Zoom on: Lizzo

LIZZO

The R&B star we didn’t know we needed

Self-love and self-care are what Lizzo is about. With her incredible vocals and radiating confidence, Lizzo is ready to take over the world with her new album «Cuz I Love You» and after listening to it, we decided we love her too.

On March 17, Melissa Jefferson posted an Instagram dedicated to the 10-year anniversary of the passing of her father: “I lost my superstar… I quit singing. I quit trying. 10 years later I am the superstar he worked so hard for me to become.” The world is a better place because Jefferson, better known as Lizzo, kept pushing. On April 19, she released her Atlantic records debut, Cuz I Love You. It’s an 11-track ride of boldness by way of hip hop swagger and joyful funk pop, featuring the likes of Missy Elliot and Gucci Mane. After beginning the year by dropping earworm “Juice,” it’s a relief to have Cuz I Love You in full.

“This is a way more confident Lizzo who believes in her confidence,” Lizzo explains about her album.“For the last three years, I’ve been working on myself and learning how to love who I am. There were moments that would’ve completely defeated me when I was younger. Instead, I was able to not just survive, but thrive. This is the person who I truly want to be. It’s a self-filling prophecy ready for the world. I really found my voice. I love it. I love my body. I love talking shit, and it’s what I’m doing,” she laughs.

Lizzo already has tours with Haim and Florence and the Machine under her belt. She’s been a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race and worked with Prince. Lizzo has been on the come up for a long time, from Houston to Minneapolis to Los Angeles, and, with her flute in tow, it is her time to shine (and “everybody gonna shine”).

“America’s Next Bop Star,” as she accurately refers to herself in her Twitter bio, has been making her rounds on the Cuz I Love Yout Tour. A highlight was a stop in Indio, California for two weekends of the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival. The relatively intimate Mojave stage was tightly packed for the high-energy set. Ahead of her set, she took to Instagram to post a slow-motion pool twerking video and renamed the weekend “ASSCHELLA.” She cemented this by making an appearance during Janelle Monae’s weekend one dance break during “I Got the Juice.” Lizzo knows so very well how to bring the party.

Her tour is sold out through May, even as she makes her way across the pond. Luckily, Lizzo has added more dates by adding another leg: Cuz I Love You Too.

The show will bring a summer sizzle across North America, beginning with Portland on July 18. She even had to add a second date to her stop at the iconic Hollywood Palladium. Lizzo will end the tour where she first kicked off Cuz I Love You, in San Francisco. This summer will be a victory lap of epic proportions.

Listen if you are a fan of:

Tierra Whack, Princess Nokia & Janelle Monae

One song to listen to:

“Tempo” ft Missy Elliott that will turn you up anywhere, anytime!

Words by Hayley Bosselman & Pam Charbit - PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED