Lakita Wilson - Lizzo: Breakout Artist

lizzo

lizzo

Lakita Wilson

Lerner Publications Minneapolis

Breakout Artist

Copyright 2021 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

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Image credits: Kevin Mazur/AMA2019/dcp/Getty Images, pp. 2, 8; Emma McIntyre/dcp/Getty Images, p. 6; Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images, pp. 9, 23; Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images, p. 10; Annabel Staff/ Redferns/Getty Images, p. 11; Shareif Ziyadat/WireImage/Getty Images, p. 12; ANGELA WEISS/AFP/ Getty Images, p. 13; Gary Wolstenholme/Redferns/Getty Images, p. 14; Richard E. Aaron/Redferns/ Getty Images, p. 15; Steve Skjold/Shutterstock.com, p. 16; Kevin Mazur/The Recording Academy/Getty Images, p. 17; John Shearer/Getty Images, p. 18; PH888/Shutterstock.com, p. 19; Frazer Harrison/ Spotify/Getty Images, p. 20; Michael Boardman/WireImage/Getty Images, p. 21; VALERIE MACON/AFP/ Getty Images, p. 22; Charley Gallay/Pandora/Getty Images, p. 24; John Lamparski/Getty Images, p. 25; Timothy Norris/Coachella/Getty Images, p. 26; Kevin Winter/MTV/Getty Images, p. 27; Kevin Winter/ Getty Images, p. 28; Frederick M. Brown/BET/Getty Images, p. 29; Franziska Krug/Getty Images, p. 31; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images, p. 32; Francis Specker/CBS/Getty Images, p. 33; Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images, pp. 34, 35; Matt Jelonek/Wire Image/Getty Images, p. 36; Frederic LegrandCOMEO/Shutterstock.com, p. 37; Rich Fury/Coachella/Getty Images, p. Cover image: Kevin Mazur/AMA2019/dcp/Getty Images.

Main body text set in Rotis Serif Std Regular. Typeface provided by Adobe Systems.

Editor: Jordyn Taylor

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wilson, Lakita, author.

Title: Lizzo : breakout artist / Lakita Wilson.

Description: Minneapolis : Lerner Publications, 2021 | Series: Gateway biographies | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Audience: Ages | Audience: Grades | Summary: Lizzo started singing and rapping with musical groups in her hometowns of Houston and Minneapolis. With her fun lyrics, danceable beats, and positive message, shes become one of the biggest solo musicians in the world Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020003615 (print) | LCCN 2020003616 (ebook) | ISBN 9781541596788 (library binding) | ISBN 9781728413518 (paperback) | ISBN 9781728400297 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Lizzo, 1988Juvenile literature. | SingersUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. | Rap musiciansUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. | CYAC: Lizzo, 1988 | SingersUnited StatesBiography. | Rap musiciansUnited StatesBiography.

Classification: LCC ML3930.L579 W55 2020 (print) | LCC ML3930.L579 (ebook) | DDC 782.421649092 [B]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020003615

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020003616

Manufactured in the United States of America

1-47785-48225-4/29/2020

To all the girls who live out loud... keep going.

Contents

Lizzo fans love her style at awards shows. She carried this tiny purse to the 2019 American Music Awards.

O n November 24, 2019, Lizzo stepped onto the American Music Awards ( AMAs) carpet wearing long, dangling earrings; hair swooped up into a glamorous high ponytail; and a coral minidress. Her shoulder-bearing dress was beautiful, but it was her tiny purse that stole the show. Its custom theres only three in the world! Lizzo exclaimed, holding up the little white Valentino bag as cameras flashed. Instantly, images of Lizzo and her bag were all over social media. Millions of fans from around the world hit the Like button more than a million times. Celebrities filled her social media feeds with comments of approval under Lizzos posts.

Months earlier, Lizzo had learned that shed been nominated for three major awards at the AMAs: New Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Artist: Soul/ R&B, and Favorite Song: Soul/R&B for her single Juice. And Lizzo was proud of her music. She welcomed the recognition.

That evening Lizzo gave the audience a taste of her musical talents by performing her newest single, Jerome, in a floor-length raspberry- colored gown. She stood on a circular platform that slowly spun her around like a ballerina in a music box as she crooned about being too valuable to let an unworthy man bring her down. Lizzo hit the last note and sank to her knees as the audience rose for a standing ovation.

Many people in the room assumed Lizzo was a brand-new musical artist. But Lizzo had been singing for quite some time. She had already released two albums that went mostly unnoticed before shooting to stardom with her hit song Truth Hurts.

Truth Hurts was released in 2017. But the single became popular in 2018 when it was featured in the Netflix movie Someone Great . After that, streams of the song quadrupled. Lizzos management team rereleased the

Lizzos performance at the AMAs brought the audience to its feet.

song on her 2019 album Cuz I Love You , and soon Lizzos upbeat music was on playlists all over the world.