Until the recent allegations against her, I had a lot of admiration for Lizzo. Born Melissa Jefferson in Detroit, she went from niche hip hop artist to global superstar in a decade: not bad for a big, Black woman who sings, raps, twerks and is a classically trained flautist with her own clothing brand and TV show. Yeah, they definitely broke the mould when they made Lizzo.
So I went into this documentary for HBO Max with some suspicions. Would it be a glossy, Hallmark version of her life, raising her to goddess- like status? Well… Yes- and no.
Lizzo is a character as big as her frame, extremely talented and charismatic. She’s hilarious, outspoken and candid, even allowing cameras access to her when she’s less than graceful- a wig falling off during a photoshoot; crying over on/off lover Myke Wright, having a meltdown during onstage tech issues- but as the film progresses, it’s as though she cured cancer. She can seemingly do no wrong.
It seems fame has turned her head. There’s more than a little narcissism here. She seems to be surrounded by hangers-on 24/7, and they applaud her every utterance. Of course she talks a lot of sense, making statements like, “I’m Black, big, and a woman, so of course my being here is political” , but some genuine humility would be nice. That’s not in any way to downplay her achievements, and she’s so right- she says that when she shakes her ass, she faces a backlash; but implies that when Beyonce does, she is considered a feminist icon. She’s aware of the cultural lineage of twerking, and how her own image and body has been divisive. “Black has been made into a commodity…fat girls aren’t allowed to take up space”.
The most powerful scene happens as the news unfolds about the murder of Breonna Taylor. She’s forced to give a statement condemning the killimg, later sighing, “I’m sick of always having to speak out. I didn’t ask to be in this position. But here we are. It always falls to us (Black artists)” .
There’s a great deal to admire in this film. Lizzo is the consummate entertainer, filling the room with her energy, charm and incredible voice, somewhere between Chaka Khan and Lauryn Hill. It just seems to erupt from her.
But above all, it’s perhaps time to ditch the self- love anthems and replace them with bolder, more complex,nuanced lyrics. Dolly Parton did, Solange did, Kathleen Hanna did. Say She She did too. The next few years will be the real test for Lizzo. What happens after the stadium tours? And that’s the story I really want to see.
Available to watch on BBC I Player.
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