Lizzo makes history playing 200-year crystal flute

BBC-Lizzo made history by becoming the first person to play a 200-year-old crystal flute, once owned by former US President James Madison, during her concert in Washington DC on Tuesday.

The US singer and trained flautist was granted permission by The Library of Congress to play the instrument, which arrived on stage with a police escort.

Inspecting it on stage, she said: “It’s like playing out of a wine glass.”

The star then played a few notes while simultaneously shaking her lower body.

“I just twerked and played James Madison’s flute from the 1800s!” she beamed, after having handed it back to a representative who put it back in its case.

While posting the video on her own social media channels afterwards, the Houston-raised Juice singer told her fans: “No one has ever heard what is sounds like… now you do.”

She later added: “As a flute player this is iconic and I will never be over it.”

Following her historic gig on Tuesday evening, The Library of Congress tweeted to confirm the flute had been returned safely.

“We just did a DNA test,” they posted. “Turns out: It’s 100% that [crystal] flute.”

Grammy-winner Lizzo is currently touring the US in support of her fourth album, Special, which featured the TikTok hit, About Damn Time.

Earlier this summer, she changed the lyrics to a new song, Grrrls, after fans complained it used an ableist slur.

James Madison, America’s fourth President from 1809 to 1817, made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years, he was referred to as the Father of the Constitution.