A Bite of SZA πͺ
A Bite of SZA πͺ
The genre-transcending singer songwriter crafting clever lyrics and acrobatic melodies
Monday Bites are fun facts about artists you know and donβt, readable in 3 minutes or less. By Grace Lilly.
β’ 3 min read β’
I donβt know anyone who doesnβt like her
Itβs this magical SZA effect. Iβve yet to meet someone who isnβt a fan.
The people in my life have wildly different interests, personalities, backgrounds, and musical tastes, but the one thing they seem to all agree on is SZAβs talent.
Sheβs a force, instantly recognizable. Her music hypnotizes, mesmerizes, and enchants. Suddenly youβre submerged in the waterfall of her voice.
Itβs no wonder sheβs both so critically acclaimed and commercially successful.
Thereβs a raw, emotional quality to her storytelling β an intimacy and openness that draws you in, sticks with you, and pulls you back for more.
SZA
The basics
π€ American singer and songwriter
π€ b. 1989 (St. Louis, Missouri)
π€ Both of her albums are ranked by Rolling Stone as two of the 500 greatest albums of all time
Why you should know her: Considered one of the greatest singers in history, sheβs the 20th most listened to artist in the world on Spotify
If you like
β¨ Frank Ocean
β¨ Ella Fitzgerald
β¨ Lauryn Hill
β¨ Billie Holiday
β¨ Erykah Badu
β¨ Joni Mitchell
Known for
π Her poetic & vulnerable songwriting β awarded by Songwriters Hall of Fame for making a significant impact in the music industry with her original songs
π Her debut album Ctrl β the 2nd longest-charting R&B album by a woman in Billboard history
π 4 Grammy Awards, 24 Grammy nominations (more than any artist in 2024)
π Broke the record for largest streaming week for an R&B album in the US with her second album, SOS
π Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for Best Original Song with Kendrick Lamar, βAll the Starsβ for Black Panther (2018)
Bite-sized facts
πͺ Began journaling & writing poetry at a very early age; bullied at school and considered weird by peers growing up
πͺ Formed her stage name inspired by rapper RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan; S stands for savior or sovereign, Z for Zig-Zag and A for Allah, from the Supreme Alphabet
πͺ Dropped out of college and worked in a strip club before enrolling at FIT; released music on SoundCloud along the way
πͺ The first female artist signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, the label that launched Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q
πͺ Broke out in 2017 with first album Ctrl: debuted at No. 3 on Billboard 200, got universal acclaim from critics, ranked as best album of the year by Time
πͺ Longtime friends with Lizzo, said βI never feel like I have to be anybody else around her, everβ¦ she makes me feel safe.β
πͺ Co-wrote songs for Rihanna (βConsiderationβ from Anti), BeyoncΓ©, Nicki Minaj, Travis Scott, ScHoolboy Q; collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, Phoebe Bridgers, Cardi B, Doja Cat, Lorde, Drake, Post Malone
πͺ Her second album SOS (2022) became the longest-running number-one woman album of the decade & opened with the biggest US streaming week ever for an R&B album
πͺ Enjoys meditating, spending time in nature, and supporting environmental justice programs
Songs & dates
β« 2012 Self releases her first mixtape See.SZA.Run
β« 2017 βLove Galoreβ and βThe Weekendβ go multi-platinum, Top 40 singles off her first studio album, CTRL, gets 5 Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist
β« 2020 βGood Daysβ peaks at No. 9 on theΒ BillboardΒ Hot 100, making it her first top 10 single as a solo artist
β« 2022 Wins a Grammy for βKiss Me More,β duet with Doja Cat
β« 2023 βKill Billβ goes multi-platinum and becomes her first No. 1 single
β« 2023 βSnoozeβ wins Grammy for best R&B song, SOS wins Best Progressive R&B Album, and βGhost in the Machineβ wins for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Phoebe Bridgers
β« 2024 Releases Top Ten single βSaturnβ ahead of her next album Lana, expected to be released this year
She said
β βI just make music however I feel and pray that it connects, and if it does, Iβm super thankful.β
β βIβve been known to wear pajamas onstage for the sole reason of wanting to make sure Iβm free enough to execute new things vocally onstage and give my best performance possible.β
β βMusic, or the type of music that Iβm writing, is very personal.β
SZA Playlist
I gathered my fav SZA songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week π
Where to start
Performing at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards
Watch SZA perform βSnoozeβ and βKill Billβ at the GRAMMYs in 2023
γ°οΈ
βKill Billβ music video
A bloody Tarantino homage directed by Christian Breslauere
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Debut performance of βSaturnβ
Watch SZA perform βSaturnβ for the first time
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
Behind SZA's SOS Album & Tour (2023)
SZA sits down for an extensive interview with Zane Lowe in Brooklyn ahead of her Apple Music Live performance at Barclays Center. Watch on Youtube.
Show some love
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Explore
The introverted, wide-ranging, and underappreciated singer songwriter β A Bite of Robert Palmer πͺ
Big fan!
She's extremely talented and original. Look forward to hearing what she does next!