh Heir. Additionally, he has provided designs for the EMLE luxury clothing line, based in Detroit. Myke founded Umi, where he created designs for various products.

Lizzo theGrio.com
This Sept. 18, 2019, file photo shows Lizzo performing at The Met in Philadelphia. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)

Lizzo’s Weight Loss

According to Heightline, Lizzo once weighed over 300 pounds before recently losing weight and getting to around 260 pounds.

Lizzo has openly acknowledged her weight on several platforms, saying she has long since accepted it. She helps promote body positivity and all body types as a plus-size celebrity. 

In 2020, Lizzo started her weight loss journey and revealed that she was following a 10-day smoothie detox diet. This sparked a lot of controversy with her fans because many believe detox smoothies are ineffective. Some critics also stated that such detoxes could be unhealthy. 

She explained to her fans, “In reality, November stressed me out – I drank a lot, I ate a lot of spicy things and things that [messed] my stomach up, and I wanted to reverse it and get back to where I was.” 

Lizzo’s Songs    

Lizzo has put out 23 singles, one promotional single, two extended plays, two mixtapes, and four studio albums, according to Deezer.com.

Lizzo Studio Albums

Her first album was “Lizzobangers,” released on October 15, 2013. The second was “Big Grrrl Small World,” released on December 11, 2015. “Cuz I Love You” was her third album, released on April 19, 2019. “Special” is her latest album, which was released on July 15, 2022. 

Lizzo Mixtapes

Both of Lizzo’s mixtapes were released in 2012:

  • Due Process & Product
  • We Are the Chalice
Lizzo Performs theGrio.com
Lizzo performs live from Miami Beach at the Platinum Studio for American Express UNSTAGED Final 2021 Performance at Miami Beach EDITION on December 04, 2021, in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for American Express)

Lizzo Extended Plays

Lizzo also has two extended plays:

  • Grrrl Prty X Bionik (released in 2015)
  • Coconut Oil (released in 2016)

Lizzo Singles

Here is a complete list of singles Lizzo has released as of 2022:

  • “Batches and Cookies” (featuring Sophia Eris)
  • “Wegula” (as Grrrl Prty)
  • “Night Watch” (as Grrrl Prty)
  • “Let ‘Em Say” (with Caroline Smith)
  • “Paris”
  • “Faded”
  • “Humanize”
  • “Ain’t I”
  • “My Skin”
  • “Never Felt Like Christmas”
  • “Basement Queens” (with Sad13)
  • “Good as Hell” (2016 original release)
  • “Phone”
  • “Water Me”
  • “Truth Hurts” (2017 original release)
  • “Fitness”
  • “Boys”
  • “Juice”
  • “Truth Hurts (2019 release)
  • “Tempo” (featuring Missy Elliot)
  • “Good as Hell” (2019 re-release: solo and featuring Ariana Grande)
  • “Cuz I Love You”
  • “Rumors” (featuring Cardi B)
  • “About Damn Time
  • “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)”

Lizzo has been featured in:

  • “Iko” (N.A.S.A. featuring Lizzo)
  • “Hands Up Don’t Shoot!” (N.A.S.A. featuring Sean Paul and Lizzo)
  • “Blame It on Your Love” (Charli XCX featuring Lizzo)

Lizzo’s Net Worth

According to celebritynetworth.com, Lizzo has a net worth of $12 million. So, where does her money come from? Since almost anything Lizzo comes into contact with turns into musical gold, it makes sense that she makes most of her money from her music.

Other than music, Lizzo gets her money from a few different sources. She has signed numerous endorsement contracts with big brands, like Dove, Urban Decay, Absolut Vodka, Google Pixel 6, Logitech, and Quay. She also began Yitty, a shapewear brand, in 2022 in collaboration with Fabletics.

The most-streamed program on Amazon Prime Video in March was Lizzo’s reality series, “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” which contributed to her income. 

Lizzo thegrio.com
Lizzo attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for MTV)

Although Lizzo had been steadily gaining popularity for some time, her career took a significant turn for the better when she signed with Atlantic Records in 2016. On October 7, 2016, she released “Coconut Oil,” her debut EP, through her new label. 

The EP also represented a significant tonal change from her prior work, which had mainly focused on the alternative hip-hop genre. Instead, “Coconut Oil” highlighted the value of self-love and body positivity, two subject areas Lizzo holds dear.

On April 19, 2019, her third studio album, “Cuz I Love You,” was released, and not long after that, she made her Coachella debut. The album helped Lizzo’s career advance and reached its highest point on the Billboard 200 albums chart at number four. 

Lizzo’s 2017 song “Truth Hurts” became a hit in 2019 after appearing in a TikTok meme. The song became her first number-one when it reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Is Lizzo vegan?

After more than ten years of vegetarianism, Lizzo began her vegan journey in 2020. She devoted a significant portion of 2020 to posting vegan recipes to her TikTok page. 

Her “What I Eat in a Day: Tales from a fat Vegan” TikTok video claims that she prepares a vegan breakfast smoothie in the morning, as reported by Health Digest. For lunch, she has a vegan salad, a substitute for Cheetos and hummus as a snack, and for dinner, a truffle chickpea mushroom ball with salad and quinoa.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: