Lizzo will pick up the guitar in her first leading role.
According to Deadline, the 4-time Grammy winner will reportedly portray rock 'n' roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe in upcoming Amazon MGM Studios biopic Rosetta. An Arkansas native who died in 1973 at 58 years old, Tharpe influenced artists like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Little Richard and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Tharpe's innovative musicianship broadened her reach across rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll and gospel, and over 30 years after her death, in 2004, her classic "Down by the Riverside" was added to the National Recording Registry. In 2018, Tharpe received a posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
On Monday (March 24), Lizzo shared the movie news on Instagram. "Black people made rock n roll," Lizzo captioned the post.
While Lizzo has made cameos in the 2019 crime drama Hustlers, The Simpsons and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Rosetta will mark her first leading film role. Last week, the "Still Bad" artist tweeted about the mistreatment of Black female artists, adding that she's "out here reclaiming rock n roll for US…"
Following her 2022 fourth album, Special, Lizzo will soon release her long-awaited follow-up Love In Real Life, led by the titular single and "Still Bad."