Lizzo wins over LGBT fans with NPR Tiny Desk performance
Lizzo at the Capitol Hill Block Party, July 2019 in Seattle. (Mat Hayward/Getty Images)
US singer Lizzo performed her hit Truth Hurts at the NPR offices and won queer hearts worldwide by declaring she’s “fuckboi, fuckgirl and fuckthem free.”
Before her performance, Lizzo said, “Bitches ain’t shit sometimes. And all the non-conforming genders in-between, you can all be ain’t shit too. Love is love, man. Love is love. Love is love.”
After singing the 2017 hit, she added, “I’m fuckboy-free, fuckgirl and fuckthem, fuckthey-free.”
Lizzo also renamed NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert the “Tiny Ass Desk Concert.”
NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts are a series of intimate gigs where musicians perform to small crowds in the NPR offices.
“From the second Lizzo entered the room, fresh off a long interview with Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross, she was on: all charm, vibrant and gracious, dressed to the nines and ready to sing her face off,” NPR said.
“In rehearsal, Lizzo belted out ‘Cuz I Love You,’ the title track from her wonderful new album, with nothing off her fastball; if you were standing six feet away at the time, you’d swear the gale force of her voice was blowing your hair back. She was the star and the mayor rolled into one, at once ingratiating and commanding, as an audience of maybe 25 milled around and prepared to let in the crowd.”
lizzo is a gift for so many reasons, including the moment in her tiny desk performance where she declared that she’s fuckboi, fuckgirl, fuckthem and fuckthey-free
— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) July 30, 2019
Lizzo performed three songs to a small crowd
The 17-minute set included performances of ‘Truth Hurts’, ‘Cuz I Love You’ and ‘Juice’.
“And all the nonconforming genders in between, you can all be ain’t sh#t sometimes too” ? @lizzo comes to NPR and brings it so, so hard. This is the 16 min your Monday needs. https://t.co/BHS4GwAAEQ— Lulu Miller (@lmillernpr) July 29, 2019
Lizzo’s use of gender-inclusive language was picked up by queer fans.
so much to love about @lizzo’s #TinyDesk:
– her commitment to acknowledging every gender and coining the phrase fuck-thems, fuck-theys
– how many times she called it a tiny ass desk
– THAT FLUTE SOLO
– her impression of the babyevery day we stan lizzo more and more https://t.co/JqojnaKdxr— character actress georgie rae (@georgiemorvis) July 29, 2019
“My shows are very inclusive safe spaces for everyone, especially marginalised people, more specifically the LGBTQIA+ community,” Lizzo told Variety earlier this year.
.@lizzo read me directly when she said, “And all the nonconforming genders in between you can all be ain’t shit too” at her tiny desk— Danastasia (@mizzdanji) July 30, 2019
“The message is loud and clear. It’s called Pride, not hide. Everybody, more than ever, is wearing their hearts on their sleeves and wearing their messages on their backs. I think we all know what’s up. We all can feel it right now. It’s time to represent and it’s time to persist and keep going. There’s progress to be made and we’re moving forward.”
Lizzo previously interviewed Janelle Monáe about coming out as queer for LGBT+ magazine them.
