Lizzo: From Obscurity to Empowerment Anthem Queen
It wasn’t instant success for Lizzo. She released her debut album Lizzobangers in 2013, but none of the tunes gained much traction.
In fact, her early singles—both from that album and standalone releases—as well as the follow-up Big Grrrl Small World (2015), failed to chart or sell in any meaningful way.
The first release to make an impact was the Coconut Oil EP (2016), which featured Good As Hell. Although it didn’t take off straight away, it laid the foundation for her future success.
Coconut Oil introduced themes of body positivity and self-love—messages that would become central to Lizzo’s identity and contribute greatly to her breakthrough.
As public conversations around LGBTQ rights and plus-sized representation gained momentum, Lizzo began to thrive.
It was as if the stars aligned in 2017 when she released Boys, her first charting single, which reached #1 in Israel.
With playful lyrics celebrating her attraction to a wide variety of men, Lizzo proudly presented her unapologetic approach to life and dating.
Her third album, Cuz I Love You (2019), featured the single Juice, and for the first time, Lizzo started to chart consistently—perhaps not at the top just yet, but across numerous countries.
Eventually, Juice sold 2 million copies in the U.S., with the album reaching half that.
A Change Was Gonna Come – But Not Like This
Other singles from the album include Tempo and Truth Hurts, although the latter only appears on the deluxe version.
Truth Hurts would become a sleeper hit – a tune that, over time, does incredibly well. At the time of writing, it’s her most-played track on Spotify.
The same goes for Good As Hell; it gradually became a globally recognised tune, despite not topping the charts upon release.
In 2019, Lizzo also recorded a cover of Stayin’ Alive (Bee Gees) for the comedy horror Happy Death Day 2U.
The following year, she performed Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come for the charity GlobalCitizen.org, clearly showcasing her vocal talent and general goodwill.
By 2021, with the release of her album Special, Lizzo had become a global phenomenon. She featured in major music videos, headlined festivals, and appeared on talk shows. She was hailed as a role model for the body-positive, all-inclusive, and tolerant movement.
The single About Damn Time continued this theme of self-love and body positivity and became an instant hit – no slow burn this time.
Lizzo had now cemented her place as the voice of her generation, promoting acceptance, inclusivity, and a stand against racism, homophobia, fatphobia, or judgment of any kind.
And then, in mid-2023, the headlines broke: Lizzo was being sued by former employees for exactly the things she claimed to stand against. Accusations of body-shaming and publicly humiliating her dancers surfaced.
Her gigs were cancelled, and even the Super Bowl halftime show dropped her as more and more people came forward, claiming Lizzo wasn’t who she said she was.
Are these people trying to take Lizzo down, or do they have a point? We’ll have to wait and see.
Lizzo Tunes | Related Pages
A Change Is Gonna Come | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, chord analysis, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| G | G | Am | Em |
I was born by the river, in a little tent, oh and just like that river I’ve been…
Start learning with the full lesson series: A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke) Guitar Lessons with TAB.
About Damn Time | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play About Damn Time by Lizzo using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bbm | Bbm | (guitar only)
It’s bad bitch o’clock, yeah, it’s thick-thirty…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: About Damn Time (Lizzo) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Juice | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Juice by Lizzo using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Dm7 | F7sus4 F7 |
Mirror, mirror on the wall don’t say it ’cause I know I’m cute (ooh, baby).
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Juice (Lizzo) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Stayin’ Alive | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Fm7 | Eb Fm |
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk…
Lizzo on the web
