Lizzo’s Magnetic Magic Didn’t Happen Overnight

From the way the stardust sparkles on Lizzo’s bare brown skin in promo pics that accompany her new album Cuz I Love You, it seems like she was delivered to Earth, naked and pure, via interstellar transport. Her first two singles from the record, “Juice” and “Tempo,” beam with a similar captivating and otherworldly confidence. (And that appearance from Missy Elliott on the latter cut doesn’t hurt either.)

Since Lizzo dropped Cuz I Love You on April 19, she has clocked tens of millions of listens on Spotify, beat out Beyoncé’s Homecoming for the top album on iTunes, and been recognized on Twitter with her own little Lizzo emoji, an honor typically reserved for major holidays, sports franchises and Game of Thrones. It’s official: Lizzo is our new savior. She’s the extra extraterrestrial, the body-loving and boy-crazy best friend who has finally united the human race by pulling our hypnotized gaze away from reality’s crumbling dystopia to remind us how to dance, laugh, fuck and feel ourselves like never before.

But as any longtime Lizzo fan will tell you, the Minneapolis singer, rapper, dancer and flautist didn’t beam down here from a star: She was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson in Detroit in 1988. Cuz I Love You is her first record for a major label (Atlantic Records), but she’s been celebrating self-acceptance for years. She released her debut full-length Lizzobangers in 2013, followed by Big Grrrl Small World in 2015 and a 2016 EP called Coconut Oil, with many (so many) singles in between.

Now, as Lizzo descends on Nashville to play a long-sold-out show at Cannery Ballroom — with some second-hand tickets to another date in September at the Ryman already going for $400 a pop — let us do our due diligence and dig deeper into herstory. Here are five more Lizzo tunes worth pausing the near-perfect Cuz I Love You to revisit; each constitutes evidence that Lizzo was loving you and loving herself long before her name and music were virtually inescapable.

“Paris”

Cuz I Love You is packed with stunning examples of Lizzo’s vocal range, from the soulful, all-in title track to the sultry closer “Lingerie.” But know this: Lizzo. Can. Rap. She can spit fire and stand toe to toe with Nicki, Missy, Queen Latifah and Cardi B. For proof, listen to her 2013 track “Paris.” It’s a song for those who haven’t been to Paris and can’t afford to go, a low-key snarky response to Jay-Z and Kanye’s boastful Watch the Throne track “Niggas in Paris.” Lizzo’s “Paris” originally appeared on Lizzobangers, closing out a 14-track set that highlighted her rapid-fire flow. But the album was recently scrubbed from all streaming services, so the track now stands alone as a single. Perhaps a reissue is in the works? Here’s hoping. For further fire, see also “Batches & Cookies” featuring fellow Minnesota rapper Sophia Eris.

“My Skin”

Over and over, Lizzo makes self-acceptance sound easy — and fun, and sexy, and glamorous. But on the 2015 slow jam “My Skin,” she admits it’s been a journey to learn how to love and be loved. Finding confidence can be a difficult process for anyone, but even more so for women, and especially women of color. “My Skin” is Lizzo’s vulnerable message to anyone struggling to find peace with themselves and their body. The choir of voices and organ at the end elevate it to chilling gospel proportions. Amen, Lizzo.

“Basement Queens”

This single is the quirky result of two very different artists, Lizzo and Sad13 (aka Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis), coming together in the name of corporate sponsorship. Google asked the two strangers to meet on the internet and collaborate on a song to demonstrate how the software giant’s various products can play a role in the creative process. Sounds like a recipe for a snooze-fest, right? Well, the resulting song is actually a compelling celebration of women taking charge, in which Lizzo warns: “Got a mountain to climb / You can either get in line / Or get out of my way.” Dupuis’ contributions — playing funky guitar melodies and singing about being a queen in the chorus — make it ring with some lo-fi Liz Phair vibes. It is unlike anything else Lizzo has done. But I like it? I think? 

“Phone”

Maybe Lizzo has just now come into your life, but you probably would have fallen in love with her in 2016 if you’d heard her oh-so-relatable dance jam “Phone,” which is, naturally, about losing her phone at the club and having to walk home in Christian Louboutin pumps. (OK, maybe that last part isn’t all that relatable.) Lizzo has always brought wit to her rhymes, but “Phone” is an early example of the playful sense of humor that draws you into cuts like the aforementioned “Tempo.” One thing that’s definitely relatable about the track: At the end, you learn she had the phone in her hand the whole time. 

“Truth Hurts”

Hands down, this 2017 single is Lizzo’s very best track. Yes, that includes everything on Cuz I Love You. The record is astonishing, but “Truth Hurts” is a flawless display of pointed commentary delivered with self-effacing humor. Over a rubbery piano line, Lizzo gathers up her girls to ask, “Why men great till they gotta be great?” EXCELLENT QUESTION, LIZZO! But instead of slipping into self-loathing or sadness after being disappointed by a dude, she holds her head high in this song. It’s a sun-drenched rallying cry to own up to your imperfections, laugh at the sorry bag of lemons life has handed you, and move on.