Lizzo is a superstar; a busy, hardworking artist whose career trajectory has been amazing and inspiring to behold. Her most recent album, Special, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Concurrently with her music, Lizzo’s streaming TV series, Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, won an Emmy Award. Now, Lizzo is getting ready to embark on her Special arena tour. “The biggest form of flattery and gratitude is buying a ticket to my show and showing up for me,” Lizzo says. “I always say that's more than streams, more than views, more than likes on the internet. When you buy a ticket to my show, it just means the world to me.”

Despite her busy schedule, Lizzo recently took the time to connect with The Current Morning Show’s Jill Riley, where the two got to talk about everything going on in Lizzo’s life — and vitally, the effect it has on other people. 

Watch and listen to the interview above, and read a transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Edited for time and clarity.

Jill Riley: You are listening to The Current. I'm Jill Riley. And I've been looking forward to, at some point, checking in with an artist that we hold very near and dear to our hearts here in Minnesota. I think it was just last year, I checked in with Lizzo about the single "Rumors," the one that she made with Cardi B. And I remember ending that interview by asking, "Hey, are we going to get a new album?" And yes, there was a little bit of an indication, there was an indication that Lizzo was working in the studio. And here we are with the update, and so much has happened. Lizzo how are you? It's so, so good to talk to you. So good to see you.

Lizzo: I'm great! A lot is, like we just said, a lot has happened since "Rumors." It's funny, because before this interview, me and you just had a little, you know, come-together and catch-up. So, but yeah, I feel [sighs], I feel very calm. I'm getting ready for tour. Like, it's finally here. And I'm like, I can't believe it's here.

Jill Riley: Yeah, it's incredible. I mean, we have a lot to cover. So let's let's, you know, we want to talk about the tour, of course, and the recent Emmy Awards and your recent Emmy. The album, Special, I mean, dropping over the summer, like, it couldn't have been a better time, especially for a song like "It's About Damn Time." I mean, it was such a jam this summer. And I know your record Special. debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 album chart. And, you know, we were like, you know, breaking down the numbers, we love sharing the fun facts. But I know it was, I mean, that's such a big thing! 

Lizzo: It's a big deal! It's my highest debut ever. Like, I'm just really proud of myself, you know? It's only up.

Jill Riley: As you should be, as you should be. And I know that, hey, you know, Beyoncé put out a little record called Renaissance, and it was like, the Lizzo record and the Beyoncé record were like, just ruling at the same time. 

Lizzo: Yeah.

Jill Riley: Yeah. And so how does that feel? I mean, still to this day, I know you have such an admiration for Beyoncé. And, you know, to this day, I mean, can you just like even believe it that, you know, you're kind of in this world and living this life?

Lizzo: It's, it is very surreal. I think the peak of the surrealness was when Beyoncé dropped the Queen's remix of "Break My Soul," and she said my name in between Kelly Rowland and Erykah Badu's, and I was like, "Wait run that back?" Like, you know, not only are we dropping music at the same time, but she sees me as a contemporary. And that is just like it; I can't even really wrap my mind around that part, okay? What I do love is that she and I both got the universal memo, somehow, and we put out this like dance music that was just going to help people, like, move through, you know? Because there's so much that has transpired in the last few years that people really need help moving through, and there's so many different ways we can help. And music is just the one way the one little way I got that I know I can help people with, and so it's just been a very incredible summer. Summer's not over because it's hot as hell. And so let's just keep it going. I just want to help people, you know?

Jill Riley: Yeah. And as we're, you know, kind of on the other side of this, you know, the peak of the pandemic and what everybody's been through, like you said, you know, the past couple years, but to be able to have music that makes us feel like we can celebrate and we can celebrate each other and celebrate ourselves  and celebrate together in an arena because the your arena tour, it's like you're gonna be all over the country. You know, two dates at, what? Madison Square Garden in New York. Then you've got I know two dates like to round things up in L.A. But there are some really special dates in there, I'd have to imagine, like when you're hitting Detroit and Houston and coming to St. Paul. 

Lizzo: Yeah, I am still like: I have no words because I can't believe that tour is actually happening because the way my tour halted in 2020, I kind of have this weird like, I don't want to call it, like PTSD, but it's like, is this really going to happen?

Jill Riley: Is it real? Right.

Lizzo: Is it real? And the fact that it's arenas. Like, I've never played in arena tour ever; like, I've always done theaters and larger rooms, ballrooms and stuff like that. So like, the fact that this many people want to come to my show as well is just, like, mind blowing to me, because that's the biggest form of flattery and gratitude is buying a ticket to my show and showing up for me. I always say that's more than streams, more than views, more than likes on the internet. When you buy a ticket to my show, it just means the world to me. So I'm so excited to like play this music for people. I'm doing the whole damn album! And then some. So I'm just ready to go. Sophia Eris with me too!

Jill Riley: Oh, awesome! Yeah, it's the Special tour. It's making a stop at the Xcel Energy Center here in St. Paul. I'm talking with Lizzo. And there are a lot of people that are going to come out in St. Paul, because I just got word that the Xcel Energy Center, that show is sold out.

Lizzo: Yeah, it is.

Jill Riley: That's incredible!

Lizzo: Thank you!

Jill Riley: That's so awesome. Yeah. So, you know, like, the tour, you know, and thinking about, like, how you've been mentally preparing for tour, it just makes me kind of just reflect on when I was, you know, watching the show, when I was watching Lizzo's Watch Out For The Big Grrrls; like, we got kind of an insight of what it looks like to prepare for a show, to prepare for tour. And it's pretty incredible. I'm talking with Lizzo here on The Current, the new album, Special, just dropped last summer. The arena tour, she's going all around the country; looking forward to the St. Paul stop. But you know, we've been talking a lot about you this week. We've been talking a lot about you after the Emmys. You know, we're just so delighted and proud to see you stand on that stage and take that Emmy for Outstanding Competition Program, you know, for the show I was just referencing. How did it feel to be on that stage? And I know it's probably hard to put it into words. But if you had to, if you really had to, what did it feel like to be standing there accepting that award?

Lizzo: Well, I didn't expect to win. So I'll start there. So imagine you're not expecting to win. Because I didn't want to put expectations on anything. And then they say your name, and you're just like, everything... Have you ever done, like, mushrooms? Like everything just kind of got like very like wavy, and started kind of like, peeling apart? And you're like, "Oh, shit..." you know? And you have to go up there, and you have to accept it. This was different for me because it wasn't — even though it was music, it was in tandem with my music — it wasn't music related. It wasn't like, you know, you got this for singing or for performing. It felt different. Not having that be a part of this win. And all of the girls were in the crowd, like we had made sure we got tickets. Everybody. We was making sure; we strong-armed the damn tickets, and we got every girl in the crowd. And I was like, you know, this is bigger than the show; this is bigger than me. And it's like, I'm still processing what the win means for girls who look like me, people who look like me, or people who felt like me, you know, marginalized and not seen in the media, the representation, and being awarded for that representation, what that's going to mean for the future. So I'm honored. I'm grateful. I know I'm just a vessel for change. And, you know, that's all I ever aim to be.

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Lizzo here on The Current. I know at the MTV VMAs, you know, you want that Video For Good award for "To Be Loved." And I think that's even just reflective of what you're talking about, even with the Emmy, is that it represents so much more. I just thought you said it beautifully when you were on the stage, you know, talking about when you were a kid, and if you wanted to see someone who represented you, like if you could go back and tell the kid version, like "You're gonna see that, but you're gonna be the one to do it." And I mean, I think that that really speaks to, you know, a couple of things there; you mentioned representation. But, like, following a dream and taking action, you know? Because I know you; you have worked. You have worked hard, you know? We watched you work hard in the Twin Cities. And we knew that when when you took off for L.A., that it's like, "She's gonna make it." You know? And so I think that's a really great message too, is that, especially with the show, I felt like there was such a message of support and a message of representation. I mean, that really was the gist that I took away.

Lizzo: The support and like, women supporting women, and not just that blanket term, but it's like Black girls supporting Black girls and creating a safe space, like me creating a safe space for all of these women who have been told no, who have been so mistreated by the world, by the industry, and giving them the opportunity to live their dreams when a lot of them gave up. You know, a lot of them gave up before they even started. Because they were like, "I've never seen, you know, a plus-size trans woman dancing on stage in arenas. So why would I be that person?" And to have someone like Jayla, you know, find herself and become a superstar. And, you know, so many other incredible stories, like, of women just finding their confidence and discovering themselves. Like Charity feeling like she was too old. And like, she's like, "I'm too old to be a dancer." And now it's like, she's able to, you know, say that "It ain't about my age, it's about my abilities, and I'm very able, and I'm capable." Like, you know, it's, every episode makes me cry. And I was editing them episodes, too. I was watching them edit, and I still cry every single time! So it's the power in their stories, which was another thing I was trying to convey on stage, but I kinda was drunk and blacked out. But I'm like, these stories are not that unique. They just don't get the platform. You know, like, it's not even about diverse stories; just tell more like, instead of the same story over and over, because that was what was so compelling about this show, was their stories, you know?

Jill Riley: Yeah, and, you know, to have the platform to tell people's stories and in your involvement as a mentor, and someone encouraging them to support each other and the way that you work behind the scenes. I mean, your vision really came through on the show. And so I just thought you did a great job. So for anybody listening, if you've heard about the show, you haven't watched it yet, you can find it on Amazon, Lizzo's Watch Out For The Big Grrrls. And you can find Grammy Award and Emmy Award-winning Lizzo coming to a city near you; St. Paul, October 11. Sold-out show. Congratulations. Lizzo, it's so good to check in with you. And I'm sure the next time we talk, we're going to be having I think the conversation about how like you're one award away from the EGOT I have a feeling. Let's get this girl in Oscar, let's get this girl a Tony.

Lizzo: I appreciate you. And though I have been writing, you know, hip-hoperas, and musical ideas since I was in high school, and even though, you know, I do love the idea of acting, and I've done a little acting, any project that I do won't be for that purpose. I didn't make Watch Out For The Big Grrrls for an Emmy; I didn't make "Cuz I Love You" for Grammys. And I feel like that is my recipe. I'm just gonna keep doing things for me, and doing things to help others. 

Jill Riley: I think there's a big story of success there of like being your authentic self, and really being true to yourself like that. It seems to be a key to success. So is there anything, final thoughts that you want to leave with the audience today? I mean, I know that you, again, like, I connect you with the word "action." You know, I know that you took some big action with, you know, donating money to Planned Parenthood after the news came out, you know, of the Roe versus Wade being overturned. And I mean, that's it. Like, that's the support, that's taking action.

Lizzo: Yes. I mean, and this is the tour that's going to be, you know, helping with the donations and giving those funds and Live Nation matching that to make a million dollars. This is the pledge in action. And we're also going to have other things; like, we're going to have Headcount at every stop on this tour to help people with voter registration. Like, you know, I'm always just about sharing a platform and being a mirror to show people their own power, because you have it. I had to discover my own power, you know, and it wasn't easy, but when I stepped into it, you know, I have no regrets. So, you know, I just want to empower people, because you have it, but we just weren't always taught to see it.

Jill Riley: Lizzo, good to see you. I can't wait to see you when you're back in town. And I just like, love this tour. We're so proud of you, and you take care, okay? Have fun on the road.

Lizzo: Thank you. I'll see y'all soon.

Jill Riley: Okay, bye bye.

Lizzo: Bye.

Credits

Guest – Lizzo
Host – Jill Riley
Producer – Rachel Frances
Video and Audio – Eric Xu Romani
Graphics – Natalia Toledo
Digital Producer – Luke Taylor

External Link

Lizzo - official site