*Lizzo says Black artists have been cut off from pop music.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about her journey as a Black pop star, the “Special” singer talked about the racist origins of pop music and how her own artistry can be compared to musical icons such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.
“I think if people did any research they would see that there was race music and then there was pop music. And race music was their way of segregating Black artists from being mainstream, because they didn’t want their kids listening to music created by Black and brown people because they said it was demonic,” she told the publication.
“So then there were these genres created almost like code words: R&B, and then of course eventually hip-hop and rap was born from that. I think when you think about pop, you think about MTV in the ’80s talking about “We can’t play rap music” or “We can’t put this person on our platform because we’re thinking about what people in the middle of America think” — and we all know what that’s code for,” Lizzo continued.
READ MORE: Lizzo Upbeat as She Releases Date for ‘Love, Lizzo’ HBO Max Documentary Based On Her Life
“So yes, because of that — fast-forward to 2022 — we have this well-oiled pop machine, but remember that it has a racist origin. And I think the coolest thing I’ve seen is rap and hip-hop artists become pop. Now pop music is really rap in its DNA — rap is running the game, and I think that’s so cool,” Lizzo said. “But we forget that in the late ’80s and the early ’90s, there were these massive pop diva records that were sang by Black women like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey. And I’m giving that same energy. I’m giving that same energy with a little bit of rap, and I think that people just have to get used to me.”
Lizzo went on to note that “I think anything that’s new, people are going to criticize and feel like it’s not for them. But once you know what it is — just like I’ve got a friend who don’t like avocado but she likes guacamole; it don’t make no sense — but once you get used to something, it might be for you. So for people who don’t like pop music or don’t like Black artists that make pop music, they may eventually like me. I might be guacamole to them.”
Elsewhere in the interview, when asked about her new goals, Lizzo explained: “I don’t think it’s ever over. I don’t. Music isn’t a Grammy. You know what I mean? A Grammy is an award in music, but music is this thing that like, has literally given me my voice, has given me my confidence, has shown me the way to love others and myself. And I think that music will continue to be this source of guidance and therapy in my life that I need to use constructively. So I think that’s why I did chase music, because it was so integral to the course of my life and how I feel. And I think that there’s a new road being paved now that the special is out, especially after the Grammy nominations came out. Like, ooh, where am I about to go next? And music is calling. It’s always calling. And I will always be there to answer the call, no matter what.”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
