Lizzo

Lizzo grew up attending the Church of God in Christ. She has been romantically linked to comedian Myke Wright since 2022.

Throughout her career, Lizzo has been an outspoken advocate for body positivity, self-love, and mental health awareness. She has frequently discussed the psychological toll of public scrutiny and online bullying, which led her to take breaks from platforms such as Twitter. In 2024, she began a consistent daily fitness routine and later documented her gradual health journey while maintaining her commitment to size inclusivity.

Melissa Viviane Jefferson was raised in Detroit before her family relocated to Houston, Texas, when she was ten years old. She began classical flute training at an early age under Claudia Momen and performed in marching bands through high school. At age 14, she co-founded the musical group Cornrow Clique and adopted the stage name Lizzo, inspired by her nickname Lissa and Jay-Z's track "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)".

She attended the University of Houston on a music scholarship to study classical flute performance. Following the death of her father in 2009, she left college and spent a period living out of her car while pursuing a career in music. In 2011, she relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she became a fixture in the local music scene. She formed the electro soul-pop duo Lizzo & the Larva Ink, co-founded the female rap trio The Chalice, and performed with the hip-hop group Grrrl Prty. Her work in Minneapolis led to collaborations with prominent artists, including an appearance alongside Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune on Prince's 2014 track "BoyTrouble".

Lizzo released her independent hip-hop debut album, Lizzobangers, in October 2013, produced by Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson. The project earned critical acclaim and led to touring opportunities across the United States and the United Kingdom. Her second studio album, Big Grrrl Small World, arrived in December 2015 and featured "My Skin", a soulful song focused on body confidence that marked a defining moment in her songwriting style.

After signing with Atlantic Records, Lizzo released her first major-label extended play, Coconut Oil, in October 2016. The EP yielded the empowering anthem "Good as Hell", which was featured on the soundtrack for Barbershop: The Next Cut. To promote the project, she headlined the Good as Hell Tour in 2017 and joined major tour packages supporting Haim as well as Florence and the Machine.

Lizzo reached international prominence with the April 2019 release of her third album, Cuz I Love You. The record included hits such as "Juice" and "Tempo", a collaboration with Missy Elliott. Later that year, her 2017 single "Truth Hurts" gained viral momentum and climbed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven weeks. The track won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, while the album won Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Her fourth studio album, Special, arrived in July 2022 and debuted at the top tier of the charts. Its lead single, "About Damn Time", reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2023. Beyond recording, she expanded into acting and producing, providing voice work for UglyDolls, appearing in the 2019 film Hustlers, contributing the track "Pink" to the Barbie soundtrack, and creating the Emmy-winning competition series Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.

In August 2023, three former backup dancers filed a lawsuit against Lizzo, her production company, and her dance captain, alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Lizzo denied the allegations, characterizing them as false and sensationalized. In February 2024, a Los Angeles judge dismissed select claims, including allegations of weight-shaming, while allowing other parts of the suit to proceed. A separate lawsuit brought by a touring wardrobe designer was dismissed against Lizzo as an individual in December 2024.

Lizzo continued to release new music, issuing the single "Love in Real Life" in early 2025 followed by the mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling. She subsequently announced and released her fifth studio album, Bitch, in 2026.