Lizzo is closing out the month in a 'Special' way, making her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover debut for the magazine's July 2026 Swimsuit digital issue. The 'About Damn Time' singer wore her signature Yitty Swim bikinis and swimsuits for the poolside, Miami mansion-set shoot, marking a second of two recent Sports Illustrated moments. In the spring, on May 30, Lizzo performed several songs from her new Bitch album, including 'Sexy Ladies,' at the 2026 SI Swimsuit Runway Show during Miami Swim Week. The 38-year-old worked the catwalk in a bright blue one-piece swimsuit with the word 'b-h' written across the front, a nod to her latest LP.
A Deeper Dive into Lizzo's Career and Cultural Impact
Lizzo’s rise to fame is a story of talent, resilience, and unapologetic self-love. Born Melissa Viviane Jefferson in Detroit, she initially pursued a degree in classical flute performance at the University of Houston before diving into music. Her breakthrough came with the 2019 album Cuz I Love You, which spawned hits like 'Juice' and 'Truth Hurts.' The latter spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned her three Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Urban Contemporary Album. Her subsequent album, Special (2022), continued her streak with the chart-topping single 'About Damn Time,' which won Record of the Year at the 2023 Grammys.
Beyond music, Lizzo has become a powerful voice for body positivity, self-acceptance, and mental health awareness. She has faced criticism and online abuse but consistently turns the conversation toward empowerment. Her shapewear and clothing line, Yitty (launched in 2021), promotes inclusive sizing and celebrates all bodies. Covering Time, Vogue, and now Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, she continues to break barriers as a size-inclusive icon. Her quote from the SI interview reflects this journey: 'My newest fantasy is about feeling good in my body and enjoying my life. I worked so hard that I destroyed my nervous system. I have such bad anxiety that now I'm working on reversing those things because it's not conducive to my career. It doesn’t help … to be an artist of this caliber and to have anxiety and to have fear. … There's no place for that. I really am just seeking joy.'
Upcoming Projects and Expansions
Lizzo has a packed slate in the pipeline. She is set to return to the silver screen after a six-year absence, starring as Sister Rosetta Tharpe in a forthcoming biopic. Tharpe, often called the 'Godmother of Rock and Roll,' was a groundbreaking Black female guitarist and singer who influenced Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and many others. Lizzo is deeply committed to the project, telling Sports Illustrated, 'We're in the process of writing the script. There's a lot of research that has gone into the biopic, and I want to be really careful and precious with the script because I think it's really important to show a Black woman at that time in a different light. … I want her biopic to represent her as the superstar that she was.' This role could be a major career milestone, showcasing her acting chops beyond the critically acclaimed 2019 film Hustlers.
Additionally, Lizzo is branching into children’s literature. Her debut picture book, Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin', illustrated by Mark Pett, is scheduled for release on September 8. The story follows 'a girl [who] finds her voice with the help of a smart and sassy flute,' drawing from her own experience as a flutist. 'I want to… give people backstory on my relationship' with music, she said. 'I'm super adamant about young people playing instruments again. It used to be mandatory, and I don't know if it's mandatory anymore, and it scares me.' This passion for education also manifested recently when she served as a guest professor at Kai Cenat's Streamer University. There, she provided lessons in self-love to streaming star and Grammy-nominated artist Plaqueboymax after he faced harassment and homophobic speculation about his sexuality.
Chart Performance and Artistic Evolution
Despite her cultural prominence, Lizzo’s recent album Bitch (released June 5) failed to chart on the Billboard 200, becoming her first project since 2015’s Big Grrrl Small World to miss the list entirely. The LP did reach No. 15 on the Indie Store Album Sales chart and No. 46 on Top Album Sales, but the commercial underperformance raised questions among fans and critics. However, Lizzo remains undeterred. In interviews, she has expressed admiration for Taylor Swift's business acumen and hinted at new strategies to connect with audiences. The album’s lead singles—'Don't Make Me Love U' and the Meredith Brooks-nodding title track—received mixed reviews, but diehard supporters praised her willingness to experiment with sound and topic. The Swimsuit cover, along with the runway show, helped keep her in the public eye and reaffirmed her status as a multifaceted entertainer.
This grounded, restorative outlook previews Lizzo's exciting upcoming slate of projects. The Grammy-winning singer-rapper-songwriter hasn't been on the silver screen in an acting role since 2019's acclaimed Hustlers, but she'll soon return in the starring role of the Sister Rosetta Tharpe biopic. In addition to her acting career, Lizzo is also bringing her talents to the world of children's books. This fall (Sept. 8), she'll release Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin', a Mark Pett-illustrated picture book that follows 'a girl [who] finds her voice with the help of a smart and sassy flute.' 'I want to… give people backstory on my relationship,' she said. 'I'm super adamant about young people playing instruments again. It used to be mandatory, and I don't know if it's mandatory anymore, and it scares me.'
It's been a busy month for Lizzo, most of which she's spent as a guest professor at Kai Cenat's Streamer University, where she notably gave streaming star and Grammy-nominated artist Plaqueboymax helpful lessons in self-love after fellow 'students' like online personality Ojaysuave harassed him and encouraged homophobia-laced speculation about his sexuality. This incident highlighted Lizzo’s commitment to using her platform for advocacy, something she has done throughout her career, from speaking out against fatphobia to promoting mental health awareness. Her willingness to step into the digital streaming world also shows her adaptability in an evolving media landscape.
Source: MSN News