Lizzo Says She Isn’t ‘Making Music For White People’

Lizzo

Lizzo Says She Isn’t ‘Making Music For White People’ While Speaking On Her Music Style As A Black Artist: We Need Self-Love Anthems More Than Anybody

Pop star Lizzo has set the record straight on her target audience when it comes to her uplifting tracks she releases.

During a recent interview, singer/song-writer Lizzo, 34, delivered insight into her art and spoke on the criticism that affects her the most — that she makes music for a white audience.

Lizzo

Born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, she addressed the reasoning why internet critics appear to believe her music is specifically for a white audience and how she navigates the music industry as a Black artist. Lizzo shared,

“That is probably the biggest criticism I’ve received, and it is such a critical conversation when it comes to Black artists. When Black people see a lot of white people in the audience, they think, well this isn’t for me, this is for them. The thing is, when a Black artist reaches a certain level of popularity, it’s going to be a predominantly white crowd.”

Lizzo

In the interview, the “Juice” singer also explained her inspiration behind her music and wrote,

“This has happened to so many Black artists: Diana Ross, Whitney, Beyoncé….. Rap artists now, those audiences are overwhelmingly white. I am not making music for white people. I am a Black woman, I am making music from my Black experience, for me to heal myself from the experience we call life. If I can help other people, h*ll yeah. Because we are the most marginalized and neglected people in this country. We need self-love and self-love anthems more than anybody. So am I making music for that girl right there who looks like me, who grew up in a city where she was underappreciated and picked on and made to feel unbeautiful? Yes. It blows my mind when people say I’m not making music from a Black perspective -how could I not do that as a Black artist?” – story by Lisa Robinson @vanityfair” 

Reports state the backlash bothered the Grammy-winning superstar until she got into the “real world” and connected with Black women who told her that her music inspired them. The more her music became mainstream, the more she started to connect with people who see her for who she really is. Lizzo explained,

“Not ‘that girl, she’s always happy, it’s not real,’ but instead, ‘She’s really good and her music is good, believe her.’ That is what I’m moving into now, and it’s a beautiful place to be. I finally feel I can relax and have a cocktail.”

In July, Lizzo released her second major-label studio album, “Special.” Within days of the release, “Special” debuted at number two on the Billboard charts and the single “About Damn Time” went to number one.

What do you think about what Lizzo shared? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

[VIA]