Lizzo is making it clear which friendships between celebrities are real and which ones are just for show
The star is clarifying the true nature of relationships in the industry.
We’ve all been on Instagram and seen our favorite artists laughing at an awards show or sharing a selfie in the studio. Right away, we thought they were texting friends in real life.
Lizzo is here to stop all of that. She is revealing the truth about her relationships with famous people, clarifying that they are primarily business-related and debunking the myth that all famous people are part of a close-knit, happy group.
Lizzo was honest on Joel Madden’s Artist Friendly show when she said that a collaboration is not the same as a brunch date. She laughed at the idea that because they share a track or a stage, they are close enough to talk on the phone. “People think they’re best friends even if they sing together.” It’s like, no. I like them as an artist, I like their songs, and we worked together. I did send them files, though. They picked it up and sent it back to me.
Fans don’t really understand how transactional the music business really is. Lizzo said that artists often don’t talk to each other aside from the hours they spend on set making a music video together. For most of these pairs, it’s just a job. There’s no secret group chat or late-night hangouts. It’s challenging for someone with her level of fame to find people who really understand her way of life, which makes the fake bonds stand out even more.
There are many superficial friends in the business, but Lizzo has a soft spot in her heart for SZA. Their friendship goes beyond the studio and is one of the few real ones she has made in the public eye. Lizzo sees her as a rare confidante because they both know how challenging it is to deal with being a huge star. She talked about how close they were by saying, “I don’t really have many people I can talk to about this kind of thing.” I love SZA and talk to her. There aren’t many people like her, so you have to have her on the show. Still, she’s the only person I can call and say, “Okay, b*tch.” And she’ll say, “Okay.”
For Lizzo, keeping up the appearance that she is best friends with everyone she has ever recorded with is unimportant. She is helping her fans understand the difference between a professional working relationship and a real friendship by being clear about these limits. She purposely keeps her close friends and family very small because she knows that real relationships are hard to find in a field based on looks.
