"As a fat Black woman in America, I've had many hateful words used against me so I understand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case unintentionally)", she wrote in May.
When asked about what that recent experience was like as a songwriter, she pauses and carefully responds. "Well, I'll say this. I have always been extremely careful about my use of language and music. I think that language is very powerful and words are very powerful and I have always been super critical and analytical of the semantics. Like in Truth Hurts, "I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever be a side chick" was the original lyric, but I was like, no, I have to say be your side chick. Because, what if I wanna be somebody else's side chick?
"And what about the other side chicks out there? I think moving into the future is just having an awareness and a knowledge outside of me. I've always been super particular, which is why it was easy for me to change the lyric. Because that's not something I would've done intentionally."
Lizzo has become a pop-culture icon in the space of a few years, her music teetering between both politics and pop, the former purely by nature of who she is as an intersectional pop cultural figure — an LGBTQ+ ally, a role model for progressing body inclusivity, an influential Black woman living in America.
"I think that's why music is such an incredibly powerful thing, because it's so useful," she says the 34-year-old musician Zoom-ing in from her home studio in LA, her recognisable face framed by her signature baby hairs. She's representing her all-inclusive line of shapewear Yitty launched in April in partnership with LA-based activewear company Fabletics, wearing a fluorescent yellow top and a diamond Yitty necklace.
"Y'all need that Yitty in New Zealand. Yitty is quite literally physically supporting me and the girls on this press run," she says as she cups her breasts and laughs.
But Lizzo also takes a more serious tone during the chat, explaining that to help bookmark this era in her career, she's already pledged to donate US$500,000 to Planned Parenthood and the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) from the profits of her North American Special tour, kicking off in September, in light of the US Supreme Court's overruling of Roe v Wade.
"I immediately just looked to the organisations that are going be doing that. Like who's going to be actively helping people get transportation, get safe, abortions and the help they need? In order for them to be able to do these things, they're going to need funding. My first thought, whenever things go down, I'm like, what do people need? And how can I give it to them?"
Ahead of her live shows later this year, she's ready to join her fans in shaking off the blues of recent months.
"I'm gonna keep it real real with you!" she laughs. "It's been kind of an emotional month and there's been a lot going on and I have not gotten a tour together yet. It's going be great though because [rapper] Latto is joining me, and her live shows are always so fun and lit. It is exciting. I love coming up with the creative ideas and the flow of my shows."
"I just feel like we're about to have a party across America." And it's about damn time.
Listen to the podcast above, or read more about these topics in this week's copy of Viva. Find more Viva content at viva.co.nz
• Viva Talks is a weekly fashion, beauty and culture podcast from the team behind Viva, New Zealand's top fashion magazine. New episodes are available to listen to every Wednesday from 5am.
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