What Are Lizzo's Myers-Briggs and Enneagram Types?

The only thing we can say with any certainty about Melissa Viviane Jefferson—aka Lizzo—is that she contains multitudes. In the 11 years since Lizzobangers dropped, the flute-playing R&B and hip-hop superstar has unapologetically owned and embraced every descriptor thrown at her: Black, female, body positive, vegan, queer, irreligious, outspoken, sharp-witted, confident, irreverent. Some she likes,  others she's poking fun at, and most she doesn't give a damn about.

“Once people knew who I was […], they became more comfortable with using me as some sort of punchline or joke,” the singer said in an Apple 1 Music Interview. “Or immediately they want to criticize whatever I’m doing because there’s levels to me that they don’t accept. So I’ve found that I’m always going to receive some sort of backlash or criticism whenever I put myself in a public space, just because of who I am and the way I choose to exist.”

Knowing that, what can we deduce about the star’s personality type? Based on our analysis of her public appearances, lyrics and interviews, we think that Lizzo is most likely an ESFP in the 16-type system and an Enneagram Type Three.  She's a self-described "showgirl at its finest" but far from one dimensional—there's a lot going on beneath the flashy exterior.

Enneagram Type Three: The Achiever

That Lizzo "achieves"  is undebatable. She's a classically trained flutist, gifted wordsmith (she started writing music at the age of 14), multi-Grammy winner, NAACP award winner, Soul Train award winner, actor, self-care champion and an accomplished performer who can work a crowd like few others.

She's our proverbial Renaissance woman.

But it's not accolades that drive Threes as much as their outward, highly performed ambition. Threes are constantly striving to be and appear to be successful—to appear valuable in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. And they'll adapt like chameleons to achieve this goal.

Key traits of the Enneagram Three:

• Extremely busy and on the go. In 2023, Lizzo's tour schedule was relentless. She performed 77 dates on the Special tour, and somehow found time to perform at the Grammys and the BRIT Awards. In the years before that, she made an appearance on RuPaul's Drag Race, was featured on Google’s 2022 Super Bowl ad and even launched her own reality TV show—Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. Busy is an understatement, and everything she does is done with energy and enthusiasm. “I knew a lot of girls who just wanted to be famous, and if that's your goal, that's awesome; that just wasn't enough for me," she said, which could almost be the Type Three motto.
• Adaptable: While Lizzo talks about being comfortable in her own skin, like most Threes she is capable of being all things to all people. From rocking the stage with sing-along anthems to winning the hearts of millions with her advocacy of minority groups such as the LGBT+ community, she's able to connect with different groups and make them feel seen and heard.
• A strong sense of self-presentation: In her music videos and public appearances, Lizzo is perpetually glam. Yes, she raps about body positivity and has talked about the benefits of dressing for your body type. But on stage, she's all gold heels and a fur-trimmed cape with nothing but pasties underneath. Her style, like most Threes', projects exactly the image she wants to convey.
• Success-driven: Threes are achievers, often driven by a need for external validation. For Lizzo, that translates into over 11 million Instagram followers,  12 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and a total of 4 Grammy wins out of 13 nominations. And a whole bunch of call-and-response shout outs to her fans, which she calls "Lizzbians"—“I want you to go home tonight and look in the mirror and say, ‘I love you, you are beautiful, and you can do anything,’” she yells from the stage. The crowd roars it back at her: “I love you! You are beautiful! You can do anything!” reports Vogue magazine.
• Competitive. Lizzo's competitive spirit is evident in her lyrics and attitude—she's not afraid of going for the jugular when it comes to calling out competition or critics. And one can't help but notice some underlying rivalry between her and other artists who have accused her of plagiarizing their sound.

Typefinder Personality Type ESFP: The Performer 

Two words: vivacious entertainer. Whether she's on stage,  in a music video or doing an interview, Lizzo is always on, always talkative, and always shows a zest for life. She's fond of saying, "We gonna have some fun!"

E/Extraverted: While you can't put Lizzo into a category, her Extraversion is pretty clear. This lady loves an audience and has a lot of fun with them, to the point of hilarity. Almost every interviewer describes her as "fast-talking," and she even describes her anxiety as a “fast-paced thing." “My heart is racing and my brain is firing off and I’m just making all these jokes and then I’m like, actually spiraling," she candidly told British Vogue.

S/Sensing: Lizzo is all about enjoying life as it comes and being in the present moment—from taking selfies with fans while walking down the street in her hometown Minneapolis to posing on the Red Carpet in a Valentino dress to living in the luxury of her "hell-yeah" lifestyle. Though Lizzo tries to be careful, she's been repeatedly caught in a wave of backlash from the body-positivity movement, including when she promoted Oprah's Weight Watchers program in 2020. “I didn’t know it was gonna be that deep,” she reportedly said. “I’m not gonna lie to you.” That's textbook ESFP.

F/Feeling: Lizzo's music is all about loving yourself, embracing your quirks, feeling gratitude toward your flaws, and standing up for yourself (see "Truth Hurts"). She's also known for being vulnerable online and using that medium to work through her feelings: "If it's happening to me online, I kind of wanna work it out online too, you know? [...] So it is helpful for me to work things out on the internet, and I love working things out in my craft and through my creativity.”

P/Perceiving: Lizzo's show-stopping career hasn't been without its ups and downs and a fair share of controversy. She's been sued by her back-up dancers over sexual harassment claims. Called out for using an offensive slur in her lyrics. Accused of plagiarism more than once.  Been on a weight-loss journey. She's also been open about her struggle with depression and self-doubt. But despite all of this, Lizzo rolls with the punches—hallmark traits of the Perceiving types.

What's next for the ESFP powerhouse? At the time of publication, Lizzo has announced that she's taking a gap year and protecting her peace. Goodness knows she's due a pause and some privacy. But knowing the unstoppable force that she is, there's no doubt she'll come back stronger and ready to tackle any challenge that comes her way. We can't wait to see what she does next!