When do you give up on your dream? That’s the question Lizzo was asking herself two years ago. The “Truth Hurts” singer, Lizzo almost quit music because of depression. Luckily, she stuck with it and is now one of the most beloved new singers in the industry right now. “It was a long road,” the rapper-singer said of her career in the new issue of PEOPLE. The 31-year-old explained that things haven’t always been easy for her, in fact she’s been working for nearly a decade on developing her career.
Lizzo was born in Detroit, Michigan and then moved to Houston where she trained to be a classical flautist. (That’s right—not only can she twerk, rap and sing—she can also play the flute on a professional level.) In 2011, Lizzo moved to Minneapolis, quickly becoming a local celebrity as she began to pursue music. Minnesota native and legend Prince took Lizzo under his wing. She became his protégée and even performed with him at Paisley Park. She and Prince recorded together before the icon passed away in 2016. The city’s hip-hop community absolutely loved her.
In 2016, Lizzo signed with Atlantic Records and released her Coconut Oil EP. A year later, she dropped her hit song, “Truth Hurts.” But the initial reaction was not a positive one. In fact, there was almost no reaction whatsoever.
“The day I released ‘Truth Hurts’ was probably one of the darkest days I’ve had ever in my career. I remember thinking, ‘If I quit music now, nobody would notice. This is my best song ever, and nobody cares,’” Lizzo explained. “I was like, ‘F— it, I’m done.’ And a lot of people rallied; my producer, my publicist and my family, they were like, ‘Just keep going because this is the darkest before the dawn.’”
But today—”Truth Hurts” is number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. And two years after the song’s release, Lizzo is on tour promoting her major label debut album, Cuz I Love You. Talk about making the right decision! She’s got to be feeling great about sticking with her dream.
“Now the song that made me want to quit is the song that everyone’s falling in love with me for, which is such a testament to journeys: Your darkest day turns into your brightest triumph,” the star said. We love this. So. Much.
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