This year, alternative hip hop singer and rapper, Lizzo is MEC’s 2017 Spring Concert artist pick. Born Melissa Jefferson, Lizzo grew up in Houston and wasn’t exposed to non-religious music until the age of 10. Growing up, one of her favorite artists was Missy Elliot. Telling Vogue earlier this year, “Missy Elliot was huge for me. She was someone who was not the industry norm of a pop star yet she was on top of the world doing it.” Jefferson has studied classical flute and received a classical flute degree from the University of Houston. But it was in Minneapolis that she found her voice.
Lizzo has released two full length albums, Lizzobangers (2013) and Big Grrrl Small World (2015); along with an EP called Coconut Oil (2016). She has recorded with a slew of artists including Prince, Clean Bandit, and Bastille. She has also appeared as a host of MTV’s “Wonderland,” a live-performance series shot at LA’s Imperial Art studio.
When writing music, she focuses not so much on producing hits, but instead on the impact the music will have on her listeners. Because of this thoughtfulness, Lizzo has become a symbol of self-love, body acceptance, feminism, and positivity. On body positivity, she claims that, “Visibility is important because it lets people know those opportunities are available. I want little girls to see me and my dancers and be like ‘Hey, I can do that too.’” Her dancers are The Big Grrls, a professional dance company comprised of women over size 14. Through music, Lizzo aims to make listeners feel empowered. In the same Vogue interview, Lizzo stated, “I don’t really care about having the number-one album; I care about the influence. I think there’s strength in numbers. I’d rather have 100k big girls on the field at the Super Bowl dancing, showing the world all we can do.”
Lizzo will be here on Saturday, April 1st. The show will be held on the Pause Main Stage, doors open at 8pm and the concert starts at 8:30pm. Tickets can be purchased at stolaftickets.com.
Photo Sources: Thumbnail and Image1 Photo by Jabari Jacobs
Information Sources: Nylon, mystatesman, LA Times, Vogue