Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27th, 1988), better known by her stage name Lizzo, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. Hailing from Detroit, Lizzo began her music career in 2011 when she was a part of two groups, Lizzo & the Larva Ink and The Chalice. Her debut hip-hop album, Lizzobangers, was released in 2013 before being named as one of Time’s 14 music artists to watch for in 2014.
After gaining notoriety, Lizzo began collaborating with some of the industry’s most iconic artists, including Prince in 2014. Two years after her debut, Lizzo returned with her second studio album, Big Grrrl Small World, which was released to critical acclaim.
In 2016, Lizzo signed with Atlantic Records and released Coconut Oil, which featured her breakout hit, “Good as Hell.” Coconut Oil would be Lizzo’s first project to chart, peaking at No. 44 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. This would only be the start of her charting success, as her 2019 follow-up project, Cuz I Love You, would debut at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 before reaching its peak spot at No. 4.
She would then earn her first chart-topping hit with 2017’s “Truth Hurts,” a track that gained popularity two years after release thanks in part to social media and inclusion in the Netflix film Someone Great. “Truth Hurts” would last seven weeks in the Billboard Hot 100’s No. 1 spot, and after being added to the deluxe version of Cuz I Love You, it led to the album being certified gold by the RIAA.
At the 2020 Grammy Awards, Lizzo would take home three awards: Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Solo Pop Performance, and Best Traditional R&B Performance. The year 2022 saw Lizzo atop the Billboard Hot 100 again with her single, “About Damn Time.” The hit belongs to her fourth album, Special, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
