Lizzo’s story is inspiring the internet this week …
Now, Melissa Viviane Jefferson graced our world in Detroit in 1988.
But we know her best as Lizzo.
Her third studio album, Cuz I Love You, is a total masterpiece.
But it’s not just the brilliant music that she makes that has garnered Lizzo such a legion of fans.
There’s so much more to the star….
For one thing, she’s totally unique.
Which other plus-size, dance-trained, hip-hop artist plays the flute in almost all of her songs?
Truly, Lizzo is one of a kind.
But what’s even more important than her talent?
It’s gotta be Lizzo’s incredible message. Her lyrics are all designed to inspire self-love and confidence – particularly in young women. In a world of problematic messages, she’s a real force for good.
Lizzo has dominated the stage for several years now.
Gaining some pretty high-profile fans along the way.
At the BET Awards back in 2019, there was one audience member who was truly losing her mind over Lizzo’s performance…
Rihanna.
And at the MTV Video Music Awards that same year, Lizzo made even more famous fans.
At the VMAs, the audience was pretty much all going wild for Lizzo – including one Queen Latifah.
And late in 2019, Lizzo was cemented as a true icon.
The star was named as TIME’s Entertainer of the Year.
She was recognized for her trailblazing message of body positivity, advocacy for self-love, and her “relentlessly positive and impossibly catchy” sound.
It’s a truly impressive achievement.
“Attending a Lizzo concert feels like worshipping at the church of self-love, if your preacher was a pop star living joyfully in a big black body, delivering a sermon of self-acceptance that’s as frank as it is accessible,” author, Samantha Irby, wrote for TIME magazine.
Lizzo opened up to the magazine about being an advocate for body positivity:
“I’ve been doing positive music for a long-ass time. Then the culture changed.”
“There were a lot of things that weren’t popular but existed, like body positivity, which at first was a form of protest for fat bodies and black women and has now become a trendy, commercialized thing.”
“Now I’ve seen it reach the mainstream. Suddenly I’m mainstream! How could we have guessed something like this would happen when we’ve never seen anything like this before?” the songstress told TIME.
And even now, the world’s love for Lizzo continues to grow with her success.
2020 saw her nominated for eleven awards at the Billboard Music Awards, and winning one for Top Song Sales Artist.
The same year, she also performed a sold-out show at the Sydney Opera House…
The same place she had previously performed as a young flute player.
But it seems life isn’t all positivity for Lizzo.
As the singer has revealed the struggles she’s faced in her past …
In an interview with Rolling Stone, she revealed she had even been temporarily homeless.
After dropping out of college, Lizzo lived in her car while struggling to break through as a rapper.
She struggled with her self-esteem and was deeply unhappy.
But when she moved to Minneapolis and broke through onto the local music scene, things seriously began to pick up for the star …
And now, her fortune is impressive!
It’s estimated that she’s earned $16.5 million from music sales, plus an extra $8.8 million from her extensive tours.
But that’s not all!
She’s had brand deals with many big companies, including Dove, Urban Decay, Absolut Vodka, Google Pixel 6, Logitech, and Quay, which helped line her pockets further!
And on top of this, there’s Yitty.
Yitty is Lizzo’s shapewear brand with Fabletics, which is reportedly a huge financial success!
Plus, there’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.
Lizzo’s reality show airs on Amazon Prime, and even won an Emmy!
And how is Lizzo celebrating all of this success?
Well, she’s invested – in an incredible $26 million mansion!
If anyone deserves it, it’s her!