We are loving rapper Lizzo’s self-care anthems
The last time we checked in with Lizzo, she was doing cross-genre collaborations in advance of her debut major label EP. Now, that EP is dropped: Please welcome Coconut Oil to your regular playlist rotation, because as she herself titles one of the EP’s songs, this woman’s music is good as hell.
To be clear, this is far from Lizzo’s first foray into music, and she’s definitely no music world outsider: Her record Big Grrrl Small World was recorded at Bon Iver’s studio in Wisconsin, and she worked on Coconut Oil single “Phone” (about, naturally, being out with your friends and losing your phone) with producers and writers who have also worked with, y’know, Sia and Beyoncé.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, she called the song “one of my proudest musical moments”; it’s also a hyper-catchy ode to something that we all can relate to. If you just subtly checked to make sure your own phone is there, know that even I, who just wrote that sentence, glanced around to make sure my own phone was on me.)
Lizzo’s music world fans include Sleater-Kinney and the late Prince; she was featured on the Purple One’s 2014 album Plectrumelectrum. One listen to her EP or any of her older catalogue makes it clear why she’s got so many artist friends — she switches between full soul singing and snappy rapping in a beat, and has put together a catalogue of songs that are full of warmth. The gospel edges on her songs invoke a broader spirituality, which fits into her idea of the EP as a celebration of selfhood, for her and anyone who’s listening:
"There's self-exploration. There's self-love. Then there's self-realization. Coconut Oil is the ultimate ode to self-care and to my process. I'm not there yet, but I'm creating my music so I can get there."
We’re here with and for Lizzo, and can’t wait to see what’s next for a rising star who’s already come so far.