Lizzo Net Worth: Her $60 Million Stash is Good As Hell

Melissa Viviane Jefferson, famously known as Lizzo, is an American singer and rapper. Starting from poverty and being unhoused in her youth, Lizzo has come a long way over the years.

As of 2024, Lizzo’s net worth is estimated at an impressive $60 million.

Before Lizzo became mega-famous, she was struggling financially. Fast forward to today, and not only is she a music star, but she’s also an actor and a businesswoman, earning a fortune from endorsement deals.

Let’s see how she built her fame and fortune in the music industry and beyond.

Lizzo Net Worth Breakdown:

Determining a musician’s earnings can be complicated since the details such as album sales or tour earnings are rarely publicly disclosed. In addition to this, musicians have many revenue streams such as songwriting royalties, streaming payouts, sales, touring, promotions, and more.

Still, our detailed research allowed us to learn not only what makes up Lizzo’s net worth but also gave us a clear picture of how much she’s been earning over the years. Let’s take a look at the detailed breakdown of her main income sources and assets.

Lizzo Net Worth: Early Life and Education

Melissa Viviane Jefferson was born in Detroit, Michigan on April 27, 1988. She spent the first ten years of her life in Detroit, after which the family relocated to Houston, Texas.

From the age of ten until reaching high school, Lizzo took classical flute lessons. She graduated from Alief Elsik High School in 2006 and started rapping. When she was 14, Melissa was part of a musical group called Cornrow Clique, performing with her friends. This is when she got her famous nickname “Lizzo”, which is a variant of “Lissa” and inspired by the song Izzo (H.O.V.A) song by Jay-Z.

After high school, Jefferson enrolled at the University of Houston where she continued to study classical music, focusing on flute. However, she couldn’t keep up with the pressure, since she had to juggle classes, rap sessions, and social life all at once. She dropped out of college to pursue a music career and relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2011.

Rough times still lay ahead for Lizzo. Before she built her professional music career, she spent six months living in her car when she was 21 years old, following her father’s death. Eventually, she had a breakthrough in the music industry, leading her to the multimillionaire status she holds today.

Personal Life

Lizzo has a strong LGBTQ+ following, with her fans being nicknamed “Lizzbians”. In a 2018 interview, she shared the following about her sexuality:

I personally don’t ascribe to just one thing … That’s why the colors for LGBTQ+ are a rainbow! Because there’s a spectrum and right now we try to keep it black and white. That’s just not working for me.

Not long after, she said that she considers herself an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, and “leans heterosexual”.

As for her romantic relationships, in 2022, Lizzo was dating comedian Myke Wright.

Lizzo Net Worth: From Homelessness to Music Star Status

Lizzo was far from an overnight success. She spent many years playing the flute and taking minor gigs in the Minneapolis music scene. Eventually, she had her breakthrough when the famous musician Prince invited her to record at Paisley Park. The rest – as they say – is history.

Here, we chart her groundbreaking career for you.

Early Career

In 2009 and 2010, Lizzo performed flute and lead vocals in the jazz/progressive rock quintet called Ellypseas. She then moved to Minneapolis where she started performing with different groups, including an electro-soul-pop duo Lizzo & the Larva Ink, as well as a three-piece, all-female R&B and rap group The Chalice.

In 2012, her band The Chalice released its first album titled We Are the Chalice. The album wasn’t a major success, but it became popular locally.

Even so, it was time for Lizzo to change courses so, in 2013, she formed the hip-hop group Grrrl Prty with four other artists. The group released two EPs and disbanded in 2016, after playing a final show at Rock the Garden. They enjoyed more fame than any other band Lizzo had worked with to that point, giving her wider recognition and the chance to go solo.

Lizzo’s Debut Album

In October 2013, Lizzo released her hip-hop debut album titled Lizzobangers. The album was produced by Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson and topped Star Tribune’s “Twin Cities Critics Tally 2013” list.

Based on the popularity of the album, Lizzo released several music videos for the songs: Faded, Batches & Cookies, Paris, and Bus Passes and Happy Meals.

The Guardian ranked it 4/5 and said, “At times joyfully nonsensical, Lizzo’s stream-of-consciousness rhymes can also be lethally pointed.”

This same album was subsequently re-released by Virgin Records. In the fall of 2013, Lizzo toured the UK and US singing with her band and opening for Har Mar Superstar as a solo artist. In October, she won the Picked to Click award by City Pages for best new Twin Cities artist.

At this point, Lizzo had found her breakthrough in the music business. By the end of the year, she was invited to perform with St. Paul and the Broken Bones in A Change Is Gonna Come.

Performing with Prince and Release of Second Studio Album

Following the release of her first studio album, Lizzo kept working with her band, but focused strongly on her solo career, as well. In 2014, she wrote My Skin, a song inspired by her participation in the What’s Underneath project, where she openly spoke about her body and removed her clothes. “My Blackness is my largest assumed ‘accessory’,” she shared.

That same year, Lizzo was featured alongside her bandmates Claire de Lune and Sophia Eris on Boy Trouble on Prince’s Plectumelectrum album. In October, she was invited to perform as a musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman.

In December 2015, Lizzo released her second studio album, Big Grrrl Small World. Let ‘Em Say, a collaboration with Caroline Smith, eventually ended up being featured in the season three premiere of Broad City.

Hosting Wonderland and Release of Coconut Oil

In 2016, Lizzo was one of the hosts of the live music series Wonderland. She then signed with Atlantic Records and subsequently released her first major-label extended release in October, titled Coconut Oil. The lead track of the album, Good as Hell, was part of the soundtrack of the film Barbershop: The Next Cut.

Impressively, Lizzo co-wrote every song of the album, working alongside Jesse Shatkin, Ricky Reed, and Christian Rich on its production. For the most part, her extended play explored themes of self-love and body positivity, two causes she has worked fiercely for over the years.

Not long after, Coconut Oil became Lizzo’s first release to the US Top R&B/ Hip-Hop Albums chart, peaking at number 44.

To promote this album, Lizzo embarked on a tour called Good as Hell in 2017. In 2018, she toured with Florence and the Machine and Haim.

Lizzo Releases Her Third Studio Album

In 2019, Lizzo was already working on her third studio album Cuz I Love You. She initially released the lead single Juice in January with the help of Atlantic Records. The album was officially released on April 19, 2019, after which she performed at the Coachella Music Festival for the very first time.

Even though she was already famous at this point, the release of Cuz I Love You was a turning point for her, since it helped her attract more mainstream attention and build her personal brand. The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 chart three months after its release.

Truth Hurts, which dropped in 2019, is Lizzo’s most popular single to date. It inspired an internet meme on TikTok, was featured in the 2019 Netflix film Someone Great, and was added to the deluxe version of the album. The single was a viral sleeper hit and helped boost interest for the third album and the artist, keeping Cuz I Love You in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 for several months.

Thanks to Truth Hurts, Lizzo became the third female rapper to top the Billboard Hot 100 and the first black solo female R&B singer to top the Hot 100 since Rihanna‘s 2012 Diamonds. The song spent seven weeks at the top of the list, tying for the most weeks at this number for a rap song by a female artist. It also became certified gold by the RIAA in September 2019.

At the 2019 BET Awards, Lizzo appeared on the stage performing Truth Hurts while playing her flute, which she calls “Sasha Flute”. She also performed a medley of Truth Hurts and her other popular song Good as Hell at the MTV Video Music Awards that year, where she was nominated for Push Artist of the Year and Best New Artist, but didn’t win any awards.

On top of this, Lizzo opened the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards with a medley of the same two songs and won three awards. She also received eleven nominations at the 2020 Billboard Music Award and won one for Top Song Sales Artist.

Lizzo’s “New Era”

In August 2021, Lizzo announced the start of a “new era” in her career by releasing her song Rumors. She also announced her next album, sharing that it will be “a love album”. In March 2022, she announced the single About Damn Time, which was released the following month. The track would eventually become one of her most iconic songs, sparking a massive TikTok trend.

In June, Lizzo released Grrrls, the first promotional single of the album. The song initially included the word spaz, which led to some controversy, so the line was eventually replaced with “hold me back”.

The fourth studio album Special was eventually released on July 15, 2022. The album earned critical acclaim and led to the creation of an immersive cosmic light show experience called Lizzoverse, which took place in Cipriani 25 Broadway in New York City.

After the release of the album, About Damn Time reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it remained for two weeks. In February of the following year, the hit won Record of the Year at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

In autumn 2022, Lizzo embarked on a new arena tour called The Special Tour, which included North America, Europe, and Oceania.

Festivals and Collaborations

In the summer of 2019, Lizzo was performing prolifically. Some of her most notable performances include the Indianapolis and Sacramento pride festivals which she headlined, as well as the West Holts stage at the Glastonbury Festival.

In January 2020, Lizzo headlined another festival, the FOMO Festival. She performed in four Australian cities and New Zealand. That same year, she also performed a sold-out show at the Sydney Opera House.

In 2022, Lizzo was the contributing writer and the producer of SZA’s second album SOS, which is now certified platinum. She co-wrote the song F2F and collaborated with SZA on the remix of Special, the title track of her album with the same name.

In 2023, the film Barbie featured Lizzo’s original single Pink, which was released on Barbie the Album in July of the same year.

Lizzo’s Net Worth: Music Career Earnings

Determining Lizzo’s earnings from her music career is pretty challenging. She hadn’t been able to tour for a couple of years because of the pandemic, but she earned a lot on the road before this.

Her Cuz I Love You tour, for instance, which ran from July 2019 until January 2020, was a major success. The tickets ranged between $39 and $99.50 depending on the location. The tour earned $10.8 million in total, and while a lot of it went to planning and costs, she has most likely earned at least a few million from this.

Her more recent tour, Special, grossed an impressive $66.5 million.

Controversies and Misconduct Allegations

In August 2023, three backup dancers who worked with the artist filed a lawsuit against Lizzo, her dance captain Shirlene Quigley, and her production company. The dancers accused them of sexual, racial, and religious harassment, as well as assault, disability discrimination, false imprisonment, and weight-shaming.

Following the lawsuit, a former creative director also came forward, showing support for the claimants and sharing that they had similar experiences when they were working with Lizzo.

“I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered, and unkind she is… reading these reports made me realize how dangerous of a situation it was,” said filmmaker Sophia Nahli Allison, who traveled with Lizzo for her documentary in 2019.

Despite the major backlash and many people coming forward, Lizzo has denied all allegations made against her, saying that they are “unbelievable” and “too outrageous not to be addressed”.

However, her troubles didn’t end there. In September, another lawsuit was filed against Lizzo and her management team, alleging inappropriate behavior backstage, including disability discrimination, racial and sexual harassment, drug use, and more.

The court cases are still in progress. In February 2024, a Los Angeles judge rejected Lizzo’s request to end the backup dancers’ cases against her. He did, however, dismiss some of the charges such as the claim that Lizzo fat-shamed one of the dancers.

All of Lizzo’s controversies have left a dark mark on Lizzo’s reputation, especially since she’s spent most of her career promoting body positivity, self-love, and self-confidence. Throughout her career, she’s often shared that she was subject to body shaming due to her obesity. Her famous group of backup dancers, the Big Grrrls is made up entirely of plus-size dancers.

To highlight body positivity and inclusivity, Lizzo even appeared in ModCloth’s Say It Louder campaign in 2018. She also sported the first plus-size outfit made for FIT’s Future of Fashion runway show that same year.

Other Investments, Income Sources, And Assets of Lizzo

Using a unique blend of powerful vocals and incredible talent, Lizzo has achieved international fame. However, while her fame mostly stems from her music career, Lizzo has also dabbled in acting, entertainment, and business.

Acting and TV Appearances

In 2018, Lizzo headlined the annual food festival EEEEEATSCON by The Infatuation. That same year, she appeared as a guest judge on Ru Paul‘s Drag Race show in its tenth season.

Lizzo made her debut voicing the character of Lydia in Ugly Dolls, an animated musical comedy in 2019. That same year, she starred in the crime dramedy Hustlers, acting alongside Mercedes Ruehl, Cardi B, Julia Stiles, and Jennifer Lopez.

In December 2019, Lizzo made the first of several appearances as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, with Eddie Murphy as the host. She returned to the show as a host and musical guest in April 2022, and again as a musical guest in December 2022.

In August 2020, Lizzo signed a production deal with Amazon Studios to develop new projects with them. The first of the projects was the reality competition series titled Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, which premiered on March 24, 2022.

Endorsement Deals

A large part of Lizzo’s fortune comes from endorsement deals. To date, she has partnered with many major brands, earning millions in the process.

In 2019, Lizzo appeared in ads for Absolut Vodka’s Absolut Juice, singing her song Juice. She also performed If You Love Me in a Super Bowl ad for the Google Pixel 6 phone camera. While the details of her earnings haven’t been disclosed, a 30-second Super Bowl ad usually goes for $6.5 million, so Lizzo most likely capped a few million from this gig alone.

More recently, Lizzo partnered with Logitech for the company’s #DEFYLOGIC campaign and released her song Secret along with a tweet.

Lizzo has also been an ambassador and signed sponsorship deals with Dove, Quay, Urban Decay, and other companies.

Shapewear Brand

Lizzo has founded a “revolutionary new shapewear brand” called Yitty in partnership with Fabletics Inc. Upon the brand’s release, she said:

I felt that I was constantly being told through TV and magazines that my body wasn’t good enough. And to be considered ‘acceptable,’ I had to inflict some sort of pain upon it to fit into an archetype of beauty. Because of this, I’ve been wearing shapewear for a long time, maybe since I was in fifth or sixth grade.

According to Business Insider, the fashion line generated over $1 million in sales on its launch day.

Real Estate

To date, the artist has used her fortune to invest heavily in real estate. In 2020, she bought a $26 million mansion in Echo Park, Los Angeles. During the pandemic, she rented a hillside compound in Palm Springs for $5,000 a night.

Next, in 2022, she acquired a house in Beverly Hills for $15 million.

What Can We Learn from Lizzo’s Story?

Lizzo’s journey offers many valuable lessons on resilience, innovation, and authenticity. From her struggling beginnings to her rise to stardom, Lizzo’s story teaches us about personal growth, career success, and societal impact.

Her life illustrates how resilience is the key to success. From enduring a time being unhoused after her father’s death to struggling financially before her breakthrough, Lizzo has shown us the importance of pushing forward despite setbacks. It’s vital to keep trying your best, even if you don’t see a clear way forward.

Furthermore, Lizzo’s commitment to being true to herself, both personally and musically, has attracted a dedicated fan base. Her music promotes self-love and acceptance, which resonates with fans who value honesty and openness.

Lizzo’s classical training in flute might seem out of place in hip-hop and pop music, but she has managed to integrate it into her performances, which makes a unique brand. This distinctive feature adds depth to her music and has helped set her apart.

Lizzo’s emphasis on body positivity and inclusivity has transformed her from a musician to a cultural influencer. She has built a powerful brand that advocates for positive change.

However, while she has spent years building her reputation as a cultural influencer, it could all go tumbling down based on how the lawsuits against her end. The lawsuits filed by her former colleagues bring serious allegations, which detail a range of inappropriate behavior that many people claim Lizzo and her team allowed or directly participated in.

Lizzo’s brand has been built on positivity and empowerment, but allegations like these contrast sharply with her public image. This goes to show how quickly a brand’s reputation can be jeopardized and how even the smallest actions can lead to major, irreparable consequences.