The Clanger’s Lloyd Lugsden recently had the good fortune to fire some Q’s at 21st Century hip-hopper Lizzo, whilst on her UK tour with fellow Minneapolis dweller Har Mar Superstar – she was ‘literally’ on the road when we spoke to her. You’ve probably heard her infectious single, ‘Batches & Cookies’ and she’s playing a live session on Lauren Laverne’s BBC6music show on this week. Lizzo is on the ‘Totally Gross National Product’ (excellent name) label, overseen by Bon Ivers Justin Vernon, which features collaborative / experimental artists. You can catch her at Esquires this Friday.
Bedford Clanger: You’re currently touring the UK, how are you finding it?
Lizzo: Great! I’m a big fan of the UK and of Europe and have been wanting to come over for ages. Everyone here has given me such a warm welcome
BC: Ahh!
BC: Any bad things about England?
L: No, not at all.
BC: Have you been to many pubs?
L: Ha Ha! Yes, been to a few, enjoying your Ciders…
BC: Are there many ciders available in the U.S?
L: Oh, yes, Strongbow…(BC: other ciders are available…)
BC: You’re from Minneapolis, and Detroit and Houston prior to that, can you recommend anywhere to visit at these places?
L: I wouldn’t go to Detroit (Detroit’s facing severe economic problems at the moment…) but Minneapolis is good, lots for good music, food and the Lakes are great in the summer…
BC: These cities are all rich in musical heritage, I guess that influenced you?
L: Oh yeah, for sure. There’s a lot of Detroit Gospel, in Houston there’s the dirty Southern rap, plus all the weird stuff from Minneapolis…
BC: Can you recommend any new acts?
L: Yeah, there’s a lot of good stuff on the Totally Gross National Product label; Polica, Pony Bwoy, El-P & Killer Mike lots of different stuff, if you look for it…plus there’s some decent mainstream music on the radio like Drake…
BC: You’re on Justin Vernon’s label, how’s that?
L: Really good, Justin’s very talented & a great musician himself.
BC: On a Sunday morning after a big night out (if you do that kind of thing!) what might you listen to?
L: Well I grew up listening to a lot of Gospel music, so some of that, Fred Hammond, The Winans, Kirk Franklin, Clark Sisters.
BC: Any favourite dishes to cook / order?
L: There’s not much time for cooking when touring, I tend to eat out and it’s not always good but I’m trying to eat healthy, I like Hummus. I’m looking forward to eating some home cooked food at Thanksgiving & Christmas – though I’ll miss Thanksgiving as I’ll be on tour…
BC: Any (visual) artists you admire?
L: Not really, I’m more into graphic design, though I do like some Japanese art.
BC: What’s Mr Har Mar like to tour with? He seems quite a character…
L: Ah, he’s amazing. Not only a great artist but a great businessman too…
… I resisted asking if there were any cookies on the rider….
Lizzo is supporting Har Mar Superstar at Esquires, Bedford on Friday 22nd November, then touring the UK.
Check her out here
