Lizzo meets 2nd-graders behind viral 'Truth Hurts' video
Some very lucky -- and talented -- elementary school students in California recently got the chance of a lifetime to meet music superstar Lizzo after their epic, kid-friendly rendition of "Truth Hurts" went viral.
DorothyHoney Mallari, a second-grade teacher at Los Medanos Elementary School in Pittsburg, California, and her class met the award-winning music artist on Thursday, after receiving free concert tickets and backstage passes from 99.7 NOW! for the POPTOPIA concert in San Jose.
"Never in a million years did I think that video would take this that far. ... This brought so much joy in my heart," Mallari told ABC News recently.
Mallari, a former cheerleader who also teaches dance at the school, told ABC News that the track was a "perfect" choice for her annual classroom chant that her and the students use to start each morning.
In past years, Mallari said she'd used popular songs from Drake and Imagine Dragons.
"It was something they were familiar with and can really groove to," Mallari told ABC News about selecting Lizzo’s hit song for their video.
Lizzo performed alongside Halsey, Normani and Ally Brooke during Thursday's holiday concert.
In November, the children inspired millions as they sang and danced in a video with some catchy lyrics about their education layered behind the beat of the No.1 hit song.
"Let's be great, 'cuz I know we are great. ... I just took an ELA test, turns out I'm 100% that smart ... even when I'm feeling lazy. Yeah, I got math problems. That’s the student in me, buzz buzz then I solve them, that’s the worker in me," the students chanted in the clip, which was posted Nov. 5 on the Pittsburg Unified School District's Facebook page.
As of Tuesday, the video had over 1.3 million views on Facebook.
The students' original video grabbed the attention of the singer.
"This IS the best thing I've watched today," Lizzo wrote on Twitter a day after it was posted.
"It’s really important that I find a song that the kids know, they’re engaged in, they get hype on," Mallari told ABC News on Nov. 8. "As soon as I saw them dancing to it I was like, 'Ah, I'm going to do this song.'"
Two days later, on Nov. 8, the students got a warm message from Lizzo on "Good Morning America."
"Hey kids! It's Lizzo. I saw the wonderful video that y'all made. Your teacher is very cool," Lizzo said in a message.
During Thursday's meet-and-greet, the 31-year-old "Juice" music artist hugged and snapped photos with the students and Mallari before they performed their viral remix for her in person.
"This is so precious for me as a teacher. ... She hugged them like she knew them," Mallari said.
In addition to performing for Lizzo on Thursday, the students also delivered handmade cards from their fellow classmates who could not attend the concert.
In one letter, one of the students asked the musician to visit Los Medanos Elementary School. The child also wrote "You are my hero" and "I want to be you one day."
For several of the students, like Xiomari Lyons, 7, the chance to meet the megastar was also an opportunity to attend their first live concert.
Lizzo, a Detroit native, is among the top contenders for the 2020 Grammys, leading the pack with a whopping eight nominations, including both album and record of the year.
On Tuesday, Lizzo went back to school again, this time teaming up with Southern University's marching band for her "Good as Hell" video.
Mallari told ABC News that she believes the students' connection and admiration of the artist transcends her music. She said the superstar's body-positivity message also relates to the motto of self-love that she teaches inside her classroom.
Mallari's student, Monica Martinez, 8, called her teacher an inspiration.
"She is so fun and exciting and helps me learn more. ... I’ve never seen a teacher more about love and kindness," Monica said.
