Lizzo made her way into history books on Tuesday night when she became the very first person to play a one-of-a-kind crystal flute, owned by President James Madison and loaned to her by the Library of Congress.
While fans were thrilled by the songstress and her very special instrument, Republican pundits didn’t miss an opportunity for outrage. Right-wing talking heads took to social media to accuse the “Good As Hell” songstress of “desecrating American history just for the sake of it.”
It all started when the singer, rapper, and trained flutist — born Melissa Viviane Jefferson — shared the history-making moment on her Twitter on Sep. 28. The star posted a video of her performance at Washington D.C’s Capital One Arena and tweeted, “NOBODY HAS EVER HEARD THIS FAMOUS CRYSTAL FLUTE BEFORE. NOW YOU HAVE.”
NOBODY HAS EVER HEARD THIS FAMOUS CRYSTAL FLUTE BEFORE
NOW YOU HAVE
IM THE FIRST & ONLY PERSON TO EVER PLAY THIS PRESIDENTIAL 200-YEAR-OLD CRYSTAL FLUTE— THANK YOU @librarycongress ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VgXjpC49sO
— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) September 28, 2022
She looked irresistible while on stage in a glittering skin-toned leotard and long curls down her back. Walking to the side of the stage, the “Good as Hell” songstress carefully took the flute from someone from the Library Of Congress.
Lizzo was clearly in awe of the instrument, which was made in 1813 in honor of Madison’s second inauguration. Taking a moment to find her fingering, she told the crowd, “It’s crystal. It’s like playing out of a wine glass. Be patient.”
Then, she had the flute singing, eyes wide as made the instrument trill. Triumphant, Lizzo wiggled her backside before raising the crystal-covered song stick into the air. She made sure to keep the flute safe as she walked it back to its handler. Exploding with excitement, the star got back to the mic and said, “B****, I just twerked and played James Madison’s flute from the 1800s.
Not everyone was excited about Lizzo’s performance though. More than a few Republicans voiced their disapproval online. Instead of exalting President Madison’s flute, right-wing pundit Matt Walsh, said she was “desecrating American history just for the sake of it.”
“[It sends a] message that our heritage and history are meaningless and that nothing we love or care about has any value,” Walsh went on.
Other conservative pearl-clutching included the Daily Wire editor Ben Shapiro. He wrote, “This Lizzo-flute controversy is a perfect example of what I have termed Face Tattoo Phenomenon…the phenomenon whereby someone does something deliberately controversial in an attempt to draw attention, and then acts offended when you notice.”
Rolling Stone rounded up even more, noticing Nick Adams tweet that the “Biden Administration is making a mockery of the country.” Former GOP congressional candidate Andrew McCarthy said everyone involved “should be deported.”
Jenna Ellis, a former member of Donald Trump’s team of election fraud lawyers, wondered if, “James Madison was a slave owner, so according to the Left, shouldn’t Lizzo be canceled now for ‘making history’ playing his crystal flute?”
IM COMING CARLA! AND IM PLAYIN THAT CRYSTAL FLUTE!!!!! https://t.co/aPcIthlqeo
— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) September 24, 2022
Lizzo didn’t seem to mind the trolling. The day after her big recital, the star shared a twerking video to celebrate her Yitty clothing line. Showing off her look, she wrote, “A PERFECT FIT… ALL I NEED IS A CRYSTAL FLUTE.”
Lizzo’s flute performance came together after Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden tagged the star in a tweet about the library’s flute collection, which includes over 1800 instruments. Carla invited the songstress “to come see” the collection’s crown jewel “and even play a couple when you are in D.C. next week.” The Librarian-in-Chief added, “Like your song they are ‘Good as hell,'” with a winking emoji. Lizzo was all-in, tweeting back, “IM COMING CARLA! AND IM PLAYIN THAT CRYSTAL FLUTE!!!!!”
Lizzo is no amateur when it comes to the flute. She began playing in 5th or 6th grade and even dreamed of being a concert flutist at one point. “I really saw myself sitting in a symphony,” the star told CBS in a 2019 interview where she proudly declared herself a “band geek.”