Lizzo
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Lizzo seems to be done with having to deal with constant criticism online, saying “I quit” in a recent social media post.
In a surprising post, Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo publicly declared that she was through with the barrage of criticism she faced online, ending with the words, “I QUIT” with the peace sign emoji. “I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet,” she wrote. “All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it.” It wasn’t made clear what she was referring to.
The singer continued: “I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout & views,” she added. “Being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look … my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name. I didn’t sign up for this s—t.” The post was made a day after the superstar singer performed at a sold-out fundraising event for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign at Radio City Music Hall in New York City last Thursday (March 28), and another post made on March 17 wherein an upbeat mood she wrote that she was “writing some of the best music and I’m so excited for y’all to hear.”
Lizzo, also known as Melissa Viviane-Jefferson, rose to stardom with music celebrating self-love and body-positive acceptance. The 27-year-old has been under a cloud of controversy, dealing with one lawsuit first filed against her last year by three of her former dancers who alleged that the singer harassed them sexually and created a hostile work environment. Another lawsuit from a former designer was also filed against her. A judge denied her motion to dismiss the lawsuit outright from the dancers but did dismiss some of the claims made before allowing it to move to trial.
The post garnered heavy attention, with a bunch of commenters validating some of what Lizzo wrote in the post by throwing insults and jabs at her. Others wrote messages of support, including celebrity friends such as Hip-Hop icon Queen Latifah, comedian Eric Andre, and Paris Hilton, who wrote: “We love you Queen.”
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Photo: Leon Bennett/GA / Getty
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Azealia Banks is more known for her acidic remarks against fellow entertainers than her music these days but often displays a softer side despite her reputation. After apologizing to Lizzo, the Harlem rapper took aim at Busta Rhymes and essentially body-shamed the veteran MC.
Over the weekend, Azealia Banks took to her Instagram Stories feed and issued a written apology to Lizzo, complete with a tag.
“I was having a conversation last night and realized that I owe @lizzobeeating a huge apology for popping so much shit,” Banks began in the Stories thread.
She added, “If hip hop will allow a 55+ severely overweight @bustarhymes who exhibits major signs of anabolic steroid abuse, adrenal gland failure, and constipation, and will also allow him to have a face full of blackheads and acne from what appears to be testosterone shot abuse ALL whilst drinking molly water in 2023 and wearing cartoon-like Neon yellow fake gold slick Rick chains…We have absolutely no right to be trying to skewer a YOUNG black woman – for anything.”
For the record, Busta Rhymes turned 51 this past May.
It isn’t clear why Banks took the shot at Busta Rhymes but her apology to Lizzo seemingly stems from comments she made in 2019 about the singer’s weight and appearance and referred to her as a “millennial mammy” all while acknowledging her talents.
As of now, neither entertainer has responded to Azealia Banks.
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Photo: Lexie Moreland / Getty
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It seems Lizzo will have to defend her name against more allegations. Another former tour employee has filed a lawsuit claiming that she experienced hostile work conditions.
TMZ is reporting that Asha Daniels has filed a formal legal grievance against the entertainer. On Thursday, September 21 the complaint was filed at Los Angeles County Superior Court. The Hill obtained the documentation which states that Daniels experienced “degradation, forced physical labor, denial of medical care, sexual harassment, and racial harassment” when she worked in wardrobe for Lizzo’s tour starting in February 2023.
The filing goes into further detail on Asha’s time on the road with the singer. “Almost immediately, Plaintiff was introduced to the culture of racism and bullying on Lizzo’s tour,” the lawsuit stated. It added that the her dance team was “forced to change in and out of their clothing in small, tight, changing areas during all the shows with little to no privacy whatsoever” while staff members, who were reported to be primarily white males, crew “would lewdly gawk, sneer, and giggle while watching the dancers rush through their outfit changes.”
Daniels also says that the executive who offered her the position, Amanda Nomura, was especially toxic. She says Nomura, a Black woman, would frequently mock Lizzo and other women of color calling them “dumb”, “fat” and “useless.” Additionally, she says that she was asked to tone down her clothing choices as Lizzo would allegedly get upset if her boyfriend was around attractive women.
Asha also states that management was aware of Nomura’s behavior including tour manager Carlina Gugliotta who suggested Asha secretly record Amanda. Eventually, the plaintiff decided not to fearing secretly recording Nomura would be unethical and or unlawful. Daniels is represented by Neama Rahmani, the same lawyer who represented the three former dancers who filed against the “Special” singer back in August.
Lizzo’s spokesperson Stefan Friedman has responded to the new lawsuit saying the allegations are absurd. “As Lizzo receives a Humanitarian Award tonight from the Black Music Action Coalition for the incredible charitable work she has done to lift up all people, an ambulance-chasing lawyer tries to sully this honor by recruiting someone to file a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit who, wait for it, never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo.”
He went on to add, “We will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None.”
Lizzo had a healing inner child moment when she got to attend her longtime idol Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour — and saw her name on the big screen onstage. In a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday (June 27), the “Special” singer is seen getting misty-eyed while watching Bey perform her “Break My Soul (The Queens […]
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The Made In America Festival will be once again returning to Philadelphia over Labor Day Weekend. The 2023 headliners are dynamic singers SZA and Lizzo while Harlem rappers Cam’ron and Mase, amongst many other stars, will also be blessing the stage.
On Wednesday (June 14), Live Nation announce that the 2023 Made In America Festival will return to its usual home on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the City of Brotherly Love on Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3, 2023. The lineup is star-studded and includes Tems, Miguel, Ice Spice, Metro Boomin, Coi Leray, Latto, Lil Yachty, and more. Also being touted is a “special joint set” from Harlem rappers turned sports analysts Cam’ron and Mase.
The two-day festival will see the return of the Cause Village which highlights the work of numerous organizations whose causes include voter registration, education, LGBTQ+ rights, social justice and more.
Made In America 2023’s sponsors/partners include D’usse, HUD, the United States Virgin Islands and White Claw. You can cop tickets right now over at www.madeinamericafest.com.
Check out the full lineup below.
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Time for some more girl power on the American Idol judges panel. Katy Perry took part in Buzzfeed Celeb‘s popular Puppy Interview segment, where she answered a bunch of questions all while playing with the cutest puppies you’ve ever seen. In response to what the most challenging part of being an American Idol judge is, […]
Pop’s Queen of Flute has met her King of Flute!
Lizzo took to Instagram on Wednesday (May 3) to share a video playing alongside Irish virtuoso flute player and her longtime idol James Galway, whom she got to duet with for guests at the Met Gala earlier this week.
“Where do I begin…? When I was 11 years old and learning the flute I needed a challenge from my 5th grade level studies. So I found The Man with the Golden Flute by James Galway and it changed the trajectory of my life,” she captioned the post. “I learned most of the songs by ear because the sheet music was too difficult to read at the time but eventually I fell in love with virtuosic flute music and memorized The Carnival of Venice (James Version) when I was 14. My father heard that and took my flute very seriously, he bought me lessons from university level teachers and my parents eventually got me Sasha Flute to keep up.”
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The “Special” singer added that she performed “Amazing Grace” into Galway’s rendition of “The Carnival of Venice” at her father’s funeral. “Now, years later I had the honor to play beside Sir James Galway, and receive lessons from him and even play his alto flute. I can confidently say I wouldn’t be the musician I am today without his influence. Thank you for everything this week @sirjamesgalway ! You are truly the King of Flutes and I can’t wait to play with you again.”
See her full post below.
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TikTok’s favorite hair tool was busy behind the scenes at the 2023 Met Gala on Monday (May 1). The Dyson Airwrap helped create Lizzo’s sleek updo, which paid homage to Audrey Hepburn, her makeup artist Alexx Mayo and hairstylist, Shelby Swain, revealed to InStyle.
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The “Special” singer got dolled up in Charlotte Tilbury makeup to achieve her “soft, feminine timeless glam.” Lizzo’s red carpet look was a “futuristic” twist on Hepburn’s “timeless” style, and she’s wasn’t alone in channeling the acting legend. Olivia Rodrigo hit the carpet in a Hepburn-inspired hairstyle that was created using Dove hair styling products.
Meanwhile, Swain used the Airwrap to transform Lizzo’s mane into an updated version of Hepburn’s classic bun. “This is not a tool, it is a system,” Swain said of the Airwrap.
The $600 multi-styler is equipped with barrels to curl and wave in both directions; brushes to control and shape the hair; and a multi-functional Coanda smoothing dryer that dries, smooths and hides flyaways.
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, the Dyson Airwrap makes a great gift for the mom who could use a new hair tool. The Airwrap is available at Dyson.com as well as retailers such as Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Best Buy and Nordstrom, but it’s usually sells out around holidays like Mother’s Day, and some retailers like Dyson and Nordstrom are already low in stock.
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The Airwrap is available in a few different colors including nickel/copper and the special-edition Prussian blue. However, the limited-edition blue colorway comes with a free travel pouch valued at $120 (when you purchase at Dyson.com).
According to Forbes, Best Buy rewards members can score 20% off the copper Dyson Airwrap. You can also check Sephora for member-only deals on haircare products and tools such as the Airwrap.
From TikTok to YouTube, Dyson’s bestselling Airwrap reigns as one of the top multi-stylers on the market, but if it’s too pricey for your budget, check out this $39 Airwrap dupe.
Lizzo is an OG Destiny’s Child fan. So much so, the star saw the trio perform at Walmart back when she was just in the fifth grade.
The “Good as Hell” four-time Grammy winner sat down with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up crew this week, where she discussed her mission to tell Beyoncé, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland about her attendance at the throwback retail gig. “It has been a goal of mine to tell every single member of Destiny’s Child that I saw them perform at Walmart in the fifth grade,” Lizzo revealed. “I told Michelle Williams years ago at Bonnaroo and I was like, ‘OK, one member down, two to go.’”
Lizzo went on to share that she told Bey the news at the 2023 Grammys, and then saw Rowland at dinner later that night. “Beyoncé was like [to Rowland], ‘Do you know she was at the show at the Walmart? I tell people we performed at Walmart all the time and they do not believe me,’” Lizzo recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, y’all performed at a Walmart on Dunvale and Westheimer in Houston, Texas.’ […] Kelly was like, [gasps] ‘You were there?’”
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Both Lizzo and Beyoncé had big nights at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, with “About Damn Time” winning record of the year.
Bey, meanwhile, made history at the ceremony, becoming the artist with the most awards in Grammy history. This year, the superstar won four awards, including two in the dance/electronic category.
Adele‘s “I Drink Wine” reached a new level at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 5), thanks to Lizzo.
The “Good as Hell” singer joined Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on Friday morning (Feb. 10), where she revealed that she and Adele had a bit too much to drink while reflecting on her record of the year win for “About Damn Time.”
“I was so drunk. Me and Adele were drinking so much that we didn’t even really know what the categories were at this point,” Lizzo said, before adding, “We were like, ‘Wait. Did they do best new artist?’ We didn’t even know when it was time and they would just call out names so we were like, ‘Smile, smile.’”
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“When they called my name I was in total shock because I didn’t expect to win at all,” she continued. Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” beat out ABBA’s “Don’t Shut Me Down,” Adele’s “Easy on Me,” Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Mary J. Blige’s “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Brandi Carlile’s “You and Me on the Rock,” Doja Cat’s “Woman,” Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit,” Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the award.
“I had zero say in where I was sitting,” Lizzo revealed when asked about her seat at Adele’s table and next to Styles. “But Adele had 100% say in where she was sitting.”
She continued, “Adele FaceTimed me when I was at Grammy rehearsal a few days before and she was like ‘Oh my god, oh my god, we’re sitting next to each other.’”
Then, the star shared that she she packed a flask of tequila for herself and one with white wine for the “Rolling in the Deep” singer. “I brought it for Adele and then I drank hers,” she said with a laugh.
Watch the full interview below.