Lizzo Trivia
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This Lizzo trivia quiz has 60 free questions with answers covering the whole story so far: the classically trained flutist from Texas who moved to Minneapolis with nothing, played on a Prince record, and became one of the biggest pop stars of the 2020s. You will be asked about her early groups, the debut album that started it all, the sleeper hits that took years to chart, and the Grammy nights that followed. The questions range from easy (which film soundtrack her Barbie song opened, which president once owned the crystal flute she played) to genuinely hard ones about producers, samples, chart peaks and the Minneapolis label that released her first record. Answers are multiple choice, so you can play it solo or read the questions out at a music night. Every answer has been checked against Wikipedia and primary reporting, and each question shows its source, so if a fact surprises you, you can see where it comes from.
30 of 60 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is Lizzo's birth name?
Melissa Jefferson
She was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson on April 27, 1988. The stage name came later, as a teenage nickname.
Q 02In which city was Lizzo born?
Detroit
Detroit, Michigan, was Lizzo's birthplace in April 1988; her family later moved to Texas, where she went through school.
Q 03Lizzo's family relocated to Texas when she was how old?
10
10 was her age when the family left Michigan for Texas, where she soon took up the flute in a school band.
Q 04Lizzo has given her signature instrument a name. What is it?
Sasha
Sasha Flute has her own Instagram account and regularly comes out mid-set for a solo.
Q 05Her stage name is a play on 'Lissa' inspired by a hit by which rapper?
Jay-Z
Jay-Z's 2001 hit 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)' inspired the twist that turned the nickname 'Lissa' into Lizzo.
Q 06At which college did Lizzo study classical music, concentrating on her instrument?
University of Houston
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.
Q 07What was the name of the musical group Lizzo formed with friends at age 14?
Cornrow Clique
Cornrow Clique was the rap group a 14-year-old Lizzo started with school friends in Texas, years before any record deal.
Q 08In what year did Lizzo move to Minneapolis, the city where her career took off?
2011
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.
Q 09Which three-piece, all-female rap and R&B group did Lizzo help form in Minneapolis?
The Chalice
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.
Q 10In 2014 Lizzo was featured on the track 'BoyTrouble' on which Prince album?
Plectrumelectrum
Plectrumelectrum, Prince's 2014 album with the band 3rdeyegirl, features Lizzo and Sophia Eris on the track 'BoyTrouble'.
Q 11Which five-artist Minneapolis hip-hop group did Lizzo help form in 2013?
Grrrl Prty
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.
Q 12What was the title of Lizzo's 2013 debut album?
Lizzobangers
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.
Q 13Lizzo's 2013 debut album was released on which independent label?
Totally Gross National Product
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.
Q 21'Truth Hurts' became a viral hit in 2019 partly thanks to its use in which Netflix film?
Someone Great
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.
Q 22How many weeks did 'Truth Hurts' spend at number one on the Billboard Hot 100?
7
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.
Q 23The 'DNA test' line in 'Truth Hurts' came from a tweet by which British singer?
Mina Lioness
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.
Q 14What was the title of Lizzo's second studio album, released in December 2015?
Big Grrrl Small World
Big Grrrl Small World came out on her own BGSW imprint in December 2015, with 'My Skin' and 'Humanize' among its singles.
Q 15Lizzo's second album was recorded at April Base Studios in Wisconsin, owned by which musician?
Justin Vernon
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.
Q 16Which 2016 EP was Lizzo's first release after signing with Atlantic Records?
Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil, a six-track EP released in October 2016, opens with 'Worship' and closes with its title track.
Q 17'Good as Hell' was originally recorded for the soundtrack of which 2016 film?
Barbershop: The Next Cut
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.
Q 18'Good as Hell' entered the Hot 100 in 2019 after Lizzo performed it at which 2019 ceremony?
MTV Video Music Awards
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.
Q 19Which pop star featured on the official 2019 remix of 'Good as Hell'?
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande joined the remix released on October 25, 2019, as the original was climbing toward its number-three peak.
Q 20In what year was 'Truth Hurts' originally released?
2017
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.
Q 24Which Grammy did 'Truth Hurts' win at the 2020 ceremony?
Best Pop Solo Performance
Best Pop Solo Performance went to 'Truth Hurts', one of three Grammys she took home that night after opening the show with a medley.
Q 25Which producer worked with Lizzo on 'Truth Hurts', 'Good as Hell' and 'Juice'?
Ricky Reed
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.
Q 26The 'Juice' music video, directed by Quinn Wilson, puts Lizzo in what setting?
1980s workout show and infomercials
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.
Q 27What position did Cuz I Love You peak at on the Billboard 200?
4
4 was the album's Billboard 200 peak, reached in September 2019 after months on the chart as 'Truth Hurts' topped the Hot 100.
Q 28Which rapper is featured on 'Tempo' from Cuz I Love You?
Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott raps the guest verse on 'Tempo', released as a promotional single in March 2019 and described as an ode to curvaceous women.
Q 29Which Grammy did the deluxe edition of Cuz I Love You win at the 62nd ceremony?
Best Urban Contemporary Album
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.
Q 30Which of Lizzo's songs, dedicated to an ex, won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance?
Jerome
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.