SPECIAL

Missy Elliott Told Lizzo She Should Turn Her ‘Special’ Album Into A Musical

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Lizzo Missy Elliott 2019 VMAs
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Missy Elliott joined Lizzo to perform their Cuz I Love You track “Tempo” at Lizzo’s Special Tour stop in Los Angeles last month, and she saw all she needed to see. The hip-hop pioneer was part of Cuz I Love You, but she can’t stop raving about Lizzo’s Special era. Last week, we had Stevie Nicks opining about Lizzo’s potential political future, and now, Elliott is dreaming of a world where the Grammy and Emmy winner fronts a musical.

“What I really appreciate about Lizzo is that she is so diverse,” Elliott wrote for Lizzo’s capsule in Entertainment Weekly‘s “2022 Entertainers Of The Year” package. “There are so many levels to her. When she’s in the studio, she knows how to go into these different characters, she knows how to be heard, she knows how to sing, dance, rap, and it’s all amazing.”

The Songwriters Hall Of Fame inductee continued, “Take her song ‘Grrrls,’ that’s my fighting record. Listen, I ain’t out there fighting, but that’s my alter ego record that I go to — and I just love the structure of it. And then there’s ‘About Damn Time,’ which makes me just feel like I’m at Studio 54. I love that whole album. You put it on and you’re going to learn self-love, you’re going to love your friends, and you’re going to feel like a bad b*tch. The whole thing just makes me feel happy. It feels like a little bit of disco, a little bit of Grease, a little bit of hip-hop. Actually, I could see her doing a musical off of [Special]. I told her that at her concert, actually.”

Special was released in July as Lizzo’s follow-up to Cuz I Love You. The record has dominated the charts and spawned the aforementioned Special Tour, which will continue in 2023. Lizzo is nominated for six awards at the upcoming 2023 Grammys, including Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and Song Of The Year.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA Flips A Radiohead Classic On Her ‘SOS’ Cut, ‘Special’

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It may be a while before we hear SZA’s remix to Lizzo’s “Special,” but her new album, SOS, features a song of her own called “Special.”

On “Special,” SZA looks back not-so-fondly on lost love. She recalls the many things she changed about herself in order to please this person.

The song opens with a sweet, simple strum of a guitar, as she recalls comparing herself to a “girl from the Gucci store” who “never wore any makeup and owns couture.”

As the song reaches the song’s chorus, SZA sings, “I wish I was special / I gave all my special / away to a loser / Now I’m just a loser.”

Though there’s no direct or clear sample, the song sounds similar to Radiohead‘s “Creep,” notably the song’s pre-chorus, on which, Thom Yorke sings, “I wish I was special / You’re so f*ckin’ special.”

Both songs are somewhat self-deprecating in nature, but SZA is aware that the song’s subject wasn’t worth her time. Lyrics like “regret that I changed me / I hate that you made me / just like you” show SZA’s reaching a coming-of-age in her early 30s, moving on from the insecurities she lamented in her debut album, CTRL.

Check out “Special” above.

SOS is out now via RCA Records and Top Dawg Entertainment. Stream it here.

Lizzo Just Played A 200-Year-Old Crystal Flute Owned By One Of The First US Presidents At A Concert

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While in Washington DC during a stop on her Special tour, Lizzo paid a visit to the Library Of Congress. She was invited to the Library last week by Carla Hayden, the Librarian Of Congress, who offered to show her the library’s collection of over 1,800 flutes. One of those flutes includes James Madison’s crystal flute from 1813. In response to Hayden’s invitation, Lizzo replied, “IM PLAYIN THAT CRYSTAL FLUTE!!!!!”

Last night, during her show at the Capital One Arena, she was handed the flute and played a few notes on it while twerking.

In a video shared to her Twitter account, Lizzo says, “B*tch, I just twerked and played James Madison’s crystal flute from the 1800s. We just made history tonight. Thank you to the Library Of Congress for preserving our history. And making history freaking cool. History is freaking cool, you guys.”

The video is captioned, saying, “NOBODY HAS EVER HEARD THIS FAMOUS CRYSTAL FLUTE BEFORE. NOW YOU HAVE. IM THE FIRST & ONLY PERSON TO EVER PLAY THIS PRESIDENTIAL 200-YEAR-OLD CRYSTAL FLUTE– THANK YOU @librarycongress.”

Check out the clip from Lizzo’s DC concert above.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

What Is Lizzo’s Setlist Of Songs For ‘The Special Tour?’

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Lizzo Special Tour 2022
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This past weekend, Lizzo kicked off The Special Tour and so far, she has a couple of concerts under her belt, with a third one coming tonight (September 27) at Washington, DC’s Capital One Arena. It’s a relatively small sample size at the moment when it comes to setlists, but there’s still enough information to go off of to answer the question: What songs has Lizzo been performing on her 2022 tour?

Setlist.fm, the most comprehensive resource for concert setlists available online, has the answer. According to their data, both concerts had the same setlist, perhaps an indication that it will stay pretty much that way throughout the tour. The shows opened with “The Sign” and “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” before closing with a two-song encore of “Juice” and “About Damn Time.”

As for album-by-album representation, Special is on top when it comes to songs from the album performed during the show, followed by Cuz I Love You and Coconut Oil. At both concerts, she has also covered Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”

Check out the setlist from Lizzo’s tour so far below.

1. “The Sign”
2. “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)”
3. “Soulmate”
4. “Grrrls”
5. “Boys”
6. “Tempo”
7. “Rumors”
8. “Scuse Me”
9. “Naked”
10. “Jerome”
11. “Break Up Twice”
12. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (Lauryn Hill cover)
13. “Special”
14. “I’m Every Woman” (Chaka Khan cover)
15. “Like A Girl”
16. “Birthday Girl/Happy Birthday”
17. “Everybody’s Gay”
18. “Water Me”
19. “Cuz I Love You”
20. “If You Love Me”
21. “Coldplay”
22. “Truth Hurts”
23. “I Love You B*tch”
24. “Good As Hell”
25. “Juice” (encore)
26. “About Damn Time” (encore)

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lizzo Receives An Invitation From The Library Of Congress To Check Out Their Flute Collection

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Emmy Award-winning singer, rapper, and flutist Lizzo may soon be able to add another feat to her incredibly stacked resume. Next week, the ‘About Damn Time’ singer will bring her Special tour to the Capital One Arena in Washington DC. Ahead of the show, she received a special invitation from the Library Of Congress to check out their incredible flute collection.

“The @librarycongress has the largest flute collection in the world with more than 1,800,” said Carla Hayden, the Librarian Of Congress, in a tweet. “It incl Pres James Madison’s 1813 crystal flute. @lizzo we would love for you to come see it and even play a couple when you are in DC next week. Like your song they are ‘Good as hell.’”

Lizzo replied to the tweet, saying, “IM COMING CARLA! AND IM PLAYIN THAT CRYSTAL FLUTE!!!!!”

Lizzo has been playing the flute since she was 12 years old. On an episode of The Late Late Show With James Corden, Lizzo showed off some of her flute skills in the show’s “Carpool Karaoke” segment, and also revealed that she named her personal flute ‘Sasha Floot,’ in honor of Beyoncé’s alter-ego, Sasha Fierce.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Who Is Opening Lizzo’s ‘The Special Tour?’

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Earlier this summer, Lizzo released her highly-anticipated fourth album, Special. Now, the “About Damn Time” singer is embarking on The Special Tour of North America and it’s a big ticket concert at all stops.

The Special Tour begins on September 23rd in Sunrise, FL and presses on until mid-November for dates at San Francisco’s Chase Center and the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. But who is opening for Lizzo on The Special Tour and what do you need to know about them?

Who Is Opening Lizzo’s ‘The Special Tour?’

The opener on Lizzo’s Special Tour is none other than Atlanta rapper and former Uproxx cover star Latto. You might remember Latto from winning the reality TV show The Rap Game in 2016. Back then, she went by Miss Mulatto, and her star hasn’t stopped soaring since. Latto’s latest album, 777, came out this past April and she’s best known for the single “Big Energy” which, has been a fixture on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track rides the same sample as Mariah Carey’s track “Fantasy” and the “Big Energy” remix version features Carey and DJ Khaled. Latto also appeared on Megan Thee Stallion’s track “Budget” from the album Traumazine.

Check out the full list of tour dates below.

09/23 — Sunrise, FL @ FLA Live Arena
09/24 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
09/27 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
09/29 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
09/30 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
10/02 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
10/06 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
10/07 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
10/11 — St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
10/14 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
10/16 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/18 — Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
10/20 — Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
10/22 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/23 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
10/25 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/26 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
10/28 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
10/31 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
11/02 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Arena
11/04 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
11/07 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
11/09 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
11/12 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
11/18 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lizzo’s New Wedding-Themed ‘2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)’ Video Is A Callback To ‘Truth Hurts’

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Lizzo has a hit with “About Damn Time” (which is still No. 3 on the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart). Now, though, she’s putting the focus on another Special highlight, as today brings a new video for “2 Be Love (Am I Ready).”

In the clip for the upbeat tune, Lizzo leaves her bride (herself) at the altar and takes a ride in the desert, eventually meeting up with model Tyson Beckford. Of course, though, there’s a twist. Also, as Lizzo herself points out, the video is a callback to her 2017 video for “Truth Hurts,” with some shots and scenes re-created pretty much perfectly.

Lizzo previously told Apple Music of the song, “This is the first record I made with Max Martin, and it’s a dream record. As someone who’s been writing songs since I was 9, who studied music since I was 12, and who dreamed of being a performer, Max Martin is the dream collaborator. Recording it was like watching a legend in action. He’s an extremely collaborative, open, creative soul. The song is a callback to when pop records had key changes — that golden era of late-’80s and early-’90s pop when singers had massive records that were vocally impressive but also danceable, and the production quality was very intentional. I think it’s a work of art. It’s a masterpiece.”

Watch the “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” video above.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lizzo Didn’t Think ‘About Damn Time’ Would Be A Good Lead Single At First

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“About Damn Time” could end up being the biggest song of Lizzo’s career. Currently, it’s at least in the conversation, as it recently became her second No. 1 single (after “Truth Hurts”) and it now has two weeks on top (to the seven of “Truth Hurts”). Whatever the case, what can be confirmed is that it was clearly an excellent choice for lead single from Lizzo’s album Special. There was a time, though, when Lizzo didn’t think that would be the case.

Lizzo is the guest on today’s new episode of Hot Ones and at 8:52 into the video, Sean Evans asks how Lizzo chooses her lead singles. Lizzo responded with the “About Damn Time” backstory, saying:

“‘About Damn Time’ was the last song I wrote for the album. I was turning in my masters in March. I wrote ‘About Damn Time’ in February, and I was like, ‘This one? [I don’t know] about this one.’ ‘Cause the hook wasn’t done, the verses wasn’t, ‘In a minute, I’ma need a….’ It wasn’t there yet. So I was like, ‘Uh-uh’ [shakes head].

And when I finished it, I was like, ‘Oh f*ck, this song needs to come out right motherf*ckin’ now. ‘I been so down and under pressure? I’m way too fine to be this stressed?’ It’s like, hello, we needed that right then when I dropped that motherf*cker. She I’m so bad at picking singles for myself because I think everything I do is incredible. I really do.”

Elsewhere in the episode, Lizzo talks about the Minneapolis music scene, her best older rap song, and more, so check it out above.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lizzo’s ‘About Damn Time’ Keeps The No. 1 Spot On The Hot 100 Chart For A Second Week

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Lizzo had a major career moment last week when “About Damn Time” climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Now, on the new Hot 100 chart dated August 6, we have a repeat on our hands as “About Damn Time” is on top for a second straight week. This makes “About Damn Time” Lizzo’s second song to spend multiple weeks at No. 1, after “Truth Hurts” had seven weeks on top in 2019.

Meanwhile, the next four spots on the chart are also all the same as last week: Harry Styles’ “As It Was” is No. 2, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” is No. 3, Jack Harlow’s “First Class” is No. 4, and Future, Drake, and Tems’ “Wait For U” is No. 5.

We have a couple noteworthy changes in the bottom half of the top 10, though. Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” rises to No. 6, a new peak for the Renaissance single. Post Malone and Doja Cat’s “I Like You (A Happier Song)” also re-enters the top 10 at its previous high of No. 9, following the recent release of a fun new video for the track.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Why Are Beyoncé And Lizzo Removing ‘Spaz’ From Their Songs?

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After some years away, both Beyoncé and Lizzo returned with new albums this year. Beyoncé’s newly-released seventh album Renaissance marks her first full-length effort since 2017’s Lemonade. Renaissance clocked in with 16 songs and features from Beam, Tems, and Grace Jones as well as additional contributors including Drake, Jay-Z, Syd, and others. On the flip side, Lizzo released her fourth album Special earlier this month and that arrived with 12 songs and no guest features. Renaissance and Special don’t share many similar qualities, but there is one thing they both have in common: they both have songs that were criticized thanks to their use of the word “spaz.”

Why Are Beyoncé And Lizzo Removing ‘Spaz’ From Their Songs?

Lizzo was the first to receive criticism for using the word “spaz” and it came after she released “Grrrls” from Special. In a line from the song she sings, “Hold my bag, b*tch, Hold my bag. Do you see this sh*t? I’mma spazz.” Beyoncé’s case comes more recently thanks to “Heated” from Renaissance. In that song, Beyoncé sings, “Spazzin’ on that ass, spaz on that ass / Fan me quick, girl, I need my glass.”

Merriam-Webster defines “spaz” as “one who is inept” and it categorizes the term as “slang, often offensive.” The word itself comes from “spastic” and “spasticity,” and according to a paper published by the National Library Of Medicine, the latter word “is a velocity-dependent increase in muscle tone and uncontrolled, repetitive, involuntary contractions of skeletal muscles.” With that being, the word “spaz” is viewed as an ableist term for those with cerebral palsy, also known as “spastic diplegia.”

As a result of the derogatory nature of “spaz,” Lizzo altered the line in “Grrrls” while a rep for Beyonce promised to do the same for the line on “Heated.”

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.