Happy Birthday Lizzo: Revisiting Cuz I Love You

It’s impossible to listen to a Lizzo track and feel anything less than pure joy. With her third studio album, the Texas native has really found her groove. Though the record incorporates everything from indie-rock to rap and R&B, Cuz I Love You is even greater than the sum of its parts. The results are stunning – this is a playful, confident, radical endorsement of self-love and emotional vulnerability.

The title-track, a power ballad with a killer beat, puts Lizzo’s impressive belting skills on display. ‘Like A Girl’, a rap-pop tune sure to become a girl power playlist staple, spotlights the singer’s spirited personality and lyrical prowess. Here, Lizzo encourages women to follow their dreams, whilst paying homage to black female icons Chaka Khan, Lauryn Hill and Serena Williams.

This theme of positivity continues into hit single ‘Juice’ and rap song ‘Soulmate’, with a real sense of joy permeating the music.

Missy Elliot features on ‘Tempo’, a body-positive rap-dance track emphasising Lizzo’s more sensual side. Cuz I Love You isn’t limited to endlessly optimistic tunes, though – in soulful bop ‘Jerome’, the narrator breaks up with an immature old flame, whilst unapologetic rock jam ‘Cry Baby’ sees the artist cast aside by her partner.

Though the album’s final three tunes, ‘Better In Color’, ‘Heaven Help Me’ and ‘Lingerie’, don’t push the envelope as much as the rest, they’re still irresistibly catchy. ‘Heaven Help Me’, in particular, deserves special mention for its slowed-down bridge and Lizzo’s famous flute playing.

Jump on the Lizzo train now if you somehow haven’t already – this woman is well on her way to the top.