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?

She spent her first decade in Michigan before the family moved to Texas, where she went through school.

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

That same year she started classical training on the instrument that would become her trademark, and kept it up for eight years.

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?

The nickname stuck at age 14, around the time she formed her first musical group with school friends.

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

She dropped out before finishing and, after her father died, spent a year living out of her car while trying to break into music.

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

The teenage crew came together in her Texas school years, long before any record deal.

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

Within two years of arriving she had a debut album out on a local label and a spot 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 trio caught the ear of a certain purple-clad Minneapolis legend, who put them on one of his albums.

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

She later called working with Prince 'surreal ... almost like a fairytale'.

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

It was one of several Twin Cities projects she juggled at once, alongside an electro soul-pop duo called Lizzo & the Larva Ink.

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

It was a hip-hop record produced by Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson, and was picked up for a re-release by Virgin Records the following year.

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

Some of the beats were lifted from producer Lazerbeak's own 2012 instrumental album Lava Bangers.

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

She put it out on her own label, BGSW, with the singles 'My Skin' and 'Humanize' getting music videos.

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

The Bon Iver frontman's studio in Fall Creek hosted the sessions, with BJ Burton handling most of the production.

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

The six-track EP opens with 'Worship' and later crept onto the Billboard 200 at number 31 once its lead single found a second life.

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

It took three years to become a hit: re-released as a radio single in 2019, it followed 'Truth Hurts' as her second sleeper smash.

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

It debuted at number 52 the week after the VMAs and climbed all the way to number three.

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

The remix arrived on October 25, 2019, as the song was climbing toward its number-three peak.

In what year was 'Truth Hurts' originally released?

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?

The Gina Rodriguez rom-com plus a TikTok wave sent a two-year-old song to the top of the Hot 100.

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

That tied Iggy Azalea's 'Fancy' for the longest run at number one by a rap song from a female artist.

The 'DNA test' line in 'Truth Hurts' came from a 2017 tweet by which British singer?

The credit was added in October 2019, the same day Lizzo filed a harassment lawsuit against the Raisen brothers, who had claimed a share of the song.

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

It was one of three trophies 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'?

He also produced 'About Damn Time' and co-wrote 'Pink', making him the constant across her biggest hits.

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

The retro-funk single was released on January 4, 2019 and won the Soul Train Music Award for Video of the Year.

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

It took 19 weeks to get there, riding the 'Truth Hurts' wave in September 2019.

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

Released as a promotional single in March 2019, it was described as an ode to curvaceous women.

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

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?

The slow-burning ballad sits on Cuz I Love You alongside the 'empowering dance track' 'Like a Girl'.

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

Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X were next with six each.

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

He is one of only two guest rappers on the album, which was Lizzo's major-label debut.

What title did Time magazine give Lizzo in 2019?

2019 was the year 'Truth Hurts' hit number one and she landed two film roles.

In the 2019 film Hustlers, Lizzo plays a stripper with what name?

The Lorene Scafaria film, starring Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez, was based on a 2015 New York magazine article.

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

Kelly Clarkson voiced Moxy and Janelle Monae voiced Mandy in the same cast.

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

It debuted at number four on the Hot 100 in August 2021.

The 'Rumors' music video is set in ancient Greece and references the Muses from which Disney film?

The clip's ancient-Greek set nods to the singing Muses who narrate the 1997 Disney film.

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

The 1984 original was by the World's Famous Supreme Team, a duo of New York hip-hop radio DJs.

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

It was her second US number one, reaching the top of the Hot 100 in its 14th week.

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

The music video itself was directed by Christian Breslauer.

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

It opened with 69,000 album-equivalent units in its first week in July 2022.

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

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?

The title track had been issued as the album's third single a month earlier, on January 13, 2023.

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

The new wave-flavoured single peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100.

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?

Casting began for a second season in April 2023, but it never materialised.

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

The launch line included bodysuits, smoothing shorts, tanks and unitards.

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

She described her aunt as a full-figured woman with bold, beautiful energy, and wanted that energy in the brand.

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

The Library of Congress lent her the instrument, which the First Lady had rescued when the British attacked the White House in 1814.

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

The instrument was made by French craftsman Claude Laurent and travelled to the arena in a customised protective case with a security team.

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

An alternate version, 'Pink (Bad Day)', plays in the film when the title character has her existential crisis.

How much did Lizzo donate to Planned Parenthood after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022?

The Dobbs decision came down in June 2022, three weeks before her album Special was released.

At which landmark venue did Lizzo perform, having previously played there as a young flute student?

Her classical training began at age 10 and continued for eight years through high school.

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

Two years later she made the move to Minnesota that changed everything.

Which single did Lizzo release on February 28, 2025?

It arrived 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?

She returned as host and musical guest in April 2022, and again as musical guest with Austin Butler hosting that December.

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

That year she also earned eleven Billboard Music Award nominations, winning Top Song Sales Artist.

Lizzo's third mixtape, released in June 2025, is titled what?

It came out on June 27, 2025 through Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records.

Lizzo grew up attending which Pentecostal denomination?

She has said she does not ascribe to just one thing when asked about her sexuality.

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

She had been classically trained on the flute for eight years by then.