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Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA (/ˈsɪzə/ ⓘ SIZ-ə), is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her diaristic lyrics and genre explorations, she is regarded as a prominent figure in influencing contemporary R&B music and popularizing alternative R&B.

Key Information

SZA signed with Top Dawg Entertainment in 2013 after gaining attention online with two self-released extended plays (EP). Under the label, she released the lo-fi and psychedelic EP Z (2014), then her R&B debut album Ctrl (2017). The latter was a critical success; it placed in several year-end lists and earned SZA five Grammy Award nominations in 2018. After Ctrl, she embarked on a four-year series of collaborations, including the Academy Award–nominated "All the Stars" (2018) with Kendrick Lamar, which reached the top 10 in the US and UK. Her feature on Doja Cat's "Kiss Me More" (2021) won SZA her first Grammy Award.

With the acclaimed and multi-genre SOS (2022), SZA set several new chart records. The album became the first by a woman to spend 100 weeks in the Billboard 200's top 10 and broke the record for the longest-running US top-10 by a Black musician. Its fifth single, "Kill Bill", was the third best-selling song of 2023 and peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100. From 2024 to 2025, SZA achieved a string of top-tens with "Saturn" and "30 for 30", both from the deluxe reissue of SOS entitled Lana (2024), and her longest-running US number-one "Luther". Her 2025 Grand National Tour with Lamar is the highest-grossing co-headlining tour in history.

SZA has earned numerous accolades throughout her career, including five Grammy Awards, a Brit Award, three American Music Awards, a Guild of Music Supervisors Award, and two Billboard Women in Music awards, including Woman of the Year. She has co-written songs for artists such as Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Travis Scott, Schoolboy Q, and Rihanna. In 2024, she received the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Early life and education

[edit]

Solána Imani Rowe[1] was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 8, 1989.[2][3] She grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, with parents who are from the Southern United States. Her mother, Audrey, is a former executive at AT&T, and her father, Abdul, used to be a video producer at CNN.[4] As a child, Rowe was affectionally nicknamed by her mother "Chickabee", derived from the film Nell (1994).[5] Rowe's relatives include a half-sister, Panya, who is eleven years older than her; and a brother, Daniel, who is a rapper known by the stage name Manhattan.[6] She has a niece, Carolyn, who also makes music.[7] Rowe considers her maternal grandmother, Norma, her best friend.[8]

Audrey is Christian, while Abdul is Muslim.[9] Rowe's father would attend her mother's church for special occasions, while her mother would dress up for Jum'ah and accompany her father to the mosque.[6] Rowe attended both Sunday school and Muslim school.[6] In an interview with the blog Muslim Girl, she said that her parents have accepted each other's religions, "their faiths and beliefs [having integrated]".[10]

It's like the belief in one God, all the pillars of Islam et cetera, and I think those are ideas that will never leave me, those make sense in my spirit. It's the way that I connect with God; it has always made sense to me. I think I would love to wear my hijab but I feel like I don't wanna wear my hijab and talk crazy on stage and be in videos with Travis Scott. Like I don't wanna be disrespectful because I have too much love and respect for the religion, for my father, and for myself.[11]

Rowe wore a hijab during elementary and early middle school.[12] Following the September 11 attacks, in her middle school years, she stopped wearing one for fears of Islamophobic bullying.[12][13] She later attended Columbia High School, where she participated in the school's gymnastics and cheerleading teams, as well as its dance team dubbed the Special Dance Company.[14] After graduating in 2008, Rowe enrolled in three different colleges before settling at Delaware State University to study marine biology.[15][9][16] She dropped out in her final semester to focus on her music career and worked various jobs to support herself.[17]

After dropping out, Rowe often drank Malibu, smoked marijuana, and overslept daily.[6] She lied about her age to get a bartending job and occasionally danced at several strip clubs in New Jersey and New York City.[18] Rowe's stage name, SZA, was inspired by Nation of Islam, a black nationalist religious movement.[19] She took cues from the Supreme Alphabet,[20] taking influence from rappers RZA and GZA of Wu-Tang Clan.[21] The last two letters in her name stand for Zig-Zag and Allah, while the first letter S can mean either savior or sovereign.[22][23]

Career

[edit]

2011–2014: Career beginnings and EPs

[edit]
SZA smiling while speaking to a microphone
SZA performing in 2013

SZA first met members of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) during the CMJ New Music Report in 2011, when her boyfriend's clothing company sponsored a show in which Kendrick Lamar was performing. SZA's early music was shared with TDE president Terrence "Punch" Henderson, who was impressed by the quality of the material.[24] SZA's early music was recorded with friends and neighbors; many of the beats were taken from the Internet.[25] SZA self-released her debut extended play (EP) See.SZA.Run on October 29, 2012.[26][27] The extended play was met with positive reviews upon release. The Guardian commended the EP, its lyrical content and production, and compared it to the work of musicians like Drake and the Weeknd.[28]

SZA self-released her second EP, S, on April 10, 2013.[29][30] It was positively received; Consequence of Sound thought that the "dreamy [and] warped [EP] manage[d] to exude confidence and fragility".[31] SZA promoted the extended play with the release of a music video for the EP's lead single, "Ice.Moon".[32] SZA and Punch stayed in contact, and after the former began garnering attention with the release of her two EPs, TDE signed her on July 14, 2013, making her the label's first female artist.[24][33] In October 2013, SZA joined Swedish band Little Dragon for a four-show tour, beginning on October 17 at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles and concluding on October 24 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.[34] That December, she released the song "Teen Spirit", which was later remixed with a guest verse from rapper 50 Cent.[23] The remix was accompanied by a music video directed by APlusFilmz.[35]

Throughout 2014, SZA was featured on multiple tracks from her labelmates' projects, including two songs on Isaiah Rashad's debut EP, Cilvia Demo,[36][37] and a collaboration on Schoolboy Q's debut album, Oxymoron.[38] She followed up with the release of her third studio EP, Z, on April 8,[39] led by the single "Babylon" featuring Lamar,[40] which was accompanied by a music video directed by APlusFilmz.[41] To promote the EP, SZA performed at several showcases during the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.[42][43] Z marked SZA's chart debut in the UK, reaching number 32 on the R&B chart for the week ending April 19.[44] In the US, the EP debuted at number 39 on the Billboard 200; it sold 6,980 copies in its first week and peaked at number 9 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[45] Z acquired a small cult following online,[46] gaining popularity within niche communities on Tumblr which contributed to her slow rise in popularity.[47] By the end of the year, SZA opened for Jhené Aiko's Enter the Void Tour[48] and Coldplay's Ghost Stories Tour.[49]

During 2014, SZA befriended record producer ThankGod4Cody during a time when he was working on music for Rashad.[50][51] One time, she overheard him making a beat from the next room, and they decided to build a song out of it. It eventually became the standalone single "Sobriety".[51] She released it via SoundCloud in November, with the genre tag "Not R&B".[52] In 2015, she met another record producer, Carter Lang, via a chance encounter at a studio; they and ThankGod4Cody began a work relationship the same year, collaborating on an upcoming project by SZA.[51] Initially given the title A, the project was going to be the final EP of the "SZA" trilogy that started with S.[53] Work on it started back in 2014.[54] As time passed, A slowly developed into SZA's debut album Ctrl.[55]

2015–2018: Ctrl and breakthrough

[edit]

A's release date was initially scheduled for late 2015.[56] However, due to disputes with TDE and persistent feelings of anxiety fueled by her perfectionism, SZA had to rework the project multiple times.[57][58] The label then postponed its release from 2015 to the start of 2016.[56] In a February post on Instagram, TDE implied A was in its final stage of creation and would be released the same year.[59] One of its prospective songs, "TwoAM",[60] was surprise-released through their SoundCloud account in May;[61] it was eventually scrapped from the tracklist.[60] Later that same month, SZA told Entertainment Weekly that A was now growing into a full-length album.[62] A mid-2016 release date was planned for the project,[63] only for it to be delayed again to November 8.[64] With frustrations mounting due to TDE's postponements, SZA angrily announced on Twitter that she wanted to quit music. She later retracted her statement.[65]

While working on A, SZA was co-writing songs for other singers.[53] She co-wrote "Feeling Myself" by Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé in 2014,[66] Scott's "Ok Alright" in 2015,[67] and Rihanna's "Consideration" in 2016. "Consideration" was going to be on A as a track called "LouAnne Johnson"; SZA deemed it the album's "centerpiece" and even had a music video filmed.[68] Much to her disappointment, TDE had other plans, handing the song to Rihanna for her album Anti and making SZA a feature instead.[69] Regardless, "Consideration" contributed to SZA's breakthrough, and she grew to appreciate the label's decision.[70] Apart from Rihanna, SZA's other collaborators from 2014 to 2016 included her several labelmates like Lamar,[53][71] Rashad,[72] Ab-Soul,[73] and Schoolboy Q.[74]

SZA performing at a concert while holding a microphone
SZA performing in Toronto on the Ctrl The Tour in August 2017

In 2017, SZA announced Ctrl as the new title for A;[75] the official release was June 9 of that year.[76] After she signed with RCA Records in April,[77] the album was finally released as scheduled.[78] In Ctrl, SZA continued to lean into her established alternative R&B sound, incorporating hints of alternative rock as well.[47][79] Meanwhile, critics mainly categorized it under contemporary R&B.[47][80] To promote the album, SZA released five singles: "Drew Barrymore", "Love Galore" featuring Scott,[81] "The Weekend", "Broken Clocks", and "Garden (Say It like Dat)".[82][83] She also embarked on the international Ctrl the Tour, which ran from 2017 to 2018.[84]

Ctrl was universally acclaimed upon its release.[85][86] Several publications included it on their 2017 year-end lists; the album topped Time's ranking[87] and placed at number 2 on Billboard's,[88] Pitchfork's,[89] and NPR's.[90] In the US, Ctrl debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, sold 60,000 first-week units,[85] and became the second longest-charting R&B album by a woman.[91] Its run has lasted for over eight consecutive years.[92] Furthermore, "The Weekend" and "Love Galore" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.[93] In 2018, SZA received her first five Grammy nominations due to her work on Ctrl, including Best New Artist.[94][95] Although she was the most-nominated woman for that year, she did not win in any category.[96][97]

After Ctrl, SZA went on a series of song collaborations, two of which were her first Hot 100 top-tens. The first, "What Lovers Do" (2017) by Maroon 5, peaked at number 9; the second, "All the Stars" with Lamar (2018), reached number 7.[98] The latter was also her first top-ten in the UK, where it peaked at number 5.[99] "All the Stars" was released as the lead single from the soundtrack album of Black Panther.[100][101] With it, SZA received her first film award nominations, like an Academy Award for Best Original Song,[102] a Critics' Choice Award for Best Song,[103] and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.[104] At the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, "All the Stars" won Best Visual Effects.[105] Elsewhere, SZA contributed to the second soundtrack for the television series Insecure with "Quicksand";[106] featured on the remix of Lorde's "Homemade Dynamite" from Melodrama (2017);[107] and appeared on Cardi B's "I Do" from Invasion of Privacy (2018).[108]

2019–2023: Collaborations and SOS

[edit]

SZA took five years to release her second album, SOS (2022).[109][110] She became increasingly burned out the longer she worked on it. SZA was frequently unsatisfied and bored with the music she was writing, and she was worried about making sure her creative decisions for the album made sense. She considered quitting music again if critical reception of SOS were overwhelmingly negative.[110] Allegations of further label tensions rose when she tweeted and deleted, "At this point y'all gotta ask Punch", in 2020.[111][112] In a follow-up tweet, she mentioned that all he ever told her about releasing new music was "soon". This revealed that her relationship with her label had been hostile since the delays of her second album, which was last announced back in an interview in 2019.[113]

SZA continued her string of collaborations while she was working on SOS and hinting at its release.[109][110] Her single with American rapper Doja Cat – "Kiss Me More" – was one of the most successful songs of 2021.[114][115] It gave SZA her first Grammy Award: one for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.[114] SZA had been releasing more singles as a lead artist as well, teasing new songs at the outro of their music videos to raise anticipation for SOS.[116][117] Many of the songs went viral on the social media application TikTok, which TDE leveraged for the album's promotional strategy.[117][118] This series of singles began with the standalone "Hit Different" in September 2020, followed by the SOS lead single "Good Days" in December.[119] "Good Days" peaked at number 9 on the Hot 100, her first solo top-10 in the US.[120][121] The second and third SOS singles, "I Hate U" (2021) and "Shirt" (2022), peaked at numbers 7 and 11.[122] Their official releases happened after SZA shared their demo versions online and they went viral on TikTok.[123][124] "I Hate U" was originally a SoundCloud-exclusive, uploaded alongside "Nightbird" and "Joni" at the advice of SZA's astrologer.[125][126] Before becoming a single, "Shirt" was teased via snippets since late 2020.[124][127]

In 2022, SZA released a deluxe edition of Ctrl to celebrate its five-year anniversary.[93][128] The deluxe version consisted of seven scrapped outtakes, including "TwoAM" (now spelled "2AM").[129] Later in November, SZA posted the teaser for SOS on social media. The video, soundtracked to her then-unreleased "PSA", hinted at the album's title by playing its corresponding Morse code.[130] The standard version of SOS was released on December 9 to widespread acclaim.[131][132] Critics agreed that it surpassed expectations that arose from the years-long wait.[133] SOS was a multi-genre work;[134] it was a product of SZA's desire to prove her versatility, after the media had consistently called her an R&B artist.[135][136] With the album, SZA combined R&B with a variety of genres like rap, rock, and pop.[137][138]

SOS was a huge commercial success.[139][140] It spent over ten weeks atop the Billboard 200,[141] was the second most-streamed album of 2023 globally,[142] and set a diverse array of chart records.[143][144] The album surpassed Adele's 21 and Michael Jackson's Thriller as the longest-running US top-10 by, respectively, a woman and a Black artist.[145][146] Following its release, SOS spawned three more singles: "Nobody Gets Me", "Kill Bill", and "Snooze".[147] "Kill Bill" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was the third best-selling single of 2023, accruing 1.84 billion units worldwide based on streams and digital sales.[148][149] At the 2024 Grammy Awards, where SZA was the most-nominated artist, SOS and "Snooze" won Best Progressive R&B Album and Best R&B Song, respectively.[150][151] From 2023 to 2024, SZA embarked on the SOS Tour to promote the album.[53][152]

In September 2023, SZA performed at an invite-only show in Brooklyn Navy Yard to celebrate the success of SOS. Included in the set were "PSA" alongside three other unreleased songs: "Saturn", "Diamond Boy (DTM)", and "BMF".[153][154] SZA told the crowd that the deluxe edition of SOS, titled Lana, would be "coming soon".[154] That same month, she featured on Drake's "Slime You Out", which became her second US Billboard Hot 100 number-one.[155] In November, she stated to Variety that Lana was not a conventional deluxe edition, but virtually a new album with a tracklist that was continuously expanding.[156] Many of the songs were newly recorded pieces of music; others were outtakes from SOS.[157]

2024–present: Lana and the Grand National Tour

[edit]
SZA at the Glastonbury Festival 2024

Variety and Time magazines listed Lana as one of the most anticipated albums of 2024.[158][159] SZA announced in November via a livestream by Twitch entertainer Kai Cenat that the album would be out by the end of the year.[160] It was released on December 20, 2024,[161] and rereleased with four more tracks on February 9 of the following year.[162] The standard edition of Lana was preceded by the lead single "Saturn", which she debuted at the 2024 Grammy Awards and which won Best R&B Song at the next ceremony. It peaked at number 6 on the Hot 100, her tenth top-10 on the chart.[163] Two more songs she performed at Brooklyn Navy Yard – "Diamond Boy (DTM)" and "BMF" – were also included on Lana.[154] The latter was released as a single from the reissue in 2025, alongside a collaboration with Lamar titled "30 for 30".[164][165] The reissue's updated version featured "PSA" and "Joni",[166] the latter of which had leaked back in 2023.[167] After the rerelease, SOS returned to the top of the Billboard 200 for its eleventh and twelfth weeks at number one. Its last week at number one was in early 2023, making SOS the album with the longest time between weeks atop the chart.[168][169] In August, the album reached its 100th week in the Billboard 200 top 10, the first by a woman to do so.[170]

In November 2024, Lamar, who had left TDE back in 2022, released his sixth studio album GNX.[171] SZA appeared on two songs, the third track "Luther" and the closing track "Gloria".[172] In support of GNX and Lana, the duo embarked on the Grand National Tour starting in April 2025,[173] breaking the record for the highest-grossing co-headlining tour.[174] SOS topped the Billboard 200 a week after the first show, which marked the album's thirteenth week at number one.[175] Prior to the Grand National Tour, SZA appeared alongside Lamar in his performance for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, duetting some of their collaborations.[176] Following this, "30 for 30" reached a new peak of number 10 on the Hot 100, despite not being part of the set list.[177] The week after, "Luther" began a consecutive 13-week run atop the Hot 100 and became SZA's longest-running number-one in the US.[178][179]

Outside music, SZA ventured into other creative projects in 2025, beginning work on cosmetic and fashion products. During the Grand National Tour, she launched Not Beauty, a line of lip products available exclusively in pop-up stores at concert venues.[180] She was announced as the first artistic director of shoe company Vans, and she is set to collaborate with them on exclusive fashion collections.[181][182] In television and film, SZA appeared as a guest in the 55th season of Sesame Street and co-starred alongside Keke Palmer in the buddy comedy film One of Them Days (2025).[183] Several critics praised the synergy between SZA and Palmer,[184][185][186] and 93% of the 106 reviews from critics from Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive review.[187]

Teasing the release of upcoming songs, SZA posted snippets of new music on an alternate Instagram account in August 2025. One of the tracks was tentatively named "Let You Know", an R&B track with an airy soundscape.[188] In September, she teased two upcoming music collaborations: a remix of "Yukon" by Justin Bieber and a livestream with Mariah Carey for an Apple Music event promoting her album Here for It All (2025).[189][190] SZA also featured on a song from Doja Cat's album Vie, titled "Take Me Dancing",[191] and collaborated with Nigerian-American rapper Moruf on his standalone single "PT Cruiser".[192]

Artistry

[edit]

Influences

[edit]
Ella Fitzgerald looking to her left while slightly smiling. The black and white image features a completely white background.
Black and white image of Lauryn Hill closing her eyes while singing into a microphone.
Ashanti in a somewhat dark room putting her hand on her left hip. She is looking directly at the camera while holding a smile.
SZA has cited musical artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Lauryn Hill and Ashanti as influences.

Growing up, SZA was exposed by her family to artists from different genres, which were formative influences for her music.[193] Her mother enjoyed R&B and church music,[194] her father was a fan of jazz and funk musicians like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and John Coltrane,[195][63] and her sister listened to melodic rap and hip-hop artists like Tupac Shakur.[5][193] SZA listens to Ella Fitzgerald for vocal influence[196] and has said that Lauryn Hill is one of her personal influences.[197] SZA has expressed admiration for singer Ashanti, citing her as a major inspiration and someone she has loved since childhood.[198]

SZA also cites Meelah, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, LFO, Macy Gray, Common, Björk, Jamiroquai, and "a lot of Wu, Nas, Mos Def, Hov" as inspirations.[16] Speaking on her influences, SZA said: "[My] personal influences came from dancing with American Ballet Theatre and doing pieces to Björk [music]. That's the only time I had really any outside influence to music. So, the people that I fell in love with on a musical level were always much older. Jamiroquai is just, like, the shit for me."[199] In an interview for Live Nation Entertainment, SZA described the meeting she had with Beyoncé for the writing of "Feeling Myself", affirming "Beyoncé might be the most perfect, beautiful being I've ever met in my whole life. She's the most inspirational woman on earth, next to my mother". SZA also expressed admiration for Rihanna, praising her strong and confident attitude and her commitment to creating only the music she truly wants to make.[200]

SZA is known for referencing films and television series across her discography. She has named multiple songs after actresses or the characters they play.[201] "Drew Barrymore" was named after and inspired by the actress,[202] "Jodie" was named after Jodie Foster,[note 1] and "Go Gina" is a reference to Tisha Campbell's role of Gina on the sitcom Martin (1992–1997).[205] Throughout SOS, SZA incorporates numerous film references in both song titles and lyrics: she named "Kill Bill" after the 2003–2004 film duology;[206] in "Blind", she references Julia Stiles in Save the Last Dance (2001); in the song "Used", SZA makes a reference to Obi-Wan, the Jedi Master from Star Wars; and "Smoking on My Ex Pack" contains a comparison between SZA's former romantic partners and Sideshow Bob, a character from The Simpsons who is both a clown and a criminal.[207] "Scorsese Baby Daddy", from Lana, is a reference to filmmaker and director Martin Scorsese.[208]

Music

[edit]
"Drew Barrymore" (2017)
SZA self-identifies with the label "alternative", and she has resisted being categorized solely as R&B throughout her career. One song that demonstrates her style of alternative music is her 2017 single "Drew Barrymore".[79][47]
"30 for 30" (2025)
Throughout her career, SZA has experimented with various genres, like hip-hop, in tandem with R&B.[47][209] In the single "30 for 30", SZA combines her usual R&B singing style with a rap flow.[210][211]
Problems playing these files? See media help.

Genre

[edit]

Critics have frequently described SZA as an R&B singer-songwriter,[212] a narrative for which she has expressed disdain since the beginning of her career. In 2014, when she uploaded the single "Teen Spirit" on SoundCloud, she tagged the song with the categories "Glitter Trap" and "Not R&B".[52] SZA's earliest songs are built around dreamlike, psychedelic, and lo-fi instrumentals; she describes them as "hood, with feminine inflections."[5]

SZA identifies with the label "alternative", a subgenre of R&B that borrows from other genres like rock music. Many of her songs from Ctrl have influences of alternative rock, whereas one track from SOS, "F2F", is explicitly pop rock.[79][47] In her view, her being described as a contemporary R&B artist in the media is restrictive and racially prejudiced.[213] She considers it a byproduct of the racist segregation of Black artists from White artists during the 20th century, which industry professionals did by relegating Black people to R&B categories.[5][214] Saying that Black music has never been limited to the genre, SZA told Consequence: "We started rock 'n' roll. Why can't we just be expansive and not reductive?"[214]

Outside of R&B, critics have also written that several of her works combine the genre with hip-hop[215][216] or pop music.[25] Regardless, SZA has expressed confusion about the media's attempts to categorize her. She prefers to be seen as simply someone who makes music and nothing more, saying, "when you try to label it, you remove the option for it to be limitless. It diminishes the music."[217] "Genre agnosticism" was how Michael Madden of Consequence described SZA's musical style.[218]

Voice

[edit]

According to Rolling Stone's Marissa G. Muller, SZA's voice alternates between a "vapory husk and a sky-high falsetto".[219] Jordan Sargent, in a Pitchfork review of Z, describes her vocals as "chillwave" and "ethereal".[220] Her vocal style has been described as taking on the "lilt" of a jazz singer.[221]

SZA has a slight speech impediment, which influences her delivery.[222] Her fans treat it as a running joke, saying that she sings in "cursive and italics".[222][223] However, journalist Mankaprr Conteh argues that SZA's enunciation began to be clearer with SOS. Conteh adds that nevertheless, "her words retain the swirls and curves that can make them run together and occasionally become alluringly hard to decipher."[224]

Songwriting

[edit]

Writing process

[edit]

When I'm in the studio, it hurts too much sometimes [...] It's easier to be me through [other artists'] eyes than it is to sit with some of the really harsh things that I say about myself to myself.

SZA while interviewing Kendrick Lamar for Harper's Bazaar, 2024

SZA sees songwriting as a way of proving her self-worth.[225] She personally considers her songwriting awards as her most important achievements, having started her career without anyone to write for her.[226] An enjoyer of poetry, SZA began writing songs due to her passion about the hobby.[25]

SZA also thinks of songwriting as a form of self-therapy, using it to record and resolve her struggles.[227] However, when she tries to draw from her experiences and emotions, the weight of the pain can be too much to bear. She sometimes writes from the perspective of other people; due to her tendency to self-deprecate, SZA sees the writing technique as a way to "say nicer things about [herself]".[228] For example, "Joni" (2025) – a song about being resilient and achieving perfection amid the difficulties of life – was written from the perspective of Canadian musician Joni Mitchell.[229][230] SZA's other muses include singer-songwriter Frank Ocean and rapper Future.[228]

Several of SZA's works are the result of improvisation. Because she writes to express whatever comes to her mind, she tends to freestyle and produce stream-of-consciousness songs.[25] In an interview for Variety, she recounts that she "never [has] topics" before starting a track.[194] Her freestyles are part of what SZA calls "palate cleanser" moments during recording. In them, she would quickly write songs in between her more serious projects, as a way to refresh her mind.[11] Some of her biggest songs, like "Kill Bill", were improvised. For this reason, she hates the majority of her commercially successful tracks: "I knew it would be something that pissed me off. It's always a song that I don't give a f–k about that's just super easy, not the sh-t that I put so much heart and energy into."[231]

Analyses

[edit]

SZA's writing style, as noted by Mesfin Fekadu in a review for The Hollywood Reporter, often takes a vulnerable, confessional, and reflective tone.[232] She explores many common fears among adolescents and young adults, such as living up to beauty standards or grappling with being in one's 20s.[233] Much of her music is about heartbreak, nostalgia, abandonment, and self-worth.[234][235][236][237][238][239] Sydney Gore of Alternative Press writes that "whereas hypersexuality gives some people the ick, SZA's unfiltered canon of raw feelings seemingly makes others squirm because the level of vulnerability she exudes is too painfully real."[47] SZA once explained that her feeling excluded in school as a child motivated her to prioritize creating an inclusive environment for both herself and her fans.[240] As her career evolved past Ctrl, her writing had become more aggressive, unafraid to show her competitiveness and "not a nice girl" attitude.[208]

Several critics have noted that SZA has cultivated a "girl next door" persona through her music,[241][242] and she has been dubbed the girl next door of R&B.[233][243] Many have also spoken about her songwriting's relatability—mainly due to its exploration of insecurity—to other Black women. Billboard journalists wrote that her style of self-deprecation was effective in gaining a devoted audience of "awkward" and anxious Black girls, reflecting the distinct shame they experience in their dating life due to misogynoir.[233][244] Elle journalist DeAsia Paige argues that SZA encourages such girls to embrace their insecurities – and defy expectations of being independent women – "in a world that relentlessly picks them apart" as a result of their race.[245] When SZA spoke about how Barrymore inspired the eponymous song, she said that she grew up not seeing herself represented enough in media like television series.[222]

Collaborations and features

[edit]
Kendrick Lamar smiling
SZA has worked with Kendrick Lamar, her most well-known collaborator, on several songs since 2014.

SZA is known for her work relationship with former TDE labelmate Kendrick Lamar.[246][247][248] Heran Mamo of Billboard writes that they are the "ultimate rapper-singer duo",[163] and HipHopDX's Andy Bustard comments that they are the best such duo of their time.[249] Dubbed by SZA as her "sensei",[228][246] Lamar has inspired her to take risks and experiment when making music. In a talk show interview, she commented: "He's a huge part of my fumbling and finding era because I'm trusting his expertise ... So I'm just like, 'Teach me, sensei, what you know.'"[246] The two released their first song together in 2014, which was "Babylon" from SZA's third EP Z.[250] He and SZA have three top-ten singles: "All the Stars" in 2018,[251] the US number one "Luther" in 2024,[178] and "30 for 30" in 2025.[252]

Many other artists have worked with SZA multiple times. One of her earliest collaborators was rapper Mac Miller, who produced two songs from Z.[253] She first met him when she moved to Los Angeles in 2014.[5][253] SZA and singer and rapper Lizzo, whom she befriended after a 2013 Red Bull tour,[254] once considered starting a rock band.[255] The two co-wrote "F2F" from SOS when the idea first came to them.[256] In 2023, Lizzo released a remix of "Special" featuring SZA,[257] and she was originally going to be a feature on "BMF".[note 2] Apart from singers and rappers, there are select producers with whom SZA often works. Two of them, Carter Lang and ThankGod4Cody, have produced several of her songs from Ctrl, SOS, and Lana.[51][259]

Norma Rowe, SZA's deceased maternal grandmother, appears via sampled voice recordings on Ctrl and SOS.[260] Rowe affectionally calls her "Granny",[261] and she is credited as such on both albums.[262][263] Writing for Vulture, journalist Zach Schonfeld ranked Rowe as the fourth-best mother to appear on their child or grandchild's songs. He gave her a "wholesome index" of eight out of ten.[260]

Fashion

[edit]

During an interview, SZA said she is less inspired by strictly music, and more inspired by creating art in general; she has looked up to people who were not "typical artists" including her "favorite gymnast, ice-skater, saxophonist, painter, or movie director", continuing to say she was particularly inspired by film director Spike Lee.[199] During an interview with W, SZA spoke on her style influences, saying a large amount of her style inspiration comes from movies, including Wes Anderson films, praising his use of "pantone color palette" and that she "would love to dress like a character from Moonrise Kingdom. Or perhaps Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic."[264] Along with her music, SZA's image has been compared to neo-soul artists Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.[265] SZA's hair became a point of interest during the early stages of her career and she discussed it in interviews with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.[197] During her performances, SZA tends to wear "free-flowing" clothes that are easy to move around in and wears pajamas or baggy clothing onstage.[266]

Reception and legacy

[edit]

Several critics and musicians credit SZA with significantly influencing the state of contemporary R&B.[224][267][268][269] Some wrote that she was instrumental in bringing the genre, which had peaked in the late 20th century and declined with the rise of hip-hop, into the mainstream again.[269][270] According to the Recording Academy's Princess Gabbara, SZA's success helped to "[flip] R&B on its head and [shatter] the tired trope that '[the genre] is dead.'"[270] BET's Khalilah Archie wrote that SZA embodied an important shift for the genre – making vulnerable lyrics a more prominent staple of R&B music.[271] Many of her contemporaries like Summer Walker, Tink, and Ari Lennox have been influenced by her songwriting;[270][272] Baby Rose described her as "a radical light".[267] Critics also cite SZA as a prominent figure in the rise of alternative R&B music.[269][273]

In 2023, Sophie Williams of NME called SZA one of the most influential voices in contemporary music. She wrote that few artists have shaped the sound of modern R&B as much as her.[267] Vogue Australia's Liam Freeman said that "it's hard to imagine what an R&B playlist would sound like without her now".[274] SZA's debut album has been credited in numerous retrospectives as not only propelling her to mainstream success,[275][276][277] but also shaping the sound of R&B.[272][278][279] Williams highlighted the album's lasting influence, noting that even six years after its release, its impact continues to shape a "new generation of young, bright artists".[267] The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Al Newstead thought that the album redefined genre boundaries through combining classic R&B and neo soul traditions with modern sounds.[280]

In 2025, Billboard ranked SZA as the 44th-greatest R&B musician of all time. Staff writer Heran Mamo wrote that SZA was proof that "artists with an R&B foundation [...] can successfully break through the genre's borders and ascend into pop's upper echelon".[233] In an unrelated article, Mamo compared the trajectory of her career to that of Beyoncé, who debuted as an R&B artist and found crossover success as she expanded her sound.[281] Rolling Stone, meanwhile, put SZA at number 180 on their 2023 list of the 200 greatest singers.[224] The magazine also ranked Ctrl and SOS at numbers 472 and 351, respectively, on their 2023 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[282][283]

Public image and views

[edit]

Social media use

[edit]

SZA has a strong online presence. Early in her career, she was very active on the social media site Tumblr,[284] where many people discovered her EPs and contributed to her rise to fame.[47] SZA described Tumblr as "her shit" and "such a crazy place" when she was still scouring the website.[284] She also uses Twitter frequently to express her thoughts, share updates on music and projects, and to talk to fans.[285][286] On Instagram, SZA posts Reels and Stories and releases teasers or snippets of upcoming works.[287][288][289] Her songs often go viral on TikTok, which she uses to her advantage when promoting music.[290]

Music leaks

[edit]

Many of SZA's unreleased songs have been leaked online, which she has openly criticized, stating, "When people leak my songs, they ruin them".[291] She feels that when a song is leaked, it no longer belongs to her but to the public, describing it as "something unfinished that you decided was ready to be shared".[292] In December 2018, SZA faced her first major leak when a nine-track unreleased album titled Comethru was distributed through a label called Scissor. On the album, SZA was credited as "Sister Solana", while Lamar made a guest appearance under the name "King Kenny".[293] In January 2024, SZA warned that she may pursue legal action against those who release her music without permission, stating that she promised to hold them accountable as much as the law allows.[294] In March 2024, SZA addressed a fan on Twitter who leaked unreleased images and audio, and later deleted and deactivated her accounts before RCA could take action.[295][296] Punch noted that leaks frequently result in project delays or complete cancellations.[297]

Philanthropy and activism

[edit]

Part of SZA's philanthropy is advocating for environmental justice and spreading awareness about the climate crisis.[240][298] Following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, SZA invited fans to spend time with her after Ctrl the Tour in exchange for donating essential items such as non-perishable food, diapers, gloves, masks, trash bags, and baby food.[299] In 2019, a fan of SZA diagnosed with lupus, sickle cell disease, and Crohn's disease shared on social media that she had contributed financially toward her chemotherapy treatments and used her platform to help find a kidney donor.[300] That same year, SZA launched a merchandise line called Ctrl Fishing Company, which included apparel featuring phrases such as "Puck Flastic" and "Sustainability Gang", as well as sea animals like blue whales and seahorses.[301]

SZA has also advocated for social justice.[240] In 2021, she partnered with American Forests and tea brand Tazo to address environmental harm that disproportionally affects Black and Brown communities. The corps comprised 25 locally hired fellows trained in climate justice advocacy, tree planting, and maintenance.[240][298] SZA has voiced criticism for 45th and 47th president Donald Trump; during the 2016 presidential election, she criticized his supporters for endorsing "bigotry, lying, and xenophobia", adding that "[people were] dying from the stereotypes he perpetuates".[302] In 2024, during an Auckland show for the SOS Tour, SZA expressed her support for Palestinian rights by waving their flag as she performed and saying "Free Palestine".[303]

Personal life

[edit]

SZA has been candid about her struggles with mental health, describing the music industry as "one of the most stressful, psychosis-inducing industries".[227] She became depressed and developed suicidal thoughts after the sudden deaths of three ex-boyfriends in quick succession. She found solace through prayer and music, which helped her work toward self-acceptance.[9] Her best friend Mac Miller's accidental lethal overdose in 2018 and grandmother's death in 2020 further pushed her into suicidal thoughts and demotivated her from making music.[8][261]

Due to her upbringing, SZA has practiced several religious beliefs throughout her life. She believes in a "higher power or presence [...] that's running and moving the world like a well-oiled machine," regardless of religion.[304] She has practiced and identified with Christianity,[304] and she considers herself Muslim.[10] Apart from Abrahamic faiths, she incorporates Hinduism in her personal belief system. In 2020, she hosted an online meditation session with Lizzo on Instagram Live, where SZA played a Tibetan singing bowl.[305] She went to a silent retreat in India in 2025, refraining from social media use for over a week and practicing samyama all the while.[306] To maintain her wellness, she does yoga.[307]

SZA is known for keeping her dating life private.[308] Her known former partners include Drake, whom she dated in 2009.[309] Another is an unnamed fashion designer, with whom she was in a relationship for eleven years, five years of which were spent engaged to be married.[310] She attributes the beginning of her career in part to him, who helped finance her everyday needs; she described her relationship with him as codependent. The two broke off around 2017, sending SZA in a catastrophizing state because he was a "rock in [her] life" and "nobody understood [her] the way he did". "Nobody Gets Me" was written about him, as were many other songs from SOS.[308]

Discography

[edit]
Main articles: SZA discography and List of songs recorded by SZA

Filmography

[edit]

Tours

[edit]

Headlining

Co-headlining

Supporting

Achievements

[edit]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by SZA

In her career, SZA has received five Grammy Awards,[313] a Golden Globe nomination,[314] and an Academy Award nomination.[315] She has earned one American Music Award,[316] six Billboard Music Awards,[317] four MTV Video Music Awards,[105][318][319][320] and six BET Awards.[317] She received the "Rulebreaker Award" and "Women of the Year" at the Billboard Women in Music event in 2019 and 2023, respectively.[321] SZA has also won the Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist in 2017.[322] Billboard later ranked her at number 18 on its 2025 "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" list.[323]

In September 2022, SZA was included as one of the rising stars on the Time 100 Next List.[324] At the 2022 Grammy Awards, SZA won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Doja Cat for their collaboration "Kiss Me More".[325] In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked SZA at number 180 on its list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time".[326] At the 2025 Grammy Awards, SZA won Best R&B Song for her single "Saturn".[327]

Notes

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
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SZA

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Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA, is an American R&B singer-songwriter raised in Maplewood, New Jersey. She began her career in the early 2010s, releasing extended plays See.SZA.Run (2012) and Z (2014) before signing with Top Dawg Entertainment. Her debut studio album Ctrl (2017) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and achieved platinum certification from the RIAA for one million equivalent units sold in the United States. Ctrl's singles, including "Love Galore" featuring Travis Scott, reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. SZA's sophomore album SOS (2022) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, marking the largest streaming week ever for an R&B album at the time, and has since been certified eight times platinum by the RIAA for over eight million units. Tracks from SOS, such as "Kill Bill" and "Snooze," topped the Billboard Hot 100, contributing to the album's record-breaking 100 nonconsecutive weeks in the top ten of the Billboard 200—the longest for any album by a female artist. SZA has received five Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Song for "Snooze" in 2024 and for "Saturn" in 2025, alongside 26 nominations, reflecting her commercial dominance and critical recognition in contemporary R&B.

Early life

Family background and upbringing

Solána Imani Rowe was born on November 8, 1989, in , , to parents Audrey Rowe and Abdul Mubarak-Rowe. Her mother, a Christian, pursued a career as an executive at , while her father, a Muslim, worked as an at . The family maintained an interfaith dynamic, with Rowe recalling early exposure to both the and the as foundational texts in her household. Rowe has a half-sister, Panya Rowe, who is eleven years older than her. Around age ten, the family relocated from to , where Rowe spent the majority of her childhood in a middle-class environment shaped by her parents' professional media backgrounds. Influenced primarily by her father's Muslim faith, Rowe was raised in an observant household that emphasized religious discipline; she attended a Muslim preparatory after regular classes and wore a until her teenage years. This upbringing proved sheltered, restricting access to and social activities, though her father introduced her to records, fostering an initial appreciation for the genre amid limited external influences.

Education and early interests

Rowe graduated from Columbia High School in , in 2008, where she participated in and , serving as captain of the team and achieving competitive ranking as a . She later described experiencing and Islamophobia at the school, which motivated her determination to succeed. Following high school, Rowe attended three colleges before enrolling at to major in , driven by an early interest in science and . She earned straight A's over two semesters but dropped out during her final semester, feeling a loss of interest and compelled to pursue instead. Rowe's pre-music interests centered on athletics, with 13 years dedicated to before shifting focus, alongside activities during high school. This period marked her transition from structured academic and sports pursuits to creative endeavors, including experimentation after leaving .

Career

2011–2014: Early independent releases and EPs

SZA began her musical career with independent releases following her college graduation, self-releasing her debut extended play (EP), See.SZA.Run, on October 29, 2012. The project featured seven tracks produced by artists including Brandun DeShay and APSuperProducer, blending alternative R&B with downtempo and contemporary elements. Distributed via free download on platforms like , it served as an initial effort to generate income and build an audience through bedroom-recorded material. On April 10, 2013, SZA released her second self-produced EP, S, continuing her lo-fi aesthetic with producers such as Zodiac contributing to its dreamy sound. The EP garnered positive reception from music critics for its introspective lyrics and atmospheric production, helping to attract industry attention. These independent efforts led to connections with (TDE), an independent label known for artists like . In August 2013, TDE announced SZA as its first female signee, marking a shift from fully independent releases. Under the label, she issued her third EP, Z, on April 8, 2014, which expanded on prior works with ten tracks featuring psychedelic R&B influences and collaborations aligned with TDE's roster. This release represented her early commercial foray while retaining the experimental style established in her prior independent projects.

2015–2018: Ctrl and emerging recognition

Following the release of her EP Z in 2014, SZA began preparing material for her debut studio album while affiliated with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). In early 2017, she released "Drew Barrymore" as the lead single from the forthcoming project on January 31. On April 28, 2017, SZA signed a distribution deal with RCA Records alongside TDE, facilitating wider commercial reach. SZA's debut album Ctrl was released on June 9, 2017, through TDE and . The album debuted at number three on the US chart, earning 60,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, including 25,000 in traditional album sales, 33,000 streaming-equivalent units, and 2,000 track-equivalent units. Key singles from Ctrl included "Love Galore" featuring , which peaked at number 22 on the , and "The Weekend," which reached number 29 on the chart. The success of Ctrl marked SZA's breakthrough, earning critical praise for its introspective lyrics on relationships and self-doubt, blended with alternative R&B production. In 2018, the album secured five Grammy Award nominations, including Best Urban Contemporary Album for Ctrl, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for "The Weekend," Best Rap/Sung Performance for "Love Galore," and Best New Artist, though she did not win any. SZA promoted the album through festival appearances and opening slots, including performances at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, Trillectro Festival, Bumbershoot, and Shoreline Amphitheatre in 2018.

2019–2023: High-profile collaborations and SOS release

In 2020, SZA released the single "Hit Different" featuring Ty Dolla $ign on September 30, which peaked at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, on December 4, she issued "Good Days," a standalone single that reached number 38 on the Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart. These releases marked her transition toward new material amid a five-year gap since her debut album Ctrl. In 2021, SZA collaborated with on "," from the latter's album , released on April 30; the track debuted at number 77 on the Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number three, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. She followed with the single "I Hate U" on December 3, which debuted at number six on the Hot 100 and became her first top-10 entry as lead artist. SZA's second studio album, , arrived on December 9, 2022, via and , comprising 23 tracks with guest appearances including on "Low" and on "." It debuted at number one on the with 318,000 album-equivalent units, the largest week for an R&B album by a female artist since 2019, and accumulated 10 nonconsecutive weeks at the summit through early 2023. Lead singles "" (October 28, 2022) and post-release tracks like "Kill Bill" (December 2022), which hit number one on the Hot 100 for three nonconsecutive weeks and ranked as the third best-selling song of 2023, alongside "Snooze" (peaking at number two), drove its streaming dominance. In 2023, SZA featured on Drake's "," released September 15, which debuted at number one on the Hot 100 with 1.77 million streams in its first week, marking her first chart-topping collaboration. SOS continued charting success, logging 38 total weeks at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart by mid-2023, surpassing prior records for the category.

2024–present: LANA deluxe edition, tours, and expanded ventures

In December 2024, SZA released SOS Deluxe: LANA, an expanded reissue of her 2022 album SOS comprising the original tracks plus 15 bonus songs, including previously leaked material, outtakes, the Grammy-nominated "Saturn," and the new collaboration "30 for 30" with Kendrick Lamar, which samples Switch's 1979 track "I Call Your Name." The project, teased earlier in the year with a promotional video featuring Ben Stiller, arrived on December 20, 2024, via Top Dawg Entertainment. SZA described it as incorporating "the leaks and outtakes" to form a distinct body of work beyond a standard deluxe edition. SZA continued updating LANA into 2025, announcing additions of new songs and mixes on January 6, followed by four previously unreleased tracks released during on February 9, resulting in a further deluxe version of the album. These expansions sustained chart performance, with SOS reaching its 12th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the in early January 2025. Following the SOS Tour's international dates in early 2024, SZA performed at major festivals including in June. In 2025, she joined as an on the Grand National Tour, a stadium run starting April 19 at in , , with subsequent stops including in on April 23, in Arlington on April 26, in on April 29, and extending through summer dates across . SZA expanded into fashion and design in August 2025 by becoming ' first , a role encompassing creative oversight, , and collaborations drawing from aesthetics. She also made her debut in 2025, marking entry into film and television amid ongoing music projects.

Artistry

Influences

SZA's musical influences encompass a broad spectrum of genres, including , R&B, soul, rock, and alternative, reflecting her exposure to diverse sounds from family and personal exploration. Her mother introduced her to and R&B, while her father favored artists such as and , and abstract funk like ; her sister contributed melodic hip-hop and rap influences. Among vocal influences, SZA has highlighted jazz icon , stating she frequently sang Fitzgerald's "Tenderly" as a child and would cry to its emotional depth, describing it as one of the most beautiful songs. She has also cited as a personal influence and , whose music shaped her early artistic experiences through dance pieces with the . Additional inspirations include , whom she praised effusively, and R&B figures like Meelah, , and Common. SZA's appreciation extends to rock and pop-punk acts from her youth, such as Good Charlotte, Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, and Limp Bizkit, which informed the alternative edge of her 2022 album SOS. She has professed lifelong fandom for Creed, likening their track "Higher" to a gospel song with uplifting, romantic vocals, and expressed enthusiasm for Nickelback. In R&B and soul, influences include , , , Jill Scott, and , alongside contemporary acts like and . Further citations encompass , Thundercat, , , and hip-hop artists like and , underscoring her genre-blending approach.

Musical style

SZA's music is characterized by , often blended with neo-soul elements, incorporating influences from hip hop, trap, and pop. Her work features atmospheric production built on layered, sliced, delayed, and reversed vocals, which create twisting, mutable textures over minimalist beats. This approach draws from and aesthetics, emphasizing ethereal and introspective soundscapes rather than conventional rhythmic structures. On her 2017 album Ctrl, production relies on smooth electric pianos, psychedelic guitars, and warm analog synths, maintaining a sparse arrangement that highlights emotional vulnerability. Tracks employ ambient vocal harmonies and subtle reverb to evoke a confessional, late-night intimacy, with beats that prioritize mood over danceability. By contrast, the 2022 album SOS expands into genre experimentation, transitioning between hip-hop percussion, indie rock guitars, and syrupy soul melodies, resulting in a 23-track sequence that resists categorization. These shifts underscore a production philosophy favoring eclecticism, where producers layer unconventional elements—like trap hi-hats over soulful chords—to mirror lyrical fragmentation.

Vocal technique


SZA's vocal technique emphasizes emotional expressiveness over conventional polish, drawing on intuitive control rather than formal training. Her delivery features a breathy, conversational timbre that prioritizes raw vulnerability, often incorporating subtle fry and airy head voice placements to evoke intimacy. This approach allows for fluid melismatic runs and tongue-driven articulation, enabling smooth transitions across registers without rigid structure. Her documented vocal range spans roughly 2.7 to 4 octaves depending on recordings, with a comfortable foundation in the lower mezzo or territory from B2 or G2 up to G5 or F6 in extensions. Strength in low notes provides a husky depth, as heard in tracks like "" starting at B2, while higher notes reach F♯6 in songs such as "Joni." Live performances demonstrate a practical range of D3 to B♭5, showcasing controlled and breath support for sustained phrasing. Key techniques include for nasal , mixed voice placement blending chest and head registers, and puckered for balanced tone. adds organic fluctuation to held notes, enhancing emotional layering without overproduction. In live settings, she integrates jazz-influenced , scatting, and ad-libs, adapting melodies spontaneously while maintaining pitch accuracy through agile . Breath control underpins her phrasing, allowing extended lines and dynamic shifts from whispery verses to belted choruses without strain.

Songwriting and lyrical themes

SZA's songwriting process emphasizes spontaneity and , often beginning without predefined topics or structures, allowing to evolve from immediate emotional impulses during studio sessions. She has described crafting songs like "I Hate U" in as little as through iterative collaboration with producers and engineers, sculpting raw ideas into polished tracks via repeated refinement. This approach yields that read as conversational confessions, blending vulnerability with unfiltered honesty akin to personal diary entries. Her lyrical themes predominantly revolve around relational turmoil, emotional vulnerability, self-doubt, and the pursuit of self-worth, drawing from experiences of love's transformative and often destructive effects. In Ctrl (2017), songs dissect the intricacies of romantic desire, betrayal, and , portraying female agency amid insecurity and heartbreak, as in tracks confronting post-breakup and emotional dependency. The album's narratives highlight womanhood's internal conflicts, where protagonists grapple with ordering of desires against relational realities. Expanding in SOS (2022), themes shift toward broader self-discovery and resilience, examining how love exacerbates isolation, loneliness, and personal evolution while fostering both empowerment and regression. Lyrics evoke universal struggles with connection and autonomy, such as in explorations of amid relational voids, with ' guest verse on "" underscoring fame's isolating toll. SZA's emphasis on raw exposure—evident in lines dissecting loss and healing—positions her work as a conduit for listeners' emotional processing, prioritizing authenticity over resolution. This diaristic style, rooted in lived relational dynamics, underscores a causal link between personal upheaval and artistic output, yielding themes that resonate through their unvarnished realism rather than idealized narratives.

Collaborations

SZA has collaborated extensively with artists across hip-hop, R&B, and pop, often providing featured vocals that integrate her emotive delivery and thematic depth into diverse tracks. These partnerships, spanning over a decade, have yielded several chart successes and Grammy recognitions, showcasing her versatility in blending soulful with collaborators' styles. Her most prolific collaboration is with Kendrick Lamar, beginning with "Babylon" on her 2014 EP Z, where Lamar contributed a verse emphasizing relational dynamics. Subsequent joint efforts include "Doves in the Wind" from her 2017 album Ctrl, which critiques superficial male behavior through layered production and Lamar's introspective rap. Their 2018 single "All the Stars," part of the Black Panther soundtrack, peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance. More recent works feature "Luther" from Lamar's 2024 album GNX, sampling Luther Vandross to explore romantic vulnerability, highlighting their ongoing synergy in narrative-driven music. Beyond Lamar, SZA contributed to Rihanna's 2016 track "" on the album Anti, co-writing and delivering harmonies that underscore themes of independence; SZA later reflected that the song, originally intended for her own project, ultimately benefited her career exposure despite initial reservations. Other notable features include "" with in 2017, which reached number nine on the , and "" with in 2021, a funky pop-rap hybrid that topped charts internationally and won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Additional collaborations encompass "I Do" with (2018), "" with and (2019), and "" with (2022), demonstrating her adaptability from high-energy rap features to atmospheric indie pairings.

Public image

Social media presence

SZA maintains an active presence across major social media platforms, primarily using them to promote her music releases, share personal insights, and engage with fans. On Instagram, under the handle @sza, she has amassed approximately 23.3 million followers as of October 2025, with around 494 posts featuring visuals from performances, behind-the-scenes content, and lifestyle updates. Her Instagram activity often includes teasers for projects like the SOS deluxe edition LANA, contributing to high engagement rates averaging 5.45% per post, with likes exceeding 1.2 million on average. On X (formerly Twitter), SZA operates the account @sza, where she shares direct announcements, such as the release of SOS DELUXE (LANA) in , and more unfiltered personal reflections that have fostered a sense of intimacy with her audience. This platform has played a role in her early career development, helping her build credibility through organic interactions after dropping out of college and "vibing aimlessly" online. Her account, also @sza, has a comparatively smaller following of about 817,000 as of late 2025, with over 756,000 likes accumulated through short-form videos that occasionally tie into her themes or trends. Overall, SZA's strategy emphasizes authenticity over polished curation, which has supported fan loyalty but also prompted her to discuss the anxiety induced by constant online observation and comparison. This approach aligns with her gradual rise, leveraging platforms to cultivate a dedicated base without relying on aggressive .

Controversies and feuds

In July 2025, SZA engaged in a public feud with rapper on X, sparked by Minaj's accusations against SZA's former manager, Terrence "Punch" Henderson, whom Minaj claimed had bullied her and that SZA remained silent on related abuse allegations involving CEO Desirae Perez. Minaj escalated the dispute by resurfacing old tweets from SZA that appeared to criticize artists including , , , and , and accused SZA of using bots to inflate streaming numbers while ignoring Minaj's prior requests for collaborations on two occasions. SZA responded with counter-criticism, defending her position amid Minaj's personal attacks, which included comparing SZA's voice to a "f–king dead " and questioning her overall relative to Minaj's self-described status. The exchange drew widespread media attention, with Minaj posting over a dozen messages on July 15, 2025, framing SZA as disingenuous toward other female artists and linking the conflict to broader industry tensions, including Minaj's ongoing disputes with entities like . SZA's replies emphasized her independence and dismissed Minaj's claims, though specifics of her retorts focused on rebutting the narrative of silence or complicity without directly addressing the resurfaced tweets. Observers noted the feud's roots in perceived slights, such as Minaj interpreting a SZA tweet as a subtle jab, amid Minaj's history of public clashes with other female artists. Earlier, in September 2023, SZA faced backlash after direct-messaging a fan on Instagram who had posted a photo captioned "SZA wack," leading to a leaked exchange where SZA expressed frustration over the criticism. The fan shared screenshots of the DMs, prompting debates about celebrity-fan boundaries and SZA's emotional response, with some defending her humanity and others accusing her of overreacting to online trolling for content. No formal resolution occurred, but the incident highlighted tensions between SZA's public vulnerability in her music and her handling of direct negativity.

Music leaks

SZA has encountered multiple unauthorized leaks of her unreleased music, disrupting her creative process and leading to public expressions of frustration. In December 2018, a purported album titled Comethru surfaced on and under the pseudonym "Sister Solana," comprising older unreleased tracks rather than new material. Leaks intensified in late 2023 and early 2024, targeting songs intended for her planned Lana album and outtakes. On November 29, 2023, SZA stated that such leaks "ruin" tracks by undermining intended rollouts and exposing unfinished work prematurely. In January 2024, following specific incidents, she posted on X (formerly ) condemning the leakers as "thieves" and vowing legal action to address the breaches, which her manager attributed to hackers accessing her catalog. By March 2024, after three tracks from Lana leaked, SZA announced she would incorporate the affected songs and additional SOS outtakes into a deluxe edition of , releasing them officially rather than pursuing further delays. She simultaneously decided to restart Lana "from scratch" to produce entirely new, unheard material, emphasizing the need for fresh creative control amid ongoing vulnerabilities. This approach reflected her adaptation to leaks as an inadvertent "rollout" mechanism, though she maintained that unauthorized distribution devalues her artistic intent.

Philanthropy and activism

SZA has focused much of her activism on , particularly addressing in communities. In , she partnered with TAZO and American Forests to launch the TAZO Tree Corps initiative, which aimed to combat climate injustices by hiring and training 25 fellows from underserved areas including ; ; ; ; and in , maintenance, and climate advocacy, with trees credited for absorbing significant annually in the U.S. She has drawn from personal experiences in places like , and , to highlight disparities in environmental exposure. In September 2023, during a talk at , SZA discussed related issues including , PFAS contamination in water supplies, food deserts in Camden, and elevated levels among Black women linked to systemic stress. More recently, in July 2025, she used to criticize the environmental toll of infrastructure on Black cities such as Memphis. In philanthropy, SZA has supported initiatives, especially in marginalized communities. In May 2022, for , she collaborated with on a limited-edition shoe line, directing proceeds to organizations including the Sad Girls Club, the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, and the . She has also engaged in direct aid, such as donating to a fan battling and Crohn’s disease in 2019, covering costs, providing concert tickets and a Universal Studios trip, and assisting in the search for a kidney donor. Other efforts include sustainable practices and disaster relief. In 2019, SZA co-launched Ctrl Fishing Co. with Slow Factory, promoting ocean conservation through upcycled and sustainable fabrics in fashion. She donated $2,500 to a family impacted by wildfires in August 2023. In 2024, SZA participated in Mastercard's campaign for the Priceless Planet Coalition, performing to raise awareness for forest restoration efforts benefiting .

Personal life

Relationships

SZA has maintained relative regarding her romantic life, with much of the publicly available information stemming from her own interviews and lyrical references in her music. From approximately 2008 to 2019, she was in an 11-year relationship with an unnamed fashion designer, to whom she was engaged for the final five years; the pair met shortly after her high school graduation. This relationship, which ended amid on his part, heavily influenced themes of heartbreak and in her debut album Ctrl (2017), including tracks like "The Weekend" and "Supermodel." In a 2020 interview, SZA confirmed a brief romantic involvement with rapper Drake around 2009, describing it as not "hot and heavy" but rather casual, which she later referenced in her song "Snooze" from the album SOS (2022). Speculation about other flings has circulated, including unconfirmed rumors of a short-lived connection with rapper Travis Scott in mid-2023 following his guest appearance at one of her European tour dates, though SZA has not addressed it directly. As of late 2025, SZA has not publicly confirmed any ongoing romantic partnerships, despite recent tabloid speculation linking her to country-rap artist Shaboozey based on interactions, which remains unsubstantiated by her statements or verifiable evidence. She has expressed in interviews a preference for post-breakup, emphasizing personal growth over new commitments.

Health and personal views

SZA has openly addressed her mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression, which intensified during the amid grief over her grandmother's death and periods of isolation, during which she reported not eating. She has described debilitating anxiety affecting her at events like the and contributing to her decision in August 2024 to pause performing in order to "get my life together." To manage these issues, SZA employs strategies such as outdoor physical activity, prayer, and songwriting, while experimenting with therapies including , , and talk therapy—though she once unknowingly consulted a life coach instead of a licensed therapist, which she said did not improve her condition. Physically, SZA experienced significant in early 2021 due to an adverse reaction to , a medication she was taking, prompting her to adopt braids and wigs temporarily. Regarding , she has reflected on weighing approximately 190 pounds earlier in her career and undergoing a Brazilian butt lift (BBL), which she later regretted, stating that prioritizing over cosmetic procedures would have been wiser and emphasizing natural . SZA has criticized body-shaming comments from fans and the public, attributing some of her social withdrawal to such scrutiny and asserting that these "weird" remarks hinder her engagement online. In her personal views, SZA advocates for self-defined beauty standards, refusing to conform to external expectations on or body presentation, and promotes as a journey independent of societal validation. On relationships, she has discussed the emotional toll of breakups, including one with an ex-fiancé who reportedly "hates" her, framing fame as exacerbating personal relational strains akin to a "toxic" dynamic.

Reception

Critical analysis

SZA's music, characterized by alternative R&B with elements of soul, neo-soul, and pop, draws from diverse influences including Ella Fitzgerald's jazz phrasing, Lauryn Hill's introspective lyricism, and even rock acts like Creed, enabling a genre-blending approach that prioritizes emotional rawness over conventional polish. Her debut album Ctrl (2017) exemplifies this through its exploration of relational ambivalence and self-doubt, with tracks like "The Weekend" employing fragmented narratives that mirror psychological turmoil, earning praise for testing R&B boundaries via opulent production and raw vulnerability. However, earlier works like the EP Z (2014) suffer from bleakness without sufficient cohesion, failing to justify their grandiose atmosphere and resulting in a lack of presence. In (2022), SZA expands stylistically with looser, more confident structures, chronicling themes of amid longing and fallibility, as in "Kill Bill," where vengeful yields addictive choruses and soothing vocals. Yet, the album's midtempo dominance leads to wonky pacing and abbreviated tracks, frustratingly undermining transcendent moments, particularly in its acidic opening quarter lacking innovation. This inconsistency highlights a reliance on experimental arrangements and humor for resonance, but exposes weaknesses in narrative arc resolution, where initial anger dissipates without full catharsis. SZA's vocal technique embraces imperfection—conversational delivery, inflections, and minimal —for authenticity, diverging from classical training to convey emotional honesty, though critics note unclear enunciation and strained phrasing that can evoke an affected "indie girl" affectation. Songwriting strengths lie in inner-monologue precision, transforming personal observations into relatable anthems, but some argue the content promotes toxic relational dynamics, potentially unhealthy for impressionable listeners despite its therapeutic intent. Overall, while mainstream acclaim from outlets like underscores her cultural resonance, independent analyses reveal structural flaws that temper her status as an R&B innovator, suggesting growth in cohesion could elevate future output beyond hype-driven reception.

Commercial performance

SZA's debut studio album Ctrl (2017) debuted at number three on the chart, selling 60,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. By February 2025, it had been certified five times platinum by the RIAA, representing 5 million units in the United States, including sales and streaming equivalents. The album's singles, such as "Love Galore" featuring , achieved platinum status, contributing to its sustained chart presence, including a return to number one on the Top R&B Albums chart in 2022 after the deluxe edition release. Her second studio album (2022) entered the at number one with 318,000 album-equivalent units in its debut week and accumulated 13 nonconsecutive weeks at the top position across multiple years. By August 2025, reached eight times certification from the RIAA for 8 million units sold in the . It broke records on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spending 38 weeks at number one by June 2025 and later surpassing 100 weeks at number one on the Top R&B Albums chart. Prominent singles from , including "Kill Bill" and "Snooze," drove significant streaming revenue, with "Kill Bill" amassing over 2.6 billion streams and peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Snooze" followed with 1.7 billion streams and also topped the Hot 100, while collaborations like "Luther" with held the number one spot for 10 weeks in 2025. Overall, SZA surpassed 100 million RIAA-certified units across her catalog by February 2025, reflecting combined album, single, and feature performance.
AlbumUS Peak (Billboard 200)Weeks at No. 1RIAA Certification (2025)Equivalent Units (US)
Ctrl (2017)30 (R&B charts later)5× Platinum5 million
SOS (2022)1138× Platinum8 million

Achievements and awards

SZA has received five from 26 nominations, recognizing her contributions to R&B and . Her first win came in 2022 for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance on "Kiss Me More" by featuring SZA. In 2024, she secured three awards: Best Progressive R&B Album for , Best R&B Song for "Snooze", and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Ghost in the Machine" featuring . Her fifth Grammy arrived in 2025 for Best R&B Song on "Saturn".
YearCategoryWork
2022Best Pop Duo/Group Performance"Kiss Me More" (Doja Cat feat. SZA)
2024Best Progressive R&B AlbumSOS
2024Best R&B Song"Snooze"
2024Best Pop Duo/Group Performance"Ghost in the Machine" (SZA feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
2025Best R&B Song"Saturn"
At the , SZA has won eight honors, including Top R&B Artist and Top R&B Female Artist in both 2023 and 2024, Top R&B Album for in 2023, and Top R&B Song for "Kill Bill" in 2023. She was named 's Woman of the Year in 2023. SZA has earned seven BET Awards, with wins for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist in multiple years, including her third consecutive victory in 2025. She holds four MTV Video Music Awards, primarily in R&B categories. Among chart achievements, SOS (2022) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with the largest streaming week ever for an R&B album and spent 38 weeks at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, the longest reign in that ranking's history. It became the first album by a female artist to spend 100 weeks in the Billboard 200's top 10. Her debut album Ctrl (2017) marked the first by a female artist to chart for 400 weeks on the Billboard 200. SZA has multiple RIAA diamond-certified singles, including "Love Galore" (featuring Travis Scott) reaching 10 million units in 2025.

Criticisms

SZA's lyrics have drawn criticism for portraying themes of toxicity, infidelity, and violence in relationships, with some commentators arguing they normalize unhealthy behaviors for listeners, particularly young women. For instance, in the track "The Weekend" from her 2017 album Ctrl, SZA describes knowingly sharing a romantic partner, prompting backlash for seemingly endorsing polyamory or side relationships without consequence. Similarly, "Kill Bill" from SOS (2022) faced debate over its depiction of murderous fantasies toward an ex and their new partner, with detractors viewing the content as glamorizing extreme emotional responses rather than critiquing them. Public scrutiny has also targeted SZA's activity and past statements. In October 2025, she sparked online controversy by liking a post accusing of appropriating (AAVE) in her song "Eldest Daughter" while referencing the shooting incident, leading to accusations of stirring unnecessary division. Resurfaced tweets from earlier in her career, including disparaging remarks about artists like , , and , as well as a 2014 post stating "My pus*y so fat I call it ," reignited backlash in 2024 and 2025 for insensitivity and body-related vulgarity. SZA has encountered performance-related criticism, notably during her June 28, 2024, headline set at , where technical glitches, including sound issues, and a smaller-than-expected crowd led to reports of her appearing "scared and freaked out," with some attendees and reviewers deeming the show underwhelming. Additionally, she has faced ongoing body-shaming and speculation about cosmetic procedures, such as Brazilian butt lifts (BBL), with online commentators criticizing perceived changes to her physique since earlier in her career, prompting her to publicly decry such "weird" harassment in December 2024.

Discography

Studio albums

![SZA performing at a concert while holding a microphone](./assets/Ctrl_the_tour22 SZA released her debut studio album Ctrl on June 9, 2017, through and . The album, primarily produced by alongside SZA's own contributions, explores themes of toxic relationships, self-reflection, and emotional vulnerability across 14 tracks blending R&B, neo-soul, and alternative influences. Ctrl debuted at number three on the chart, selling 60,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, including approximately 25,000 pure album sales. By 2025, it had accumulated over six million equivalent units in the and became the first album by a female artist to chart for 400 consecutive weeks on the . SZA's second studio album SOS, released on December 9, 2022, via the same labels, marked her first number-one debut on the with 318,000 equivalent units in its opening week. Spanning 23 tracks, SOS draws from R&B, pop, hip-hop, and rock genres, addressing love, fame, and personal growth with production from collaborators including and Babyface. The album has logged multiple nonconsecutive weeks at number one on the , including a return to the top spot in January 2025 following the release of its deluxe edition Lana, and holds the record for 38 total weeks at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart as of June 2025. By mid-2025, SOS had surpassed 20 million equivalent album units worldwide.
AlbumRelease DatePeak Chart Position (Billboard 200)First-Week Units (US)
CtrlJune 9, 2017360,000
SOSDecember 9, 20221318,000

Extended plays and mixtapes

SZA self-released her debut , See.SZA.Run, on October 29, 2012, following her college graduation as a means to generate . The seven-track project, produced independently, showcased her early style with songs including "", "Euphraxia", "Advil", "Time Travel Undone", "Crack Dreams", "", and "Once Upon a Time". It received positive initial reception for its introspective lyrics and lo-fi production, though commercial metrics were limited due to its independent . On April 10, 2013, SZA issued her second , S, also self-released via platforms like . This four-track EP, featuring production from Felix Snow, Waren Vaughn, and WNDRBRD, included "Castles", "Terror.Dome", "Aftermath", and "", emphasizing themes of emotional vulnerability and cosmic imagery. The release built on her growing underground buzz, with tracks like "Castles" gaining traction for their atmospheric soundscapes, though it remained non-commercial and freely downloadable. SZA's third extended play, Z, marked her debut under and was commercially released on April 8, 2014. The ten-track project featured collaborations with on "Childs Play" and on "Warm Winds", alongside solo cuts like "Ur", "Julia", and "HiiiJack", blending neo-soul elements with hip-hop influences. Produced by a team including TDE affiliates, Z achieved wider distribution and streaming availability, contributing to her signing with later that year, with tracks demonstrating her evolving and thematic focus on relationships and self-doubt.

Singles and features

SZA's entry into the singles market coincided with the release of her debut studio album Ctrl in 2017, with "" featuring serving as a prominent single that peaked at number two on the and achieved diamond certification from the RIAA for 10 million units sold in the United States. Subsequent singles from Ctrl, such as "The Weekend," also garnered significant airplay and streaming, reaching number nine on the chart. Her 2020 single "," initially from the Ctrl deluxe edition, marked her first top-five Hot 100 entry at number four and was certified quadruple platinum. The 2022 album SOS propelled SZA to multiple chart-toppers, including "Kill Bill," which debuted as a post-release single on December 9, 2022, ascended to number one on the Hot 100 for three nonconsecutive weeks, and earned eight-times platinum certification by February 2025. "Snooze" followed as the second single, peaking at number two for eight weeks and receiving quadruple platinum status, while "Shirt" reached number 11. In 2023, "Saturn" from the SOS deluxe reissue Lana entered the Hot 100 at number four, contributing to her streak of top-10 hits. By 2025, additional singles like "BMF" peaked at number 29, reflecting ongoing commercial momentum amid new music releases.
TitleRelease DateAlbumPeak Billboard Hot 100RIAA Certification
Love Galore (feat. )June 13, 2017Ctrl2Diamond (10× Platinum)
The WeekendApril 13, 2018Ctrl282× Platinum
December 4, 2020Ctrl (Deluxe)44× Platinum
I Hate UDecember 3, 2020Non-album single64× Platinum
October 28, 2022SOS112× Platinum
November 11, 2022SOS102× Platinum
Kill BillDecember 9, 2022SOS18× Platinum
SnoozeNovember 18, 2022SOS24× Platinum
SaturnOctober 6, 2023Lana4Platinum
BMFJanuary 2025Non-album single29Gold
As a featured artist, SZA has contributed to several high-charting tracks, enhancing her visibility across genres. Her appearance on Kendrick Lamar's "All the Stars" from the Black Panther soundtrack (2018) peaked at number seven on the Hot 100 and earned triple platinum certification. On Doja Cat's "Kiss Me More" (2020), she helped secure a number-three Hot 100 peak and a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in 2022. More recently, "Luther" with Kendrick Lamar from his 2024 album GNX topped the Hot 100 for nine weeks, while Drake's "Slime You Out" featuring SZA reached number one in 2023 and was certified platinum on October 24, 2025. Other notable features include Cardi B's "I Do" (2018, peaked at 84 but certified platinum) and Maroon 5's "What Lovers Do" (2017, number nine peak). These collaborations underscore SZA's versatility, often blending R&B with pop and hip-hop elements to achieve crossover success.

Tours

Headlining tours

Ctrl the Tour served as SZA's debut headlining , promoting her debut studio album Ctrl (2017). Announced on July 5, 2017, the tour initially featured 44 dates across and , beginning August 20, 2017, at Fête Music Hall in , and originally set to conclude December 22, 2017, at The Fillmore in , . It was subsequently extended to include shows in , ending February 8, 2018, for a total of approximately 55 performances. Opening acts included and on select dates. The SOS Tour marked SZA's second major headlining outing and her first arena tour, undertaken to support her second studio album SOS (2022). Announced December 13, 2022, it launched February 21, 2023, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and encompassed multiple legs across North America, Europe, South America, and Oceania. Initial North American dates ran through April 2023, with an extension announced April 11, 2023, adding fall shows from September 20, 2023, in Miami, Florida, to October 29, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. European dates followed in 2024, alongside international expansions concluding primary legs by mid-2024, though select extensions persisted, including a December 5, 2025, performance at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada. The tour totaled over 70 shows, with opening acts such as Omar Apollo and RAYE.

Collaborative tours

SZA's early collaborative tour experience included serving as the opening act for the European leg of Bryson Tiller's Set It Off Tour in 2017. Announced on July 10, 2017, the tour featured 24 dates across 13 countries, starting October 17 in , , and including stops in , , , and the . Several dates were canceled, but SZA performed selections from her debut album Ctrl at the remaining shows, such as at London's Eventim Apollo. In 2025, SZA co-headlined the Grand National Tour with , a 39-date production spanning and , promoted by Live Nation. Announced December 3, 2024, the tour supported Lamar's GNX and SZA's SOS Deluxe: Lana, opening April 19 at in , , with subsequent legs including seven solo Lamar shows. DJ Mustard provided opening DJ sets for the initial U.S., Canadian, and European stretches. The production incorporated thematic elements, with Lamar's sets featuring segments and SZA's including covers of other artists' works. Guest appearances enhanced select dates, including , , and . By its conclusion in late June 2025, the tour grossed $256.4 million across sold-out stadiums, establishing it as the highest-grossing co-headlining tour in .

Other media appearances

Filmography

SZA's acting career began with a in the HBO series Insecure, where she portrayed the missing person LaToya Thompson in the fictional true-crime show-within-a-show "Looking for Latoya" during the episode "Lowkey Movin' On" in season 4, aired on May 17, 2020. Her feature film debut came in the 2025 buddy comedy One of Them Days, in which she played Alyssa, one of two best friends (alongside as Dreux) who scramble to recover stolen rent money amid escalating mishaps involving a homeless ex-boyfriend and shady dealings. The film, directed by Lawrence Lamont and produced in association with , premiered on on April 1, 2025, marking SZA's first lead role.
YearTitleRoleTypeNotes
2020InsecureLaToya ThompsonTV series (episode: "Lowkey Movin' On")Cameo in fictional show-within-show
2025One of Them DaysAlyssaFilmLead role; release

Endorsements and business ventures

SZA has engaged in several brand partnerships, beginning with her appearance in Rihanna's campaign for the Mattemoiselle lipstick line on December 12, 2017. She collaborated with on multiple limited-edition footwear releases, including a May 2022 collection of Classic Clogs and Slides with custom Jibbitz charms to support awareness, followed by a December 2022 denim-print Mega Crush Clog. In spring 2024, SZA curated "The SZA Edit" for Quay , selecting eight styles emphasizing self-expression and Y2K-inspired designs, priced between $75 and $105. On August 14, 2025, SZA entered a multi-year partnership with as the brand's first , overseeing creative direction for campaigns, product co-creation, and limited-edition drops that blend her aesthetic with Vans' skate heritage, including customized . In her business ventures, SZA launched the clean beauty brand Not Beauty on April 16, 2025, with an initial trio of $23 lip glosses in shades including Strawberry Jelly and Quartz, debuted via pop-up shops during her Grand National Tour stops from April 19 to June 2025. The line, which she teased on the stage earlier that year, plans expansions into additional lip products.

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  193. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKrezTvjN4Q/
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  200. https://news.iheart.com/featured/on-the-move-with-enrique-santos/content/2025-06-30-kendrick-lamar-sza-reach-historic-milestone-after-wrapping-up-joint-tour/
  201. https://hypebeast.com/2025/6/sza-kendrick-lamar-new-record-highest-grossing-joint-tour-grand-national-in-history
  202. https://snobette.com/2020/05/sza-plays-role-missing-latoya-thompson-insecure-show-in-show-looking-latoya/
  203. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8956962/
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  207. https://www.revolt.tv/article/2017-12-13/35733/sza-models-for-rihannas-fenty-beauty-in-stunning-new-campaign
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  209. https://people.com/style/sza-launches-second-collection-with-crocs-interview-exclusive/
  210. https://www.nylon.com/fashion/sza-quay-sunglasses-collaboration-2024
  211. https://thesitchmag.com/2024/05/03/sza-quay-australia-sza-edit-eyewear-collection/
  212. https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/sza-vans-artistic-director-1236044237/
  213. https://wwd.com/footwear-news/shoe-industry-news/sza-vans-artistic-director-partnership-1238036544/
  214. https://wwd.com/pop-culture/new-fashion-releases/sza-not-beauty-brand-lip-collection-1237090240/
  215. https://www.billboard.com/culture/lifestyle/sza-launches-not-beauty-1235947625/
  216. https://fashionista.com/2025/04/sza-makeup-brand-not-beauty
  217. https://www.hercampus.com/style/how-to-buy-sza-lip-gloss-not-beauty-makeup-line/
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