It’s one of the advantages of being a hugely successful pop star.
On Sunday, five days before Santa’s arrival, Lizzo surprised her mother, Shari Johnson-Jefferson, and gave her a brand new car for Christmas.
‘I have a brand new Audi for my mom for Christmas,’ the singer-musician, 32, shared on Instagram along with a video of the emotional moment when her mother shed many tears of joy at her daughter’s generosity.
Merry Christmas: Lizzo, 32, surprised her mom, Shari Johnson-Jefferson, on Sunday and gave her a brand new car for Christmas
The video opens with Johnson-Jefferson being led outside her home with her eyes closed as several family members watched seemingly with anticipation.
“Okay, merry Christmas mom – open your eyes,” Lizzo (née Melissa Viviane Jefferson) said excitedly from behind the camera, just as her mom is being led to turn left.
With her hands clasped nervously, her mother opened her eyes and began to cry at the sight of her new black Audi that came complete with a red bow on top of the hood.
The video opens with Johnson-Jefferson being led outside of her home with her eyes closed as several family members watched seemingly with anticipation.
Dramatic build-up: ‘Okay, merry Christmas mom – open your eyes,’ said Lizzo (née Melissa Viviane Jefferson) from behind the camera, just as her mom is being escorted to turn left
This is the season: with her hands clasped nervously together, her mother opened her eyes and began to cry at the sight of her new black Audi that came complete with a red bow
“Oh God, thank you very much,” she said as she went inside at the same time to give her daughter a big hug. ‘Oh my God.’
“I’ve got an Audi girl for you,” the Truth Hurts rapper explained as family members clapped and cheered in the background. ‘That’s an Audi; you can’t see the circles [emblem] on it – come on! ‘
While the happy tears were still flowing, Johnson-Jefferson walked over to the car for a look and confessed, “You never expect this to happen to yourself,” triggering an emotional “ahhhhh” in Lizzo.
“I remember crying in my car when my dad came by, no job, no money, nowhere to live, and wish I could one day provide for my family,” Lizzo added in the caption.
‘I couldn’t do it for my dad, so I’ll make sure to spoil Mommy. Happy holidays everyone. ‘
Glowing with joy: ‘Oh God, thank you very much,’ Johnson-Jefferson said as she went in at the same time to give her daughter a big hug
Pproud mama: While the happy tears were still flowing, Johnson-Jefferson walked up to the car for a look and confessed, ‘You never expect this to happen to yourself’
Life Moments: The family could be heard clapping and cheering during Lizzo’s big surprise
Lizzo’s father, Michael Jefferson, died in 2010 while a music student at the University of Houston. His death brought her into a deep depression.
“I actually gave up,” she confessed in an interview with CBS this morning in January.
‘I was depressed. I had no goal, like I didn’t feel like I had a goal to become a musician or something. So that turned into, “Oh, can I sleep on your couch,” and that ended up being really guilty. So all I had was this car. It was a Subaru. ‘
She added: ‘That was my home for a while. I spent Thanksgiving in that car and I remember crying myself to sleep. ‘
Lizzo fell into a deep depression after her father’s death in 2010; in a birthday post to her father, Michael Jefferson, in 2019, the musician thanked him for “showing my strength” and reminding her “not to be afraid of that strength”; Lizzo is pictured with her mom and dad
In a happy birthday post to her late father in September 2019, Lizzo thanked her for ‘showing me my strength’ and reminding her not to ‘be afraid of that strength’.
“I still struggle with fear and anxiety … every day is a struggle … but I know I can give my fears to you and you will always be there to protect me from above.”
No doubt Lizzo would have made her father proud of her meteoric rise as a top artist with three Grammy Awards, a Billboard Award, BET Award, two iHeartRadio Music Awards and two Soul Train Music Awards since 2019.
Making them proud: Lizzo has seen a meteoric rise to pop stars in recent years; she is pictured with her mother holding one of her gold records in NYC September 2019