US singer Lizzo accepts the Record Of The Year award for “About Damn Time” during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. photo / AFP
Lizzo on Sunday won the Grammy for Record of the Year — the award honoring overall performance of a song — for her single “About Damn Time,” besting a crowded field including Beyonce and Adele.
Scoring the prize is something of a comeback for Lizzo, who was widely tipped to be the big winner in 2020 but lost all her chances at a major award to pop phenom Billie Eilish.
She dedicated the prize to the late pop icon Prince, her lifelong hero with whom she also worked.
“We are good inherently,” she said through tears in a speech that brought the audience to its feet. “And anybody at home who feels misunderstood or on the outside looking in, like I did, just stay true to yourself.”
“I promise you, you will find people, you will attract people in your life who believe in you and support you.”
Lizzo soared into the global consciousness in 2019, seducing legions of fervent fans with her soulful self-love anthems, zesty raps and even the occasional twerk.
The 31-year-old artist born Melissa Viviane Jefferson debuted in 2013 but did not achieve mainstream success until the release of her third studio album “Cuz I Love You.”
The hitmaker returned last year with a new 12-track record “Special,” and will embark on a global tour this month.
The Detroit-born, Houston-raised performer with a big voice developed a hankering for hip-hop as a pre-teen but originally aspired to a career as a professional flutist.
She relocated to Minneapolis in 2011 — an ultimately career-changing move that led her to encounter the Midwest’s favorite son Prince, who co-signed her to work with him.
In her speech, Lizzo also gave special thanks to Queen Bey: “You changed my life,” she said, as both of them teared up.
“The way you made me feel, I was like, I want to make people feel this way with my music. So thank you so much. You clearly are the artist of our lives!”