Lizzo

About Lizzo

Melissa Vivianne Jefferson grew up in two distinct musical environments that shaped her approach to genre. Her Detroit childhood and church upbringing exposed her to gospel acts like The Winans and The Clark Sisters alongside secular artists such as Stevie Wonder and Elton John. At age 10, her family relocated to Houston, where she absorbed the city's underground chopped and screwed rap culture and the polished R&B of groups like Destiny's Child, an influence that sparked her initial interest in songwriting as a fifth grader.

Lizzo spent the next decade moving between varied musical projects, from R&B girl groups to progressive rock bands to electro-pop duos under the name Lizzo & The Larva Ink. In 2011, she relocated to Minneapolis with Larva Ink to tap into the city's collaborative music scene. Her profile elevated considerably through The Chalice, an all-female rap and R&B group formed with Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune. The group's 2012 album We Are The Chalice earned immediate local recognition and City Pages' Best New Band honors, though the rapid success left Lizzo creatively depleted and dealing with writer's block.

Lizzo's breakthrough came through an unexpected source: Lazerbeak's instrumental mixtape LAVA BANGERS. Reconnecting with her gospel roots while listening to the project, she reached out to Lazerbeak, who invited her to collaborate on demos. Producer Ryan Olson (of Totally Gross National Product and Gayngs) oversaw the project in his bedroom studio with hype-man Cliff Rhymes adding texture to her vocals. The resulting album, Lizzobangers, captured her full range of influences through the experimental production work of Beak and Olson. The Groove Hunter currently tracks 8 editions of Lizzo's vinyl releases, including pressings of Cuz I Love You in multiple variants and her collaboration on Barbie The Album.