Once upon a time, Harry Styles was part of a supergroup that could reduce a generation of tweens to a collective howl; later, he did it by striking out alone, snakehipped in Alessandro Michele’s Gucci — gaining some more mature fans in the process (guilty).
You ain’t seen nothing yet: his third iteration is as part of pop’s most potent platonic power couple. Arise, Hizzo: a pairing of inimitable charisma and chemistry.
Last night at the Brit Awards the pair stole the show — definitely from the host Jack Whitehall, who looked deathly pale in the glow of their megawatt flirting, and even from Dave, who won album of the year, and whose political performance read the riot act to the elites, going viral in the process.
But whichever social alchemist put Lizzo and Harry on neighbouring tables — there is no award worthy. In the course of the ceremony, Lizzo clutched Harry to her bountiful chest for selfies, he gazing up at her in moon-eyed adoration.
When they were not literally entwined, they held hands across the space between the tables, like a hormone-drunk new couple who just can’t not be touching at all times.
At one point, she proprietorially necked an entire glass of his tequila, and then, when Whitehall spoke to Harry, Lizzo demanded of Styles, “Are you cheating on me?”. No chance: by the end of the evening, #Hizzo was trending.
It even looked a bit like they’d coordinated their outfits: for the red carpet, she was in brown custom-made Moschino by Jeremy Scott, and he wore his own brown tailored suit — Gucci, obviously.
He accessorised with a set of pearls slung around his neck and a pair of polished Mary Janes that remind you of being dragged to Clarks by your mum in the school holidays to measure the width of your foot (obviously, they made the whole outfit).
After a quick change, Styles emerged in banana-yellow Marc Jacobs tailoring and a frothy purple bowtie (the designer christened him a “BAD BITCH”, approvingly) — which offset Lizzo’s blue sequinned high camp beautifully. Whether it was planned or just kismet, the coordination has #Hizzo watchers — whose frenzy could in time reach the stakes set sky-high by the Directioners of yore — in paroxysms.
The Brit Awards 2020: After Parties – In pictures
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But despite the swoons from the audience, this was not a meet-cute. In fact, the two are well acquainted. From whence did their holy alliance emerge? Heaven, obviously, but in secular terms, it started with a song — when Styles covered Lizzo’s Juice in Radio 1’s Live Lounge in December.
Wearing a pair of beige dungarees, a string of pearls (fast becoming his signature) and a red sparkly manicure, Styles nails Lizzo’s honeyed Detroit drawl in a video that has been viewed more than 11 million times. No one can say “Heard you say I’m not the baddest, bitch, you lied” like Lizzo, except Harry Styles — making his own bid for bad-bitch status.
The OG agreed. In the aftermath, as the world reeled, Lizzo tweeted, sweetly, “*melts*”, and later — once she’d had a lie down in an isolation tank, one presumes — shared a clip of Styles’s performance, with the enigmatic teaser, “You know what this means right…?”
No? Well, what it meant was a duet, last month, in Miami, where the pair sang Juice — he wearing a shrunken sweater vest, she in a denim bikini, studded with diamante gems, both vibing off the high from their mutual excellence. Sharing the video on Instagram later, she called him a “human Hershey’s Kiss”, which translates into English, roughly, as “cute as a button”.
The post has been liked almost 1.5 million times — and caused voluble fans of both singers to lovebomb the pair of them in the comments.
It’s a tale for our times. The next act was a reciprocal Live Lounge performance: this week, Lizzo covered Styles’s Adore You (subtle). Resplendent — is she ever anything but? — in liquid leather and talons that could maim, she upped the ante of her tribute about 52 seconds in, by adding, “Oh Harry” to the line “I’d walk through fire for you, just let me adore you”. Hun, join the queue.
The intrigue continues: at 2.23, Lizzo whips out Sasha, her infamous flute complete a lilting solo. On Monday, @sashabefluting shared a clip on her Instagram account, staking her own quirky claim to Styles.
“After my recent split with Harry Styles, I was reluctant to perform this song. As y’all know his whole album is about me. Tbh I haven’t brought myself to listen to it yet. FYI in order to learn this solo I had to be blindfolded and played the track in reverse…even sheet music would be a painful reminder of our love.”
Don’t think about it too much in case it starts to make your head hurt — the topline is: What’s better than a power couple? A power throuple. Hizzasha? (we’ll work on the brand.)
Sasha or no Sasha, the sky’s the limit for #Hizzo: the combined fame, fandom and cultural cachet is explosive, as last night’s epic performance at the Brit Awards proved. For what is better than one colossal fan base? Two colossal fan bases combined.
The size of their armies is enough to make a superpower that dominates pop culture. Harry will be at the Electric Ballroom doing a secret set, the screams from NW1 echoing around the capital, while his partner-in-crime Lizzo is on the cover of Rolling Stone (coverline: “How She Conquered The World”), shot by President of High Camp Pop Culture, David LaChapelle. World domination surely follows.
Lizzo – In pictures
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Lizzo attends the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, NY, USA
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Speaking onstage at MTV’s Wonderland live show in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses with co-host Steak for MTV’s Wonderland after-party in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends MTV’s Wonderland live show in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Co-hosts Lizzo and Reggie Watts speak during MTV’s Wonderland in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo and singer Tish Hyman perform onstage in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Singer JAHKOY and host Lizzo speak onstage in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo joins Lil Jon and guests for MTV’s Wonderland in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses backstage with dancers at Entertainment Weekly’s PopFest in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses in Los Angeles, CA, UsA
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Lizzo with Matt FX Feldman and Myke Wright at MTV’s Teen Wolf and Sweet/Vicious premiere in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs onstage at MTV in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo arrives for the Warner Music Group Grammy Party in Hollywood, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs at the #TwitterHouse in Austin, TX, USA
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Lizzo and dancers pose backstage at NYLON at #TwitterHouse in Austin, TX, USA
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Lizzo performs at the NPR showcase during 2017 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Stubbs in Austin, TX, USA
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Lizzo at SXSW in Austin, TX, USA
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Lizzo performs at the The 9th Annual Shorty Awards in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo attends the 9th Annual Shorty Awards after-party in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo poses at YouTube in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends the Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’s Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner after-party in Washington, DC, USA
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Lizzo performs at the YouTube space in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo gets ready to perform during the Meadows Music And Arts Festival in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo poses at the 2017 ESSENCE Festival at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA, USA
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Lizzo performs at the Sundance NEXT FEST in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends the MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses at the Refinery29 Third Annual 29Rooms: Turn It Into Art event in Brooklyn, NY, USA
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Lizzo with Danielle Brooks and Brad Walsh at the Christian Siriano show during New York Fashion Week in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo performs during the Meadows Music And Arts Festival in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo at Spotify’s Inaugural Secret Genius Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo onstage at Lane Bryant Presents #ImNoAngel Powered By Pandora in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo poses at Refinery29 29Rooms Los Angeles: Turn It Into Art Opening Night Party in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends the GQ Men of the Year party in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends HBO’s 2 Dope Queens Slumber Party Premiere in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo arrives for the 2018 GQ x Neiman Marcus All Star Party in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo speaks on a panel Beautycon in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo performs during Refinery29 Presents: The World of Abundance in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo attends Kick-Off To NYFW: The Shows in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo speaks during #TeeUpChange Campaign Launch Hosted By Dia&Co and CFDA at theCURVYcon in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo sits in the front row with Kim Petras, Chantel Jeffries, and Lauren Jauregui at the Christian Cowan show during NYFW in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo arrives for the Total Wireless Presents LIZZO Live Powered By Pandora in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses with dancers at the Total Wireless Presents LIZZO Live Powered By Pandora in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends Spotify Cosmic Playlist Launch Event in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses upon arrival at the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Celebration in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs at the Warner Music & CIROC Vodka House Party, in association with GQ in London, England
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Lizzo arrives at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, CA, USA
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Lizzo plays flute onstage during the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs with Janelle Monae on the Coachella Stage during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses with Aquaria at the Sephora x Moschino party in Indio, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs at Mojave Tent during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, NY, USA
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Speaking onstage at MTV’s Wonderland live show in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses with co-host Steak for MTV’s Wonderland after-party in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends MTV’s Wonderland live show in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Co-hosts Lizzo and Reggie Watts speak during MTV’s Wonderland in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo and singer Tish Hyman perform onstage in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Singer JAHKOY and host Lizzo speak onstage in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo joins Lil Jon and guests for MTV’s Wonderland in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses backstage with dancers at Entertainment Weekly’s PopFest in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses in Los Angeles, CA, UsA
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Lizzo with Matt FX Feldman and Myke Wright at MTV’s Teen Wolf and Sweet/Vicious premiere in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs onstage at MTV in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo arrives for the Warner Music Group Grammy Party in Hollywood, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs at the #TwitterHouse in Austin, TX, USA
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Lizzo and dancers pose backstage at NYLON at #TwitterHouse in Austin, TX, USA
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Lizzo performs at the NPR showcase during 2017 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Stubbs in Austin, TX, USA
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Lizzo at SXSW in Austin, TX, USA
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Lizzo performs at the The 9th Annual Shorty Awards in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo attends the 9th Annual Shorty Awards after-party in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo poses at YouTube in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends the Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’s Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner after-party in Washington, DC, USA
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Lizzo performs at the YouTube space in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo gets ready to perform during the Meadows Music And Arts Festival in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo poses at the 2017 ESSENCE Festival at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA, USA
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Lizzo performs at the Sundance NEXT FEST in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends the MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses at the Refinery29 Third Annual 29Rooms: Turn It Into Art event in Brooklyn, NY, USA
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Lizzo with Danielle Brooks and Brad Walsh at the Christian Siriano show during New York Fashion Week in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo performs during the Meadows Music And Arts Festival in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo at Spotify’s Inaugural Secret Genius Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo onstage at Lane Bryant Presents #ImNoAngel Powered By Pandora in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo poses at Refinery29 29Rooms Los Angeles: Turn It Into Art Opening Night Party in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends the GQ Men of the Year party in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends HBO’s 2 Dope Queens Slumber Party Premiere in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo arrives for the 2018 GQ x Neiman Marcus All Star Party in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo speaks on a panel Beautycon in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo performs during Refinery29 Presents: The World of Abundance in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo attends Kick-Off To NYFW: The Shows in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo speaks during #TeeUpChange Campaign Launch Hosted By Dia&Co and CFDA at theCURVYcon in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo sits in the front row with Kim Petras, Chantel Jeffries, and Lauren Jauregui at the Christian Cowan show during NYFW in New York, NY, USA
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Lizzo arrives for the Total Wireless Presents LIZZO Live Powered By Pandora in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses with dancers at the Total Wireless Presents LIZZO Live Powered By Pandora in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo attends Spotify Cosmic Playlist Launch Event in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses upon arrival at the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Celebration in Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs at the Warner Music & CIROC Vodka House Party, in association with GQ in London, England
Dave Benett
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Lizzo arrives at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, CA, USA
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Lizzo plays flute onstage during the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs with Janelle Monae on the Coachella Stage during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, CA, USA
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Lizzo poses with Aquaria at the Sephora x Moschino party in Indio, CA, USA
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Lizzo performs at Mojave Tent during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, CA, USA
Getty Images for Coachella
Not that this is some cynical bid for viral fame. No, they are clearly soul siblings, charismatic ambassadors for a generation that champions individualism and inclusivity — which is, incidentally, not a paradox.
The chameleonic Styles has become a poster boy for Gen Z, a post-gender generation that rejects binary sexuality and embraces the freedom to dress however you like. He is partial to a voluminous trouser and an exaggerated neckline. His flamboyant, self-consciously Bowie/Jagger aesthetic is — in Gen Z parlance — “very extra”.
Soul siblings indeed: “extra” is Lizzo’s raison d’etre; her Twitter name is Feelin Good As Hell. Like Styles, she is a feminist (all heroes are) who is also an advocate for body positivity. She speaks eloquently about race, class and mental health.
Philosphically, they’re singing from the same hymn sheet — the hymn in question being Juice. Could a joint tour follow? Hizzo: your people need you.