Lizzo took home the award for the Top Song Sales Artist at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards on October 14.
The singer used her time on stage at the event to deliver a powerful speech about the ongoing problem of suppression of many people’s voices and the importance of voting.
She doubled down on the message with her fashion choice for the night—a black dress covered in the word “vote” in bold, white letters.
In her speech, Lizzo said:
“Thank you to Atlantic. Thank you to Team Lizzo. Thank you to everyone who listened to my music and supported me. I just want to say, I’ve been thinking a lot about suppression and the voices that refused to be suppressed. And I wonder, would I be standing here right now if it weren’t for the big Black women who refuse to have their voices be suppressed? And I just want to say right now, if you’re at home watching this and you are thinking about changing yourself to feel worthy, this is your sign to remain true to who you are. Let me tell you something: When people try to suppress something, it’s normally because that thing holds power. They’re afraid of your power. There’s power in who you are. There’s power in your voice. So whether it’s through music, protest, or your right to vote, use your power, use your voice and refuse to be suppressed.”
Watch Lizzo’s full speech below:
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire U.S.
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