Lizzo is ready to split! Now, before you think we’re talking about Lizzo leaving the music business or the entertainment industry, or something worse, it’s nothing like that. Proving that she can do just about anything, the multi-talented Rumors singer is learning to physically do a split. At a very young age, Lizzo knew that she was destined for greatness. Her journey to stardom began with playing the flute in elementary school. Described as an admitted “band nerd/band geek”, Lizzo told CBS that she had dreams of growing up and being in a symphony. Even when members of the band that she started with chose to pursue other activities, Lizzo says she stayed and honed in on her craft.
Lizzo’s persistence in being a great flutist was a strong one. She was mostly self-taught, learning to play by ear first before attempting with the sheet music. And Lizzo chose to challenge herself by not reducing her ear-training to just songs on the radio, but Classical pieces.
With her self-training, Lizzo wowed many of her private instructors. Eventually, she would begin to train with the principal flutist for the Houston Ballet. But even though her dreams of being in a symphony were huge, Lizzo never aspired to be a solo flutist. “It’s a lot of work. You gotta practice for a long time to get it right,” Lizzo told CBS. “I didn’t like that part. I really loved sitting in a symphony and sitting in an ensemble and playing music. And I would get goosebumps when we would play pieces. My dad’s friends would come over [and] he would be like, ‘All right, play that song for them.’ And I would, like, play the new cool fast song that I learned. I’m a very showy flute player though.”
One thing’s for sure, two things for certain. Lizzo is absolutely “showy” when playing the flute. But that also trickles into every other aspect of her performances. At the age of 14, Lizzo started to dive more into creating music. She formed a group with some friends called “Cornrow Clique” and began rapping. A move to Minnesota would drive her love and passion for music even more. She formed her own group, “Lizzo & the Larva Ink,” and eventually released her debut album Lizzobangers in 2013.
Lizzo is also an electrifying dancer whose moves captivate audiences, as well as motivate women of various shapes and sizes. Proving that “big girls can do it all”, Lizzo often incorporates all types of movement in her shows. Recently, Lizzo gave audiences a Ted Talk on the history of a very popularized body movement in the African-American community. This dance is one in which Lizzo often freely does without remorse. According to Lizzo, after first learning to do it in Houston clubs, the dance move helped her to gain more confidence within herself. “I used to hate my [backside], believe it or not,” Lizzo said to the audience. But further in the speech, Lizzo admits that it was the specific dance move that made her realize that her butt was her “greatest asset.”
With Lizzo already being a skilled flutist, electric performer, and captivating dancer, she’s ready to add another skill to her repertoire. Lizzo recently took to Instagram to share that she was learning how to do splits with trainer Wade Bryant. “DON’T GET MAD WHEN I BUSS THE SPLITS AT UR FUNCTION,” Lizzo exclaimed in the post’s caption. She’s seen wearing a red training outfit as Wade proceeds to stretch her out. Lizzo added in her caption that she had noticeable results after one session as she had “never been this close to the splits in my life.”
In an Instagram post of his own, Wade Bryant shared that Lizzo was “dope in real life” and that it was an “honor” training her. “Weight really has nothing to do with training,” Bryant wrote. “[Lizzo] came ready to work! And I promise y’all she worked and screamed a few times.” Much respect to Lizzo!
