Lizzo is for the people.
The “Good As Hell” singer was the recipient of The People’s Champion award at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards Dec. 6 and, after her mother Shari Johnson-Jefferson presented her with the accolade, she used the moment to highlight other female activists.
“I’m [going to] be honest, when I first heard about this award, I was on the fence about whether I should accept because, if I’m the people’s champ, I don’t need a trophy for championing people,” she said. “You know what I’m saying? I’m here tonight, because to be an icon isn’t about how long you’ve had your platform. Being an icon is what you do with that platform.”
“Tonight, I am sharing this honor,” she said before a group of female change makers joined her on stage. “Make some noise for the people, y’all. These are all activists and people that I think deserve the spotlight.”
Lizzo then proceeded to introduce each individual activist and highlighted their work which ranged from transgender advocates, female rights, indigenous peoples, gun violence organizations and more.
The 17 highlighted activists included Mari Copeny, Shirley Raines, Yasmine Aker, Emiliana Guereca, Esther Young Lim, Felicia “Fe” Montes, Jayla Rose Sullivan, Kara Roselle Smith, Maggie Mireles Thomas, Amelia Bonow, Odilia Romero, Tarlan Rabizadeh, Sahar Pirzada, Chand iMoore, Crystal Echo Hawk, Reshma Saujani and Tamika Palmer.
“Give them their flowers!” the 34-year-old musician concluded. “Power will always be to the people! Thank you so much People’s Choice. Follow them and support them.”
Lizzo was announced as the recipient of the The People’s Champion Award in early November. Previous winners of the award include Tyler Perry, Pink, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Lizzo also won the People’s Choice Award for The Song of 2022 for “It’s About Damn Time.”
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