While the world at large freaks out about coronavirus fears, many of hip-hop’s biggest stars have shared their fears — or lack thereof — while trying to comfort, instruct, or commiserate with their fans. One of those to fall in the former category is Lizzo, who led fans in a 30-minute, guided meditation session on Instagram Live as a way to soothe the feeling of panic that the nonstop news cycle about the virus’ spread may be stoking.
To start, the “Truth Hurts” singer acknowledged how serious the COVID-19 virus’ spread is and that fears could be justified. However, she took care to point out that the fear could hurt almost as much as the disease itself, and could spread a lot faster. “There’s the disease, and then there’s the fear of the disease,” she reminded fans. “Fear can spread so much hatred and negative energy.”
She played mellow music in the background, inviting viewers to visualize positive imagery and breathe. She played her flute and even burned a palo santo stick, which is believed to clear negative energy in a space. Her goal, she said, was to “empower everyone and let you all know you have power. We all have power. You have power to eliminate fear. We have the power to reduce the fear that is being heightened.” She took care to reiterate that “this is a very serious pandemic,” but that “the one thing we will always have is togetherness. We’ll always be connected on this planet.”
Lizzo previously showed her propensity for helping those in need when she volunteered at an Australian food bank to assist displaced victims of the massive fires there earlier this year.
Follow Uproxx’s coronavirus coverage here.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
