Lizzo Says She Doesn’t Make Music For ‘White People’
Lizzo has spoken out about the criticism of her music that ‘disturbs’ her the most, insisting that she doesn’t make music for ‘white people’.
Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, is a singer and rapper who is known for her hits such as ‘About Damn Time’ and ‘Juice’.
The 34-year-old has dropped four studio albums and has won three Grammy awards.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Lizzo said the ‘biggest’ critique she’s received is that she makes music for a white audience.
She also declared that it’s ‘such a critical conversation’ regarding Black artists in her wide-ranging November cover issue story.
Watch as Lizzo speaks out about being oppressed while accepting a music award…
Lizzo said: “When Black people see a lot of white people in the audience, they think, ‘Well this isn’t for me, this is for them’.
“The thing is, when a Black artist reaches a certain level of popularity, it’s going to be a predominantly white crowd.
“I was so startled when I watched [YouTube clips of gospel great] Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who was an innovator of rock and roll.
“She was like ‘I’m going to take gospel and shred guitar’, and when they turned the camera around, it was a completely white audience.”
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The ‘Good as Hell’ singer went on to cite other Black artists who have drawn largely white audiences, including Beyoncé, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston.
She added that audiences for rap artists are currently ‘overwhelmingly white’.
“I am not making music for white people,” Lizzo said. “I am a Black woman, I am making music from my Black experience, for me to heal myself [from] the experience we call life.”
She went on: “If I can help other people, hell yeah.
“Because we are the most marginalised and neglected people in this country.
“We need self-love and self-love anthems more than anybody.
“So am I making music for that girl right there who looks like me, who grew up in a city where she was under-appreciated and picked on and made to feel un-beautiful? Yes.”
Lizzo said it ‘blows my mind’ when people say she’s not making music from a Black perspective.
“How could I not do that as a Black artist?” she questioned.
Lizzo recently hit the headlines after Yeezy founder and ‘Gold Digger’ rapper Kanye West, 45, made comments about her weight while attacking the body positivity movement.
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Kim Kardashian’s ex told Tucker Carlson of Fox News how his ‘good friend’ is regularly attacked on social media by ‘bots’ whenever she announces that she’s lost weight.
He said: “When Lizzo loses 10 pounds and announces it, the bots… on Instagram, they attack her losing weight because the media wants to put out a perception that being overweight is the new goal when it’s actually unhealthy.”
The ‘Bound 2’ star also accused the movement for being ‘clinically unhealthy’ and ‘demonic’.
Body positivity advocate Lizzo appeared less than impressed by the ‘Heartless’ singer’s remarks and appeared to address them at a gig in Toronto.
She told the crowd: “I feel like everybody in America got my motherf***ing name in [their] motherf***ing mouth for no motherf***ing reason.
“I’m minding my fat Black beautiful business.”
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