Chasing Lizzo

My friend Evelyn forwarded me a promo from Lizzo’s Insta. – She’d be signing her new album, entitled Bitch in Studio City in a few days. 

As you may know, Lizzo cut my (and Meredith Brooks’) song “Bitch.” Needless to say, I wanted to meet the woman and say, “Thank You.” But I was flying home from NY to LA on the day of that signing and it would be tight. I considered taking an earlier flight. 

But then I noticed Lizzo was going to be doing a signing at ROUGH TRADE RECORDS in Rockefeller Center while I was still in NYC. This solved my problem. It wasn’t a done deal though, that I’d actually get to meet her. I mean, they whoosh you through those lines so fast. 

I texted my friend Dave who ‘knows people’ and he tried to set up a brief meet. No luck. 

I texted a Rep at Atlantic. No luck. 

So, I decided to have another adventure with myself and simply head on downtown and ‘will it’ to happen.

I got there early. On purpose. A crowd had already started lining up outside of the underground store. I went in and told the miserable-looking girl at the register, who I was – maybe she’d wave me on back to where Lizzo’s manager would be. I’m Shelly Peiken, I was a writer on the original version of, you know, Lizzo’s new song, “Bitch.’” And she replied, (with resting bored face, I might add), “Oh, I don’t listen to Lizzo’s music anymore.” 

Clearly, she’s one of the cancellers. She has a right to be. I heard the stories but there’s that law about a person being presumed innocent until ... and if. 

Resting bored face allowed me however, to advance to the back of the store to find a Rep.

I approached a woman with a badge and she said, “Oh Shelly. Of course, I’m Sarah xxxxx, I used to manage Christina (Aguilera).“ We had indeed emailed on several occasions. “Sarah!!! Omg. Face with the name.” 

She said, it wouldn’t be a problem. I’d get my meet!  Yay. 

I said … “how about I come back in an hour and wait right outside the store.”

It was plan. She’d let me know when she could slip me in. 

I had some time to kill. I know, I’ll bring Lizzo roses! There are flower stands outside every market uptown, but here at Rockefeller center? Only one florist  came up on Google Maps and Maps is far from an exact science, especially when you’re off of a grid. I could not find it. And I was getting sweaty. And dizzy. So I headed back. Empty handed. Mad at myself because, I thought about the roses the day before but hadn’t made a note-to-self. And so, I lost opportunity to make someone smile. 

I told myself she wouldn’t care but actually I think a bunch of roses might have made her happy. 

When I got back to the signing location, the line was even longer. 

Out strutted Lizzo, across the concourse. She was heading right toward me - waiting at the store’s entrance as planned. The cameras were following her. Her fans were screaming. 

She stopped right next to me and turned to the crowd. Kevin, Sarah’s colleague, leaned into Lizzo and must have told her that I was a writer on the song. She grabbed me. She said, “Girl you an icon!” 

It occurred to me she thought I was Meredith.😳

Phones were in the air. Everyone was getting pictures of us … except for me! 

She went into the store. I asked someone to kindly text me the pics they took. They were all blurry. And I wanted a proper photo. What’s a girl to do? 

I’d go to the back of that line and get on it. Eventually, it will be my turn. But when I walked on over, I realized what I assumed was the end of the line was only a break in the rest of hundreds more people swirling up a stairwell. 

SIGH. I’d sit down and wait for the line to shrink. I was going to be at the end of it anyway. Another hour passed. My sister was coming to the city to meet me. It could still be another 2 hours. And so …  

I poked my head back in the door, hoping I wasn’t overstaying my welcome, and got the attention of a different employee – one who looked cheery and unbiased and, well she was eating frozen yogurt, she had to be nice. I told her who I was. My situation. Asked ever so sweetly if she could tell Sarah I hadn’t gotten a proper photo. 

She disappeared, came back – escorted me to the very front of the line.

Lizzo recognized me and said, “Oh, it’s the icon.” I came clean. I said, “Lizzo, listen… I’m not Meredith and I don’t want you to think I’m pretending to be her.” And she said, “I know that! I met Meredith. I know exactly who you are. And you an icon.” 🥹🥹🥹

Songs are here today gone tomorrow. How often does a songwriter actually get to thank an artist for reclaiming their song thirty years after it was written? For giving it a second life? For introducing it to a whole new generation?

Today, this songwriter got that chance. 

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