In an age where “female empowerment” sometimes feels as though it has been reduced to a marketing device, Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson is a revelation. A rapper, singer, flautist, and nude-selfie enthusiast, the Houston-raised, Minneapolis-based star uses her platform to preach body positivity and self-love with bags of passion and wit.
Five years on from her debut album, and a month since the release of her acclaimed LP Cuz I Love You, Lizzo is finally garnering the attention that she has always told listeners she deserves.
“So, I hear you’re looking for a new Prime Minister…” she said leadingly at one point, tousling her hair for dramatic effect. As the entire room delightedly responded by chanting her name, it was clear that Lizzo’s chutzpah is even more enjoyable in the flesh.
Presenting a live show she jokingly described as “half music, half TED talk”, last night a PVC corset-clad Lizzo interspersed her slick, soul/funk/hip hop hybrid music with motivational monologues echoing her songs’ inclusive themes.
Retro R&B ballad Jerome was preceded by Lizzo decrying “f***boys”, while Soulmate was accompanied by a speech extolling the virtues of being your own best friend. Considered together with the lengthy ovations Lizzo’s every utterance received, and the show’s joyously twerk-heavy choreography, it was a set that fizzed with positivity.
Lizzo’s supple, muscular vocals were impressive, from the soulful sprawl of set-opener Cuz I Love You right up to the peppy climax of Juice. And though there’s increasingly less onus on rapping in her more recent, pop-focused material, she got the opportunity to unleash her agile skills on the tracks Phone and Tempo.
A multi-talented, magnetic performer with a strong message? To borrow her own lyric, Lizzo is “100 per cent that bitch”.
