Lizzo, who was born Melissa Jefferson on April 27, 1988, has been familiar with music since childhood. She grew up listening to gospel at her home, taking flute lessons and playing in her school's marching band. Lizzo only began rapping when she was 14, forming a group called Cornrow Clique with her friends.

After graduating high school, she studied classical flute performance at the University of Houston. However, the death of her father when she was 20 devastated her and she later moved to Minneapolis in 2011 to look for a fresh start. There, she performed with several groups including Lizzo & the Larva Ink and the Chalice. During this time, she also worked with Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson to produce her own music. In October 2013, she released her debut album "Lizzobangers" to regional and national success.

That year also saw the musician touring the U.S. and the U.K. as the opening act for Har Mar Superstar and winning City Pages' "Picked to Click" award for best Twin Cities artist. In addition to that, she was named one of 14 music artists to watch in 2014 by Time in late 2013.

Lizzo spent half of 2014 by performing onstage. She shared the stage with St. Paul and the Broken Bones to perform "A Change Is Gonna Come" and appeared as the musical guest on "The Late Show with David Letterman". Later in September, she got to work with Prince on "BoyTrouble" off his album "Plectrumelectrum".

Lizzo got her first break in the following year, when she unleashed her sophomore album "Big Grrrl Small World" on December 11 to widespread critical acclaim. The success of the effort led her to sign a record label deal with Atlantic Records. Her first major-label release, "Coconut Oil", hit the stores on October 7, 2016. It was Lizzo's first release to chart, peaking at No. 44 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. In support of the extended play, Lizzo embarked on "Good as Hell Tour" in 2017. She also toured with Haim and Florence + the Machine, as well as hosted MTV's "Wonderland". Also in 2017, she issued the single "Truth Hurts".

Becoming an advocate for body positivity and self-love after struggling with body issues at an early age, Lizzo spent 2018 campaigning the issue. She appeared in ModCloth's "Say It Louder" campaign which highlighted body inclusivity and celebrated individuality in addition to walking the runway at FIT's Future of Fashion show by Grace Insogna at an LGBTQ event at Pride Island.

Lizzo made her return to the music industry in January 2019, releasing a song titled "Juice" off her third studio album "Cuz I Love You". The effort was unleashed on April 19, the same month she made her Coachella debut. Launching at No. 6 on Billboard 200, "Cuz I Love You" became her first album to chart on Billboard 200 in addition to marking her first top ten album.

Lizzo headlined a couple of festivals in June, Indy Pride Festival in Indianapolis and Sacramento Pride Festival in Sacramento. Also in the same month, she earned praises for her performance at the 2019 BET Awards, where she played the flute onstage.