The Truth About Lizzo's Relationship With Prince
Lizzo has lived all over the United States. The artist was born in Detroit, moved to Houston as a child, and now resides in Los Angeles, but the place that Lizzo truly came into her own was in Minneapolis. The Minnesota city has a vibrant music scene and has been responsible for some of music's biggest stars, including Bob Dylan, Lizzo, and, of course, Prince.
Prince was born in the city, came up in the city, and spent basically his entire life there, even after making it big. After becoming a huge success, Prince spent time mentoring newer acts, helping them distill their sound and break into the business. Janelle Monáe said in 2018 that Prince was a vital inspiration for her album, Dirty Computer, telling Ebro Darden (via NME): "He gave, and he didn't want people to know what he gave. And he's given a lot to me... I knew that was the one person who understood where I was trying to go."
Lizzo had a similar relationship with the icon. In 2020, the singer-rapper-flutist sat down for an interview with David Letterman, and she compared her relationship with Prince to Charlie's Angels.
Prince mentored Lizzo at his home
On David Letterman's Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Lizzo opened up about her relationship with Prince. The legendary musician had mentored a number of up-and-coming groups in the Minneapolis music scene, including a girl group that Lizzo had been a part of. Lizzo summed up her relationship with Prince by saying that he was like "Charlie, and we were the Angels," explaining that he had invited them into his home-and-studio compound, Paisley Park, to work with them. Lizzo would record in a studio, and Prince would sit in another room, listening and giving them feedback through a speaker.
Lizzo also said that she'd freshly moved to Los Angeles when the artist died in 2016. A friend texted her to let her know that Prince had passed. "I flew to Minneapolis that night, and I went straight to First Avenue, and I sang 'The Beautiful Ones' by Prince," Lizzo remembered. She also remembered the last time she saw the icon, when he played "Purple Rain" on the piano in Paisley Park and moved himself to tears. "I didn't think anything was wrong... I'd never seen so much emotion from him," she confided admiringly, calling him a "true artist." While Prince never got to see Lizzo dominate the world, he certainly would be proud of where she is today, and she carries his memory with her.