Charting Lizzo's journey: From aspiring singer to Grammy winner
One of the most popular names in the pop music industry today is Lizzo. The four-time Grammy Award winner has been singing since her teen days. She has had a successful career which continues to grow. From her early days to winning the most prestigious music award, we take a look at Lizzo's journey to becoming the chartbuster queen.
The early days of Lizzo
Born as Melissa Viviane Jefferson, or Lizzo, as she's known by her stage name, was brought up in Detroit, Michigan for a few years. She stayed there with her family until she turned nine, after which they moved to Houston, Texas. For the unversed, her name Lizzo was a nickname given to her by her Houston-based R&B group Cornrow Clique.
Music happened to Lizzo when she was 14
Much before she was signed by a record label, Lizzo had already begun her music career. She was only 14 years old when she began rapping and also started taking flute lessons, apart from joining various R&B groups. Lizzo also studied classical flute at the University of Houston. Though she did go to college, she eventually had to drop out.
Becoming a solo artist
When Lizzo turned 20, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where she joined more R&B groups. In 2013, Lizzo decided to embark upon her solo journey as an artist. "I told the universe I was never going to be a solo artist unless it was easy because I had tried and it didn't work," she said in an old interview.
'Lizzobangers' was her first solo project
Cut to 2015, Lizzo bagged her first deal with a record company. She was signed by Atlantic Records. Soon after, her first solo album, titled Lizzobangers came out. The album consisted of 15 tracks. Per the press release, the album was described as a "forward-thinking experimental production style of [Lazer] Beak and [Ryan] Olson." They are Indie hip-hop producers from Minneapolis.
Breakthrough and Grammy Awards
The breakthrough for Lizzo came with 2017's single Truth Hurts. Though the track wasn't much of a success upon its release, it eventually picked up after it was featured in a Netflix movie, making it her career-changing track. From there on, there's been no looking back for her. She has won four Grammy Awards by now- three in 2020 and one in 2023.
