Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas, where she began performing, before moving to Minneapolis, where she began her recording career. Before signing with Nice Life and Atlantic Records, Lizzo released two studio albums—Lizzobangers (2013), and Big Grrrl Small World (2015). Lizzo's first major-label EP, Coconut Oil, was released in 2016.
She attained mainstream success with the release of her third studio album Cuz I Love You (2019), which peaked inside the top five of the US Billboard 200. The album spawned two singles: "Juice" and "Tempo". The deluxe version of the album included Lizzo's 2017 single "Truth Hurts", which became a viral sleeper hit, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 two years after its initial release. Around this time, her 2016 single "Good as Hell" also climbed the charts, reaching the top ten of the UK Singles Chart and the Hot 100. Lizzo received eight nominations at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the most for any artist that year, including Album of the Year for the deluxe version of Cuz I Love You, Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Truth Hurts", as well as Best New Artist. She eventually won the awards for Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Pop Solo Performance for "Truth Hurts", and Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Jerome".