As one of the biggest mainstream stars in music right now, it makes sense that Lizzo’s audience is overwhelmingly white. According to an interview she gave to Vanity Fair this week, the 34-year-old is not especially happy about the idea that she creates sounds for Caucasians:
“This is probably the biggest criticism I’ve received, and it is such a critical conversation when it comes to black artists.
When Black people see a lot of white people in the audience, they think, ‘Well this isn’t for me, this is for them’.
The thing is, when a black artist reaches a certain level of popularity, it’s going to be a predominantly white crowd.”
The Grammy and Emmy award winning artist then made it clear she is not making music for white people:
“I am not making music for white people. I am a black woman, I am making music from my black experience.
It blows my mind when people say I’m not making music from a black perspective.
How could I not do that as a black artist?”
She also revealed another reason that she makes music: to heal from the ‘experience we call life’.
“If I can help other people, hell yeah. Because we are the most marginalised and neglected people in this country. We need self-love and self-love anthems more than anybody.”
I think what she’s trying to say is that she makes music for everyone, but from a black experience, and not with white people particularly in mind? As racially-charged as America is nowadays, of course her comments are going to be presented in the worst possible way and used to stir up tension and division. It’s really wild how much they obsess about race over there. Can Americans talk about anything at all without viewing it through the lens of white people and non-white people?
What’s most shocking is that this was the most hurtful criticism Lizzo had experienced this week, given what Kanye West said about her the other day.
