Minneapolis alt-rapper/singer/songwriter Lizzo has been building buzz, earning props for her new album Big Grrrl Small World and a spot at Boston Calling, which boasts a badass female artist-heavy lineup that includes Sia, Robyn, Haim, Janelle Monáe and Elle King. “I’m just so excited to be in the company of strong women,” Lizzo says. “There are so many festivals where it’s just a sausage fest.” She shared some real talk in preview of her appearance at the fest, which hits City Hall Plaza May 27-29.
WOULD YOU CALL YOURSELF A SOCIAL ACTIVIST? Labels can be negative, and I’m just very fortunate that the labels that have been superimposed on me and my movement and my music are positive. So I accept social activism, because I am socially active. I accept “body-positive rapper” because I am pretty positive about my body, you know? I accept “feminist rapper” because I do stand for women’s rights, and for human rights. So fuck yeah! I’m a social activist because socially I don’t choose to be inactive. Socially I’m woke.
YOUR SONG “MY SKIN” REMINDS ME A BIT OF BEYONCÉ’S “FORMATION” IN ITS MESSAGE. DO YOU SEE THAT? First off, any comparison to Beyoncé is a day well made. But I will say this about “Formation.” … Everybody’s up in arms about a woman who just wants to celebrate her blackness. And why does that have to be such a big deal? … When they came out with “I’m proud to be an American,” nobody was fucking mad over in fucking France!
WHO’S AN ARTIST THAT INSPIRED YOU? Missy Elliott inspired me. Seeing a woman like her kill it and be freaky and sexual and dance her butt off and make amazing music—not only produce, but write and sing and rap—to be so cutting-edge and ahead of her time, and to make a platform for women who didn’t look like the picture-perfect women that were on a pedestal in the ’90s, it was inspiring to see. I memorized all her songs, I watched all her music videos, I learned all the choreography. She made me believe I could actually do it.
Spring into Action: Music
By Alexandra Cavallo | Photo Credit: Brad Ogbonna | March 12, 2016
Grrrl Power
Minneapolis alt-rapper/singer/songwriter Lizzo has been building buzz, earning props for her new album Big Grrrl Small World and a spot at Boston Calling, which boasts a badass female artist-heavy lineup that includes Sia, Robyn, Haim, Janelle Monáe and Elle King. “I’m just so excited to be in the company of strong women,” Lizzo says. “There are so many festivals where it’s just a sausage fest.” She shared some real talk in preview of her appearance at the fest, which hits City Hall Plaza May 27-29.
WOULD YOU CALL YOURSELF A SOCIAL ACTIVIST? Labels can be negative, and I’m just very fortunate that the labels that have been superimposed on me and my movement and my music are positive. So I accept social activism, because I am socially active. I accept “body-positive rapper” because I am pretty positive about my body, you know? I accept “feminist rapper” because I do stand for women’s rights, and for human rights. So fuck yeah! I’m a social activist because socially I don’t choose to be inactive. Socially I’m woke.
YOUR SONG “MY SKIN” REMINDS ME A BIT OF BEYONCÉ’S “FORMATION” IN ITS MESSAGE. DO YOU SEE THAT? First off, any comparison to Beyoncé is a day well made. But I will say this about “Formation.” … Everybody’s up in arms about a woman who just wants to celebrate her blackness. And why does that have to be such a big deal? … When they came out with “I’m proud to be an American,” nobody was fucking mad over in fucking France!
WHO’S AN ARTIST THAT INSPIRED YOU? Missy Elliott inspired me. Seeing a woman like her kill it and be freaky and sexual and dance her butt off and make amazing music—not only produce, but write and sing and rap—to be so cutting-edge and ahead of her time, and to make a platform for women who didn’t look like the picture-perfect women that were on a pedestal in the ’90s, it was inspiring to see. I memorized all her songs, I watched all her music videos, I learned all the choreography. She made me believe I could actually do it.
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