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Singer and rapper Lizzo, 33, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, recently opened up about her experience with fame in a recent interview with Variety.
Describing what becoming famous was like, Lizzo stated that fame did not change who she was, but the only difference it made was people's perception of her. She talked about her struggles with depression and anxiety, which did not really go away with fame coming her way.
The artist expressed,
"People become famous, and it’s like — my DNA didn’t change. Nothing changed about me. My anxiety didn’t go away. My depression didn’t go away. The things that I love didn’t go away. I’m still myself. But the way y’all look at me and perceive me has changed."
The star, who has been subjected to many racist and fatphobic comments online, has been open about mental health and body shaming issues, inspiring millions of people. While speaking to Variety, she mentioned how being famous made her lose her old self and her sense of privacy. Lizzo said,
"I had to talk to my therapist about the loss of who I was... I was going into dive bars and getting s***faced in 2018. And nobody knew who I was, and nobody was bothering me. By 2019, I noticed I couldn’t go to restaurants with my dancers and stuff."
However, the singer, who rose to fame almost overnight, is now accustomed to the much deserved attention. She told the outlet,
"It bummed me out, because you do lose a sense of your privacy and yourself, the old self. I’m good with it now. I’m fine. I’m young. I’m talented. I deserve the attention."
Lizzo's upcoming Amazon Prime show, Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, which documents her search for plus-size back-up dancers to give them the recognition they deserve, among other things, hits the streaming service on March 25.
A look back into Lizzo's rise to fame
Lizzo is a singer, rapper, flutist, and actress who was born in Detroit, Michigan and later moved to Houston, Texas with her family at the age of 10. Graduating from high school in 2006, she enrolled at the University of Houston, where she studied music and majored in classical flute performance.
However, she dropped out two years later. Following her father's death in 2010, Lizzo was forced to live in her car in order to pursue a career in music. Relocating to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2011, she started performing with local indie groups.
At the time, she formed a duo called Lizzo & The Larva Ink to create elctro soul-pop and then went on to form a three-woman R&B/rap group named The Chalice. In October 2013, the singer dropped her debut album Lizzobangers, which gained positive reviews from several critics.
Her second album, Big Grrrl Small World, was released in December 2015, showcasing her efficiency at both rapping and singing. In 2016, the musician signed with Atlantic Records, releasing her first EP, Coconut Oil, with her new label in October 2016. The EP focused on the themes of body positivity and self-love.
Her third studio album, Cuz I Love You, was dropped in April 2019, peaking at number four on Billboard's The 50 Best Albums of 2019 chart. However, her career took its biggest leap in 2019, when her 2017 track Truth Hurts became a huge hit after being part of a TikTok meme and the 2019 Netflix movie Someone Great.
Truth Hurts soon reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, making it Lizzo's first number one. The track also earned her a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance and two nominations too. Till date, Lizzo has received eight Grammy nominations with three wins.
