Lizzo Rocks Her NPR Tiny Desk Concert With Super-Queer Performance

The flute-playing musician peppered her banter between songs with gender-inclusive language.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

July 29 2019 3:01 PM EST

July 29 2019 4:29 PM EST

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NPR got a double-dose of the flute-playing musician Lizzo when she followed an interview with radio host Terry Gross for Fresh Air with a pulsing 17-minute Tiny Desk Concert set.

Between performing her songs from behind what she called a "tiny-ass desk" to a packed room at NPR's offices, Lizzo peppered her banter with gender-inclusive language in a video released Monday.

"Bitches ain't shit sometimes." Lizzo said after opening with "Cuz I Love You." "And all the non-conforming genders in-between, you can all be ain't shit too."

After performing "Truth Hurts," Lizzo launched into a mantra repeating, "I'm fuckboy-free." But she didn't stop there. She made sure to express her new-found freedom from sexual and emotional users in gender-inclusive terms. She added that she's "fuckgirl-" and "fuckthem-, fuckthey-free" as well.

"It's an amazing place to be," she said.

For her final song, "Juice," Lizzo whipped out her flute and blew a solo in her signature style.

Lizzo was joined behind the "tiny-ass desk" by Devin Johnson on the keyboard, Dana Hawkins on Drums, Vernon Prout on bass, and Walter Williams on guitar, according to NPR.

Watch the performance below.

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