Lizzo, a powerhouse of female empowerment and body positivity

By: Kyle Spencer

Jr. Creative Editor

Powerhouse pipes, razor-sharp wit and a tireless commitment to self-love and self-care, Lizzo is the fearless pop star we needed.

Born Melissa Jefferson in Detroit, the singer and classically trained flutist discovered an early gift for music and began recording in Minneapolis shortly after high school. Her trademark self-confidence came less naturally.

She had to look deep down inside herself to a really dark place to discover what she really had. Perhaps that’s why her third album, “Cuz I Love You,” released April 19, 2019, sounded so triumphant. She incorporated explosive horns, club drums and swaggering diva attitude into her album to make it a great.

Her brand is about more than mic-drop zingers and big-budget features. On songs like “Better in Color”—a stomping, woke plea for people of all stripes to get together—she offered an important message: It’s not enough to love ourselves, we also have to love each other.

In “Cuz I Love You” Lizzo started out with big, brassy orchestral moment. This is just one of those songs that get you amped from the jump. Her extremely breathy voice matched the song perfectly.

With the next song “Like A Girl,” Lizzo intended for this to be a very meaningful and powerful piece. This was a very upbeat song with jumpy lyrics and a strong chorus.

           “Juice,” Lizzo’s favorite song on the album, had a larger message behind it. The lyrics behind the song were written to make people feel good and love themselves.

         “Soulmate” was a very self-empowering song. Lizzo sang about loving herself and loving the person in the mirror. It was a very upbeat song with a darker meaning behind it.

In “Jerome,” Lizzo slowed down the album. This was her first song with the X Ambassadors and Sam Harris. The song was finished in one day which says a lot about her as an artist because her voice is so different from everyone else.

           In “Cry Baby,” the lyrics were a direct anecdote to her life. It was a slow, groovy song swinging back and forth with every word she sang.

           “Tempo” was a song on the album that was unlike the rest of the album. The album has a lot of guitar and big, brassy instrumentation, but ‘Tempo’ was more of a trap song.

           With “Exactly How I Feel” featuring Gucci Mane, Lizzo sang about being proud of your emotions and not feeling like you have to hide them or fake them. Gucci Mane was a very nice addition to the song.

           In “Better in Color,” Lizzo sang about love and attraction. The song had a nice funk influence.

           Next, was “Heaven Help Me.” Lizzo had a nice piano beat that gave the song a very uplifting song while she belted notes out.

           Lizzo had a hard time coming up with how she wanted to word her last song “Lingerie.” However, this song really left you wanting more songs.

           Lizzo has grown science her first album and you can see that in this album and I’m looking forward to hearing more from her.