TIME

Lizzo fulfills her own self-love prophecy

THERE’S A LIZZO LYRIC FOR EVERY PROBLEM. Feeling less than beautiful? “Mirror, mirror on the wall,” Lizzo sings on “Juice,” “Don’t say it, ’cause I know I’m cute.” Had a rough day? “Come now, come dry your eyes/ You know you a star, you can touch the sky,” she soothes on “Good as Hell.” Need to dance? Throw on “Tempo,” her recent collaboration with Missy Elliott. Lizzo’s music spans from straight-up hip-hop to guitar-blazing soul to anthemic funk-pop, but no matter the medium, the message is one of joy and empowerment. It’s feminism writ large, boisterous and unapologetic, in a style that feels entirely of this moment.

But Lizzo has greater ambitions than her own artistry. “The space I’m occupying isn’t just for me,” she says, taking a break to eat lunch between rehearsals for her upcoming tour. “It’s for all the big black girls in the future who just want to be seen.”

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