SZA

A singular presence within modern R&B, SZA distinguishes her work through introspective, offhandedly lyrical compositions and a vocal approach that channels numerous feelings via understated inflections and shifts. She first gained traction via three ethereal extended plays and joint efforts alongside artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, and Rihanna, then advanced further when Ctrl arrived in 2017 as a Top Ten release that garnered five Grammy nominations, one of which was for Best New Artist. The recognition was no isolated occurrence, since the following year she collected nearly the same volume of nominations for her role on Kendrick Lamar’s “All the Stars,” a Top Ten single that joined the many platinum-certified tracks she has amassed whether leading or supporting. Her second album, the intricate and layered SOS (2022), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, spawned four Top Ten pop singles including the revenge-themed chart-topper “Kill Bill,” and secured three Grammy awards for the artist. Prefaced by “Saturn,” SOS Deluxe: LANA (2024) expanded the original set with more than a dozen additional tracks.

Solána Imani Rowe entered the world in St. Louis and grew up in New Jersey, where she stood out in high-school gymnastics and cheerleading. After departing college, Rowe moved between various positions while privately making music, shaped by wide-ranging and independent influences including Billie Holiday and Björk along with Wu-Tang Clan, the latter of whose RZA prompted her stage name. She independently issued two atmospheric and captivating EPs—See.SZA.Run in 2012 and S in 2013—before signing with Top Dawg Entertainment, an imprint that had noticed her since 2011 when co-founder Terrence “Punch” Henderson received material during the CMJ Music Marathon.

Following the signing, Top Dawg and SZA moved swiftly. Her label debut Z surfaced in April 2014 as a psychedelic third EP that reached number 39 on the Billboard 200 and featured fellow TDE roster members Kendrick Lamar and Isaiah Rashad plus Chance the Rapper. By late 2016 she had become a sought-after collaborator in her own right, appearing on prominent TDE projects by Lamar, Rashad, ScHoolboy Q, and Jay Rock, co-writing Nicki Minaj’s “Feeling Myself” and Travis Scott’s “OK Alright,” and both co-writing and performing on Rihanna’s “Consideration.”

Ready for greater visibility in 2017, SZA delivered her debut full-length that June. Issued via TDE’s partnership with RCA, the incisive Ctrl entered the Billboard 200 at number three, later achieved platinum status, and produced the multi-platinum singles “Love Galore” and “The Weekend,” each of which reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. She further expanded her reach that year through contributions to Maroon 5’s Top Ten “What Lovers Do” and a remix of Lorde’s “Homemade Dynamite.” Nominated for five Grammys, she contended for Best New Artist, Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best R&B Song for “Supermodel,” Best R&B Performance for “The Weekend,” and Best Rap/Sung Performance for “Love Galore.”

Although she took home none of those awards, by the January 2019 ceremony she had already returned to the Hot 100 with “All the Stars,” her multi-platinum collaboration with Kendrick Lamar for Black Panther: The Album. The track peaked at number seven and earned four nominations at the subsequent Grammy ceremony, among them Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Throughout the remainder of 2019 she augmented her catalog of non-album material—already featuring Cardi B’s “I Do”—with the Game of Thrones track “Power Is Power” and featured roles on DJ Khaled’s “Just Us” and Post Malone’s “Staring at the Sun.” In 2020 she joined Justin Timberlake on “The Other Side” for the Trolls World Tour soundtrack, issued the Neptunes-produced “Hit Different” featuring Ty Dolla $ign that reached number 29 on the pop chart, and released “Good Days,” which climbed to number nine.

Relatively subdued for SZA, 2021 was marked by her appearance on Doja Cat’s buoyant “Kiss Me More,” a number-three pop single, as well as her contribution “The Anonymous Ones” to the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack. “No Love,” led by Summer Walker, and “I Hate U” both surfaced late in the year, the latter reaching number seven on the pop chart. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards the following February, “Good Days” was nominated for Best R&B Song while “Kiss Me More” won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. A deluxe edition of Ctrl containing seven previously unheard songs appeared that June, five years after the original release.

In December 2022 SZA issued her second album SOS, created with an extensive team of producers and writers anchored by Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, and ThankGod4Cody. The set topped both the Billboard 200 and the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, sending “Nobody Gets Me,” “Kill Bill,” and the Babyface-assisted “Snooze” into the Top Ten alongside the earlier “I Hate U” and “Good Days.” “Kill Bill” marked her first number-one pop hit, while an acoustic version of “Snooze” featuring Justin Bieber provided further momentum. After she claimed a second Hot 100 summit with Drake’s “Slime You Out,” she earned a leading nine nominations at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. SOS received Best Progressive R&B Album, “Snooze” took Best R&B Song, and the Phoebe Bridgers collaboration “Ghost in the Machine” won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Early in 2024 she released “Saturn,” a number-six pop hit that introduced SOS Deluxe: LANA, an expanded edition issued later that year.