Lizzo said that she had been "lost in my problems" before the death of former NBA star Kobe Bryant brought everything into perspective.
The 31-year-old singer dedicated her opening performance to the retired basketball star, who was killed alongside his teenage daughter in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Lizzo brought the curtain up on the 62nd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles with a typically exuberant performance that featured a flute solo and a troupe of ballet dancers.
Lizzo was nominated for eight awards and duly won the first televised award of the night.
She appeared shocked to win Best Solo Pop Performance for her hit single Truth Hurts, in a category also containing Beyonce, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift.
During her rousing acceptance speech, she alluded to the death of Bryant.
"This whole week, I've been lost in my problems, stressed out, and then in an instant, all of that can go away and your priorities really shift," she said.
"Today, all of my little problems I thought were the biggest in the world were gone, and I realised that there's people hurting right now."
Lizzo then shifted the focus to the star-studded audience, who were reeling from Bryant's death.
"You guys create beautiful music. You guys create connectivity," she said. "We need to continue to reach out. This is the beginning of making music that moves people again - making music that liberates people."
In the non-televised categories, Lizzo won the best urban contemporary album prize for Cuz I Love You and best traditional R&B performance for the single Jerome.
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