R&B star and former Minnesotan Lizzo released a new single, “Love in Real Life,” on Friday and announced three small-venue shows, including Minneapolis’ First Avenue on March 18.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. March 6 through Axs. Fans can sign up for a presale at lizzomusic.com.
The woman born Melissa Jefferson in Detroit was raised in Houston and moved to Minneapolis in 2011 to pursue a career in music. During that time, she released a pair of acclaimed albums, recorded a song with Prince and started to get ever-increasing amounts of national attention. But by the time she signed to Atlantic Records, she realized she had to move to Los Angeles to break through to the masses.
Her career took off in 2019 with her single “Juice,” the first of a string of hits that include “Truth Hurts,” “Good as Hell,” “Rumors” and “About Damn Time.” The latter earned Lizzo a record of the year Grammy Award, her fourth win out of 13 nominations.
By the time 2022 rolled around, Lizzo was nearly inescapable. Her reality series “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” debuted on Amazon Prime Video and went on to win a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding competition program. That April, she performed double duty as both host and musical guest of “Saturday Night Live.” She also toured heavily and sold out St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center in October. She called the show “a true homecoming” from the stage and told the crowd that moving to Minnesota was “the best decision I ever made.”
Lizzo stepped back from the spotlight in late 2023, when three former backup dancers and her stylist filed lawsuits accusing her of sexual, religious and racial harassment and other workplace issues. Lizzo denied the allegations in an Instagram post that read, in part: “Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed. These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”
In addition to her First Avenue show, which is expected to sell out quickly, Lizzo is also playing the Wiltern in Los Angeles on March 12 and Irving Plaza in New York on March 16. She will release her fifth album later this year.
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