After being announced as the star and one of the producers of Rosetta – the upcoming biopic about Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Lizzo is setting the record straight on why there were no auditions for the titular role, and sharing an update on her guitar journey so far.
Rosetta, which was announced just three days ago, is backed by Amazon MGM Studios and will focus on a “pivotal period in Tharpe’s life – one of groundbreaking innovation, defiant passion and secret love,” according to Deadline. Reports also suggest the film will culminate in Tharpe’s wedding-turned-stadium show at D.C.'s Griffith Stadium, where she married her soon-to-be manager, Russell Morrison.
While Lizzo proved her acting chops in 2019’s critically acclaimed Hustlers, some were quick to argue that the role – presumably guitar-heavy – should have gone to an established guitarist. The pop star, however, quickly shut down the backlash.
“Let me be very clear: there were no auditions for Sister Rosetta Tharpe,” she wrote on social media – alongside a video of her rocking out on a Suhr Classic JM.
“Because this is a film I’ve been producing for years, fighting for her story to get told… I’ve been honoring her in my music videos & performances… pitching her movie to people who’ve never heard of her...studying her life and reading every book that exists about her. This is my baby, my passion – because Rosetta deserves. The Godmother of Rock n Roll is in good hands y’all.”
And while Lizzo is known to whip out her flute (which fans better know as ‘Sasha’) during her performances, she recently debuted a new instrument: the guitar – in preparation for her role as the Godmother of Rock and Roll.
“I've been learning guitar, and so I play guitar on stage, and I play, like, maybe three or four songs, and I was just like, ‘Don't mess up. Don't mess up,’” she tells 103.5 KTU.
As to how her guitar journey is going so far, Lizzo doesn’t shy away from saying it like it is. “The music theory of it all, I'm like, ‘Oh, got it. You want me to do a D? I know what a major triad sounds like, so I can find D.’ However, guitar fucking hurts so bad. My fingers are still soft, but they're getting there. I have so much respect for guitar players, like even my own guitar player in my band.”
Despite the initial growing pains, the pop star's recent guitar debut included her wielding her Suhr guitar on a live version of her hit, Juice, as well as a snippet of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.
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