11 'Good As Hell' facts about Lizzo 🎶
She's SO impressive!
Last updated 1st Oct 2020
Lizzo is seriously ruling the world right now - not only has she won numerous awards, had multiple hits in the charts AND given us some seriously lit performances over the past couple of years, but even Beyoncé is a fan. Can you get a higher recommendation than that?!
Here at MFR we love to celebrate the artists on our playlist all year round, this October for Black History Month we're shining a special spotlight on the amazing artists you hear on our station.
To celebrate Lizzo just being amazing we've gathered up some pretty interesting and hilarious facts about the 'Good As Hell' star. Enjoy!
1) Lizzo isn't her real name
Well, not really. Lizzo is the singer's nickname, as her real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson. She was nicknamed Lissa early on in life, and became Lizzo at the age of 14 after being inspired by Jay-Z's song 'Izzo (H.O.V.A.)'.
2) She studied classical music at university
She ain't just a pretty face! Lizzo is a classically trained musician, having studied at the University of Houston and specialising in playing the flute. Lizzo's flute has taken on its own identity, after she called it Sasha Flute, inspired by Beyoncé's alter ego Sasha Fierce. It even has its own Instagram account!
3) She worked with Prince
Yep! Lizzo got together with the legendary Prince back in 2014 for his album 'Plectrumelectrum', featuring on his song 'Boytrouble'. She called the experience "surreal... almost like a fairytale" and that it was "something I will never actually get over."
4) She dressed as an actual chocolate bar
Lizzo took to the red carpet at the BRIT Awards 2020 dressed as a Hershey's chocolate bar. It's brilliant and we have no words. Just see it for yourself.
5) Beyoncé is a huge fan
Lizzo spoke out in November 2019 to discuss the moment she realised that Jay-Z and Beyoncé were fans of hers.
She told us, "Yes! Side stage, they watched the whole thing," she gushed. "What's wrong with me! I mean, that was cool. I'll tell you what, two years prior, I played the same festival - it's Jay-Z's festival, it's Made In America, and I remember I was on right before Cardi B.
"She was right after me, and I remember I performed and I was like, 'What if Beyoncé's there?' and I finished and then I was turning to walk off stage and literally as I was walking off, Beyoncé was coming to watch Cardi B, and it was such a moment."
6) She's a movie star
She's not only a talented singer, songwriter, flautist, dancer and performer - Lizzo also has acting chops! She voiced Lydia in 2019 film UglyDolls, and also had a role in Jennifer Lopez flick Hustlers.
7) Lizzo was once on Made In Chelsea
The superstar appeared on the Channel 4 reality TV show back in 2014, when the cast took a trip to New York City. She sang a cover of Blondie’s 'Rapture' at the performance.
8) AND RuPaul's Drag Race
She was a guest judge on the show back in 2018, with the bottom two queens lip syncing to 'Good As Hell'.
9) She took home three GRAMMY Awards in 2020
2020 was a seriously good awards season for Lizzo, winning Best Urban Contemporary Album for 'Cuz I Love You', Best Pop Solo Performance for 'Truth Hurts' and Best Traditional R&B Performance for 'Jerome'. She's also been nominated in four categories at the 2020 BET Awards!
10) Her first UK Top 10 hit was 'Good As Hell'
After releasing 'Good As Hell' in August 2019, the song peaked at Number 7 in the UK! She later released a second version of the song featuring Ariana Grande.
11) She's best pals with Harry Styles
After the former One Direction star covered 'Juice', Harry Styles performed the song alongside Lizzo two months later. Lizzo then returned the favour, covering 'Adore You', and the pair shared some beautiful moments together at the BRIT Awards.
Scroll through to see Lizzo's career timeline so far:
After studying classical music at the University of Houston, Lizzo lived out of her car for a year following her father's death to break into the music industry. She moved to Minneapolis in 2011, performing with various indie bands including Lizzo & the Larva Ink.
Lizzo also performed as part of a three-piece band the Chalice, releasing an album in 2012. She released her solo debut album, 'Lizzobangers', in 2013, and it was re-released on Virgin Records a year later.
She toured as a support act for Har Mar Superstar in 2013, and also sang with his band. Lizzo worked on a body positivity campaign What's Underneath for StyleLikeU in 2014, writing the song 'My Skin' after being inspired by the project.
Collaborating with pop icon Prince in 2014 on his album Plectrumelectrum, Lizzo called it "surreal... almost like a fairytale" and that it was "something I will never actually get over." Her second studio album 'Big Grrrl Small World' was released in 2015, and she briefly became a host for MTV.
Lizzo signed with Atlantic Records in 2016, and put out EP 'Coconut Oil that same year, which featured 'Good As Hell', and received huge critical acclaim - with many praising Lizzo for her inspirational lyrics about self-love and self-acceptance.
She went on the 'Good As Hell Tour' in 2017, and also appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. The following year, she toured with the likes of Haim and Florence and The Machine.
2018.was a big year for Lizzo in different ways - she became a hugely influential figure regarding body positivity, featuring in campaigns and on the covers of magazines. She released her third album 'Cuz I Love You' in January 2019, spawning singles 'Juice' and Tempo featuring Missy Elliott. She then performed at Coachella Festival.
In 2019, she performed at Glastonbury Festival, and released a remix of 'Good As Hell' featuring Ariana Grande. In February 2020, Lizzo told us that she'd love to work with Ariana again - this time on brand new music... Make it happen!
You can hear Lizzo's biggest hits on the MFR playlist.